Under The Flight Path :)

Hello Everyone!

An exceedingly rare bit of Jack Kelly stage ephemera just landed in the Kellection. It's a playbill for Under The Yum-Yum Tree, a racy romp in which JK starred in July 1962.

The 55 year-old playbill looks almost brand new. While it doesn't contain any cast photos, it does have bios for JK and the rest of the players.

What's really unusual about this production is its venue. The O'Hare Inn was a sprawling 400-room luxury resort motel located minutes from O'Hare International, the world's busiest airport at the time. The Inn's exhibition hall had been converted into a theater complete with a stage, plentiful seating, air-conditioning and its own separate parking lot--perfect for summer stock.

Under the Yum-Yum Tree  was only the third production to be presented at the Theatre. Besides JK, other stars who appeared in plays during that inaugural season included Kim Hunter, Inger Stevens, Hans Conried and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

The O'Hare Inn was the site of a John F. Kennedy presidential campaign speech in October 1960. It also served as the backdrop of a 1962 episode ("Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing") of the Route 66 TV series. However, these claims to fame weren't enough to spare the Inn from the relentless ravages of "progress". The motel was demolished years ago. It's "Checkered" history can be reviewed here.

I've added info about the O'Hare Inn Theatre production of Under the Yum-Yum Tree (including excerpts from a wonderful newspaper review) to "All the World's A Stage With JK Pt. II".

Please stay tuned for more fun with JK and TDS! :)

"Jack Kelly Plays The Game Well..." :)

JK on the cover of a 1958 newspaper TV log: 

 

"Holding the winning hand in life isn't always easy, but Jack Kelly plays the game well as Bart Maverick--an individual men try to outwit and outfight, while women look for his love! The Warner Bros. produced Maverick is seen every Sunday at 7:30 pm on Channel 6."

Maverick Time Machine :)

Here's another South American look at Maverick and Jack Kelly, this time from Uruguay:

La maquina del tiempo ("Time Machine") was a circa 2007 supplement to the "El Pais" periodical. "El Pais" published a series of these nostalgic magazines which showcased vintage TV series and films. The cover tagline describes Maverick as "A new style of western, where the protagonists weren't lawmen but seductive rogues."

The two-page "Nota De Tapa" (cover story) begins, "One of the most original series was undoubtedly Maverick, a new style of western. It was really innovative with its comedic tone. In effect, the television reign of the great families, of honest pioneers and workers (not to mention the lonely lawmen) was disrupted with the arrival of Maverick and his numerous family members, including a cousin from England (Roger Moore), and friends."

 

The second page of the story shows a picture of the statue of James Garner as Bret Maverick in Garner's hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. I wish there was a statue of JK as Bart somewhere, too--well, maybe some day.

 

Where in the world will TDS go next? Please stay tuned! :)

A Bundle From Brazil--Pt. II

As we've seen before, Maverick was still going strong on Brazilian television after its original network run ended in the US. These two TV Programas are from 1964, when a third season of Maverick episodes was airing in Brazil.

The first issue is dated January 27:

While the cover story is mainly about James Garner leaving the show ("Why James Garner Isn't Playing 'Brother Bret' Anymore"), it does have a nice pic of Jack Kelly and Roger Moore:

 

It also mentions a couple of things which I hadn't heard before. Reportedly, actor John Smith (of Cimarron City and Laramie TV fame) was originally considered for the role of Bret Maverick. And, after JG left Maverick, Warner Bros. supposedly thought about replacing him with Wayde Preston, formerly star of Colt .45!

The second TV Programas issue is dated October 26. It lauds Maverick for "Three Years of Success" on Brazilian TV:

 

The text of the cover story (roughly translated from Portuguese) reads:

"THREE SUCCESSFUL YEARS ON PARANAENSE TV--
In its third year on television in [the Brazilian state of] Paraná, Maverick remains popular with viewers. Although the series lost James Garner ('brother Bret'), who decided to go into movies, a new member of the family came on the scene: 'cousin Beau', personified by Roger Moore, who previously appeared on Brazilian screens in the Ivanhoe series. And it is possible that we may still see Robert Colbert ['brother Brent'], Garner's substitute. As for Jack Kelly, he remains firm as 'brother Bart', staying near the poker table with a handful of 'straights'.

Living incredible adventures in the old west, the Mavericks quickly became famous. They don't need to prove they are 'fastest on the draw'. They prefer to be known as romantic and adventurous players. And in each episode, they provide moments of mild humor, interspersed with a gentle dose of romanticism. Even though they tread different paths, they invariably walk in search of a beautiful girl. That's when they're not around a poker table, risking a bluff or doing a little trick, though they swear great honesty. 'Bret', 'Bart' and 'Beau' alternate in their weekly adventures, sometimes appearing together.

Milton Rangel, a popular national actor (he created the celebrated 'Jeronimo, Hero of Sertao' on National Radio in Rio) dubs the 'voices' of 'Bret' and 'Beau', while Domingos Martins speaks in Portuguese for Jack 'Bart' Kelly.

Maverick airs Mondays at 9:20 pm on TV-Paranaense, Channel 12."

There's another nice pic of JK (one I don't think I'd seen before) in this story:

The caption says, "A Maverick doesn't live only for poker.

Jack Kelly is well-accompanied here."



Plus, there's even a couple of cute Maverick cartoons in the 10/26 issue:

Roughly translated, the first cartoon says, "I'm just practicing until the other players show up." The second one says, "Maverick! Don't smoke so much while we're playing cards!"

STAY TUNED NEXT TIME FOR ANOTHER LOOK AT Maverick FROM "SOUTH OF THE BORDER" :)
　

A Bundle From Brazil! :)

Some neat things from Brazil:

Coffee...

Image courtesy Eight O'clock Coffee

 

Mangalarga Marchador horses...

Image courtesy Brasil Cowboy  

the Bossa Nova...

Image courtesy Wikipedia

 

...and these rare vintage "TV Programas" magazines with Jack Kelly on the cover!

 

 

NEXT TIME: A look inside "TV Programas" with JK--please stay tuned! :)



JK Goes "Commandos" Again! :)

Ciao!

Direct from Italy, here's a fantastico fotobusta for Commandos which just joined the Kellection:

A close-up of Jack Kelly:

Yikes--that's probably the scariest pic I've ever seen of JK! So, here are some much nicer views of our man as "Captain Valli", courtesy of my Commandos DVD: 

 

  

 

Please stay tuned for more movie (and TV) moments with JK in TDS! :)

 

COMING UP NEXT: A bundle from Brazil!



Your Morning "Danish"! :)

¡Buenas Dias!

Here's another rare treat from the wonderful world of Jack Kelly movie Kellectibles: a colorful Danish poster for the 1956 Mexican film Canasta de Cuentos Mexicanos, or, A Basket of Mexican Tales:

¡Olé! A close-up of JK and co-star Mari Blanchard that's even hotter than this July's weather:

Coming soon in TDS:

• More JK movie moments!
• A bundle from Brazil!
• And more--please stay tuned! :)