Barta Claus Strikes Again? :)

Howdy!

I just found this cute poem. It was written in 1959, back in the heyday of TV westerns. Notice who's in the driver's seat. Although it doesn't specify which Maverick is piloting the sleigh (er, stage), we all know who it is. ;->

"A WESTERN
CHRISTMAS

" 'Twas the night before
Christmas
And all was serene
Not a cowboy was stirring
On our TV screen.
A lasso was hung by the
chimney with care
In hopes that Saint Nick
would be caught in its
snare.

"Young Junior was lying
Secure in his bed
With guns by his side
And a spear by his head;
Then he soon fell asleep in
his fortress supreme
And the heroes he worshiped
came to life in his dream.

"All at once from the lawn
There arose such a clatter,
Junior grabbed both his guns
To look into the matter.
In the dark all he saw were
some shadows that
hovered
So he cried, 'Don't you move
'cause I've got you all
covered.'

"The moon broke the gloom
And shone down on the
snow,
Gave a luster of midday
To the objects below;
His heart pounded wildly,
for Junior saw then
A stagecoach on runners
drawn by eight mounted
men.

"Now who is that driving?
It can't be Saint Nick:
He's tall, and he's wiry-
Why, it's Maverick!
More rapid than eagles
His coursers they came
And he howled and he
hooted
And called them by name.

"Now, Cheyenne, now Sugarfoot,
Lucas McCain;
On, Ringo, On, Zorro.
Wahoo! Bronco Layne.

"So up to the housetop
The cowboys all flew
With the coach full of toys
And Wyatt Earp, too:
And then in a twinkling,
He heard on the roof
The patter and clatter
Of each horse's hoof.

"He ran to the fireplace
And guess what he found-
From the chimney
Marshal Dillon came in with
a bound.
He looked like he had
A big hump on his back
For a bundle of toys
Were all stashed in his pack.
"Junior said, 'Have a drink?'
And he offered a cup;
Matt Dillon was willin'
So he answered, 'Yup!'

"And then all at once
All the rest came in view.
The heaven sent seven
And Maverick, too.
They spoke not a word
But went right to their task
And filled all the stockings.
What more could one ask?

"There were Bowie knives,
Shotguns and bullets galore,
Enough ammunition
To start a new war.
Some real cowboy boots
And some real wild Western clothes
And when they were through
Up the flue they all rose.

"They sprang on their
mounts
And before you could say
'A word from the sponsor'
They went that-away.
But he heard them exclaim
As they rode out of sight
'Those guns are to play with
So peace, and good night'."

--Sid Kuller (1959)

Jack Kelly on TV - Your Christmas Bonus! :)

Hi!

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas.

I found an extra present for you: Jack Kelly's appearance in (click here) "The Adventure of the Lover's Leap", a 1975 episode of Ellery Queen, the great retro mystery series starring the late Jim Hutton.

JK plays lawyer and suspect "J. T. Latimer", and he appears at 24:28 and again at 35:55. Interestingly, he's reunited with two former co-stars, Anne Francis (from Forbidden Planet) and Don Ameche (from The Story of Alexander Graham Bell and A Fever in the Blood).

Although I didn't remember this particular episode, I enjoyed watching Ellery Queen when it originally aired. I especially liked the classy Elmer Bernstein theme music, and Ellery playfully breaking the fourth wall to ask the viewer, "Have you figured it out yet?"

Of course, now that I've seen JK's episode, I like Ellery Queen even more! :) And, the entire series is reportedly coming to DVD in 2010.

"The Adventure of the Lover's Leap" comes from the same site that had the Maverick episodes which I posted about a few months back (the links on that post are now void). It has a few different Maverick episodes now, including the Bart starrers "Betrayal" and "The Brasada Spur", plus the Bret/Bart teaming "Duel at Sunset". The site also has the Rockford Files episode "The Becker Connection".

Incidentally, I noticed that the same person who maintains "The Curtis Files" also has a channel on YouTube called "The Gunsmoke Channel" that showcases mostly the older half-hour black-and-white GS episodes. Here's hoping "Jealousy" (JK's episode) gets there posted, too! :->

Merry Christmas! :)

Merry

Christmas

And "Feliz Navidad"

to JK fans everywhere

from

La Bartista

Barta Claus! ;->

"And what would you like for Christmas?"

Jack Kelly - Christmas in the Air :)

Howdy!

As you know, I love visiting antiques stores and malls. I also enjoy attending live auctions.

A couple of years ago, I attended a local auction where tables full of showbiz-related ephemera (movie magazines, photos, scrapbooks, etc.) were up for bid. I was pretty lucky at this auction. One of the things I won was a box lot, which meant that in addition to the magazine or whatever it was I really wanted, I received several extra items as well.

