Happy National Day of the Cowboy from JK & TDS! :)

Howdy!

To celebrate National Day of the Cowboy 2020, here's an autographed photo of a jaunty Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick:

 

The inscription on this original photo in the Kellection says: "To Myra + Bill, Jack Kelly".

 

Have a wonderful day and please stay tuned for more rip-roarin' fun with JK in TDS!



ABC and JK :)

Hello Everyone!

Have a look at this GORGEOUS pic of Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick:

It's a typical promo photo from ABC-TV, right?

Take a closer look at the ABC logo:

Actually, this promo pic is from the Associated British Corporation TV network, rather than the American Broadcasting Company which aired Maverick in the United States. As noted before in TDS, Maverick was pretty popular in the UK during the late 1950's and early 1960's. 

Here's another marvelous Maverick promo pic from the ABC network across the pond (the "Jack Kelly" is not JK's signature--it looks like someone else scrawled it on the photo):

There's a veddy British notation stamped on the reverse of this pic:

Alas, the Associated British Corporation network is long defunct. It was forced to merge with the Rediffusion London network in 1968 and become Thames TV--yep, the folks who brought us Benny Hill. But, here's a fun look at the various ABC logos (I'm sure you'll recognize the one which spells out "Associated British Corporation" from the end-credits of The Avengers TV series).

So, there you have the ABCs of JK and Maverick. Please stay tuned for more fun in TDS--cheerio! :)

Here's Jack :)

Howdy!

Still trying to find Jack?

Here he is:

 

Yes, that's a very young and pensive JK along with lovely Jeanne Crain in the foreground.

 

And, of course this is a vintage original still from the 1951 feature film People Will Talk, which also starred Cary Grant. JK didn't receive a screen credit for his bit role as a medical student:

 

Below, JK and other concerned med students look on as Ms. Crain's character (Deborah Higgins) recovers after fainting. Deborah is being tended to by the enigmatic "Dr. Noah Praetorius", played by Grant:

 

You'll always find Jack Kelly in TDS--please stay tuned! :)



Happy Fourth of July 2020! :)

Happy Father's Day 2020! :)

Happy Father's Day!

To celebrate, I present an unusual 1959 photo of Jack Kelly, James Garner and JG's step-daughter, Kimberly:

Kimberly looks like she's saying "Give me your autograph or else!" to JK.

You may be wondering why JK is in costume for Maverick and JG isn't. The caption on the reverse explains: "On a day when he was not required for scenes in Up Periscope, a Lakeside Production for Warner Bros., star James Garner brings his daughter, Kimberly, to the studio for a visit and to watch the filming of scenes for other pictures in production. Jack Kelly, who co-stars with Jim in the Maverick television series, is scared to death of the way Kimberly is handling a gun."

NOTE: This vintage photo has been in the Kellection for a while and I like it because it's a rare glimpse at JK and JG behind the scenes of Maverick. However, I've been somewhat torn about posting it here because it also shows a child pointing a gun at another human being. Yes, I know it's a gag photo, the gun was probably a prop and obviously no Jack Kellys were harmed during the making of this picture. On the other hand, firearm handling is no laughing matter, so here are some basic tips to help ensure that every day is happy for each Dad and child:

• Treat all guns as if they are loaded
• Point guns in a safe direction
• Don’t rely on a gun’s “safety”
• More tips available at Safe Kids Worldwide 

Thanks for reading, and please stay tuned for more about Jack Kelly in TDS. :)

Jack Kelly: "Most Distinguished Guest" :)

Howdy!

On June 1, 1958, Jack Kelly (along with wife Donna/May Wynn) was the "Most Distinguished Guest" at the 45th annual "Fontana Days" celebration in Fontana, California. Fontana was also the location of Kaiser Steel, the largest steel mill on the West Coast at the time. Kaiser Industries was, of course, the primary sponsor of Maverick.

Here are Jack and Donna in the Fontana Days parade, which according to newspaper reports was viewed by 30,000 people:

"MAVERICK DEALS A HAND--'Most distinguished guest' of Fontana [on] Saturday, television's Jack (Bart Maverick) Kelly waves a greeting to parade crowds. Sharing the spotlight was his actress wife, May Wynn." 



As noted previously in TDS, JK was the grand marshal of the Palm Springs Mounted Police Rodeo parade in 1961. So, who was the grand marshal of the Fontana Days parade in 1958?

 

A "talking" basset hound named "Cleo" from the sitcom The People's Choice. She was sort of a distaff, canine "Mr. Ed" who commented on the action and made wisecracks during each episode (via the voice of actress Mary Jane Croft).  

Okay, so Cleo actually accompanied actor Paul Maxey, who played the mayor on the show and was the nominal grand marshal. But, the San Bernadino County Sun reported that the popular pup "nearly stole the limelight from luminaries such as Maverick's Jack Kelly, his actress wife, May Wynn, Grand Marshal actor Paul Maxey...and the honorary Grand Marshal, Santa Claus."

Yes, Santa Claus. In June.

A talking dog, Santa and JK, all in the same parade--I wish I could have seen that! :)

Well, you never know what you'll see next in TDS, so please stay tuned.



More Bart Art :)

Hello!

As promised, here's more "Bart Art":

A drawing of Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick from a 1950's "Eras-O-Picture" coloring book:



Next, here's some very interesting artwork! It's not only Bart art, but Matt Dillon (James Arness), Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors), Chris Hale (John McIntire) and Paladin (Richard Boone) art, too! It's from the cover of a 1962 newspaper TV supplement:

A close-up of a somewhat disheveled Paladin glancing warily at Matt Dillon's gun while holding a card with Bart on it (and, yes, the card is a jack! :>):

 I believe the portrait of Bart on the card is based on the 1958 drawing done to promote the United Appeal tour, which appeared in the previous "Bart Art" post.

Finally, here's a wonderful sketch of JK as Bart created in 1986 by Armand Polverari (1944-2015), an artist known for his pen-and-ink portraits of Roy Rogers and other western stars. Mr. Polverari signed his work as "Mondo", which can be seen on Bart's left lapel:

Well, that's all for right now, but there'll be more "Bart Art" in a future TDS. In the meantime, please stay tuned for more about JK, stay well and please "Love one another" (John 13:34).