Klowning Around With Jack Kelly :)

Hello!

When we think of clowns named "Kelly", Emmett would probably be the first person who comes to mind.

But--no fooling!--that's Jack Kelly under the greasepaint in this incredible still from 1953:

 

The caption on the reverse of the photo says this is a scene from "Here Come The Clowns", with Lori Nelson. I believe this was presented as part of  "Inside U-I", which was staged annually by Universal-International during the early 1950's to show off young players such as JK, Ms. Nelson, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and many others who were enrolled in the studio's talent development program.

 

Sophie Rosenstein, U-I's talent coach, explained the importance of the yearly show in a 1951 newspaper story: "You see, when a player is signed his fight just begins. Then, he has to sell himself to the directors and producers on the lot. By putting on this annual show, we can show the movie makers what our young people can do. Also, it gives the youngsters a set of values they wouldn't otherwise have. In the theater there is a great deal of tradition and loyalty. But actors who start their careers in the movies lack this background. They don't realize that they are part of a great industry. By putting on 'Inside U-I', the youngsters develop a sense of loyalty to the show."

 

Here's another 1953 pic of JK and Lori Nelson, this time in street clothes:

 

 

Even on crutches, JK is still clowning, although he'd seriously injured his leg in a skiing accident in late 1952, leaving him unable to work for over a year. He made only three more films for Universal in the mid-1950's (Magnificent Obsession, Cult of the Cobra and To Hell and Back) but, the lessons he'd learned at U-I served him well as he went on to a successful career in films and television.

 

 No foolin'--there's much more coming up in TDS. Please stay tuned! :) 



Jack and Sally Together Again! :)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day Everyone!

In honor of St. Paddy's day, TDS presents another bit of ephemera from Jack Kelly's 1952 film, Sally and Saint Anne, a comedy about the O'Moynes, a wacky but loveable Irish-American family:

 

This rare window card isn't in the best shape. It's browned and faded with age (it's 65 years old). It's also badly creased in spots. And poor Grandpa O'Moyne  (Edmund Gwenn) has a hole in his nightshirt! But, the graphics are still colorful and, of course, JK is up there in the family portrait.

Below is a close-up of JK as muddling magician "Mike O'Moyne" beside his mother (played by Frances "Aunt Bee" Bavier, complete with rolling pin):

Much more about Sally can be found here and here.

And, radio station WJCU is again streaming 18 hours of authentic Irish music, starting at 6:00 am ET this morning (3/17) and ending at midnight. The link to listen is here. Enjoy!

Please stay tuned for more movie memories with JK and TDS.

Shamrock clipart courtesy of Clipartrix.com

Remember...

...to watch Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick in "The Jeweled Gun", today's episode of Maverick on ME-TV (scheduled for 10:00 AM ET; check your local listings for correct time/channel in your area).

"Hand over the remote, Bart--it's time to

watch Maverick with me, on ME-TV!"

 

And remember to "spring forward" at 2:00 AM this Sunday, 3/12!

 





JK Saturday Night Noir: "Double Jeopardy"

Hello Everyone!

Time to discuss another great Jack Kelly flick--1955's Double Jeopardy.

This neat little noir could also be titled "Double Cross", because that's what some of the characters do to each other, including slick used car salesman "Jeff Calder" (JK) and his scheming girlfriend "Marge Baggott" (Gale Robbins), who, in their first scene, are unaware they're being observed by Marge's drunken husband, "Sam" (Robert Armstrong).

Sam is blackmailing a former business partner. After Marge shows Calder some of the money, he decides he wants a piece of the action:

Marge convinces Sam to squeeze more money out of his victim so (unbeknownst to Sam) she and Jeff can run off to Mexico. But, unbeknownst to Marge, Jeff actually has other plans. He trails Sam to the blackmail site:

Sam's blackmail gravy train suddenly derails and he ends up empty-handed. Jeff doesn't know this and tries to shake Sam down:

Things go downhill--literally--from there:

Soon, Calder is visited by the blackmail victim's attorney (Rod Cameron), who questions him about Sam and Marge while his unhappy boss "Happy Harry" (Dick Elliott) looks on:

As the noose tightens around Calder and Marge, he assures her that everything will be okay:

But, maybe not for her, it turns out:

I won't give away the ending, but I will say that JK is excellent as the double-crossing Calder in Double Jeopardy.

"Give The Boots The Stars Wear"--THE SEQUEL! :)

Howdy!

Remember those 1950's Acme boot ads I wrote about in December 2016? Well, an authentic pair of Acme's "Maverick" boots just joined the Kellection, so step right up for a first-hand look at this fantabulous footwear!

I won't be wearing them, however. They're toddler-sized. But, they're the perfect size for displaying and they're extra cute, to boot. ;)

To give you an idea of their height (and to work Bart and Bret into this post), I've posed the boots with a Maverick promo playing card. I'm fascinated by the boots' detailed stitching, too:  

Note the gambling motif at the top of the boots. I "bet" the lucky tot who wore them was an "ace" at card games (most likely 52 pickup):

Finally, they have an official Warner Bros. Maverick stamp on the sole:

What's coming up next in TDS as we march into March? Please stay tuned and find out! :)

What Makes A Maverick A "Maverick"?

Hi!

I was going through some of the magazines in the Kellection and found this 1959 issue of TV Prevue. Inside are the TV listings for the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. Outside is a smilin' cover portrait of the Maverick Brothers! (I love Bart's colorful vest.)

The cover story reveals "Why Those Maverick Boys Never Change". Although Maverick had many different writers, the boys "stay in character--humorous, sardonic and unheroic", because of a mimeographed sheet of guidelines for the characters. The article lists the guidelines:

And, guess what? I have a copy of that original sheet of guidelines, which were authored by Roy Huggins, the creator and producer of Maverick. They're also aimed at the show's directors. BTW, these guidelines were part of a cache of documents I purchased many years ago which relate to the production of Maverick. I'll share more of these documents in the future.

Don't Forget...

 

...to watch Jack Kelly make his "explosive" debut as Bart Maverick  in "Hostage!" on Maverick at 10:00 am ET today on ME-TV (check your local listings for correct time/channel for your area).

And, don't forget to come back to TDS. You'll get a "kick" out of the next post!