One of these "extras" was a large cardboard box stuffed with pictures and stories salvaged from old fan magazines. When I returned home, I took a cursory rummage through the box and then put it away for future reference.

After I "discovered" Jack Kelly this year, I remembered the box and thought, "I wonder if...?" I burrowed through reams of yellowed newsprint and, sure enough, there was a 1955 story about JK! It was actually more of a photo feature, showing JK and his Kings Row co-stars Robert Horton and Nan Leslie Christmas shopping. Or, more likely, pretending to Christmas shop in August, when this feature was probably photographed! ;->

Whatever the case, I thought now would be the perfect time to share the story, which is titled "Christmas in the Air":

"When it comes to tackling the problem of what to buy for whom, some folks like to do it solo, but not this trio of Kings Row stars! Reasoning: if they can work well together as a team on the Warner Bros. ABC-TV drama, they ought to be just as successful on a shopping tour. Besides, the men, being bachelors with sisters, mothers and dates to shop for, felt the need of feminine advice on late fashions and fads. And, Nan, though she naturally has a pretty good idea of what her husband, Charles Pawley, wants and needs, picked up a few pointers on the difference between what a man says he wants and what he really hopes to find in his Christmas stocking!"

"First stop: Jane Davis's shop, where Jack and Nan head
straight for the jewelry, while Bob finds
a collection of novelty print blouses."

"At the Sportsman men's store, Jack plays necktie model for Nan. Nan followed masculine advice, stuck to conservative styles."

"But, like most men, when it comes to wrapping fancy packages, Bob and Jack leave it all up to Nan!"

Although he doesn't look too thrilled in these photos, JK was apparently an enthusiastic Christmas shopper and "wrapper" in real life. A 1962 TV Guide story states that JK's Christmas shopping "is a yearly ritual which starts in October -- the fancy wrappings take two months to concoct."

And, there's more JK-related Christmas news. Hallmark is selling a Robby the Robot ornament (complete with sound!) in its stores this year, and it's flying off the shelves. Too bad they couldn't have a Lt. Farman ornament, too.... ;->

Jack Kelly - "What a Kick It Was to Talk to Him!"

Hi!

Here is a very touching letter to the editor published in the Orlando (Florida) Sentinel on November 24, 1992, not long after Jack Kelly's passing:

"WITH THE death of actor Jack Kelly (co-star of Maverick) on Nov. 7, I recalled one of his Central Florida connections and a friend reminded me of the other.

My friend reminded me that Kelly had been in Central Florida in 1968 to film an episode of the TV series Fame is the Name of the Game after one of then-Gov. Claude Kirk's trips to Hollywood to lure movie and TV work to the state.

In the mid-1970s, Kelly and his wife came to Orlando during two different summers for Kelly to star in plays produced at the then-new Once Upon a Stage (now the Mark Two) Dinner Theater. When the theater first opened, celebrities were brought in to star in the productions.

During the time he was in Orlando, Kelly and his wife were provided with Ford Maverick rental cars, and Kelly did a weekday radio talk show on one of the local radio stations.

When I found out about the radio shows, I sneaked a radio to work to listen to them. They were great! Kelly even took phone calls from listeners. I called to ask about the Western town on the Warner Brothers studio back lot (later used in Blazing Saddles). What a kick it was to talk to him!

Walter Carl Case
ORLANDO"

What a wonderful tribute to JK. I especially love the part about the Ford Mavericks! :)

I did some checking, and the TV show Mr. Case referred to is actually titled The Name of the Game (although its pilot was indeed called Fame is the Name of the Game). The episode (the second of two JK did for the series) is called "The Civilized Men". It first aired on November 28, 1969. The plot involved cattle rustling and tainted meat!

Also, JK starred as "Oscar" in The Odd Couple at Once Upon a Stage from June 25 - July 21, 1974. As mentioned above, this theater became the Mark Two, and was later renamed the Starlight Theater. It closed in October 2007.

Hmm, I wonder if the radio station saved tapes of JK's shows?

And, speaking of dinner theater: I found a funny little anecdote about the time JK was appearing in the play Under the Yum Yum Tree in Milwaukee, WI: "...Kelly arrived in town extremely tired and wanted a quiet hotel room so [he was put up at] the Cudahy Towers. But that was when the trains still rumbled along the lakefront and one of them roused Kelly from a sound sleep. Not knowing it was a train making the thumping noises, Kelly phoned the desk to complain. When the clerk told him it was the 3 am to Chicago, Kelly, still groggy, said, 'Oh, what time does this hotel get there?'" (Milwaukee Sentinel, 12/2/70).

What a sharp wit JK had, even at 3 am! :->

Jack Kelly on TV: I Love Parris... ;->

Hello!

I've added another intriguing artifact to the Kellection. It's an original script written by Muriel Roy Bolton titled "Wedding Gift", an episode of Kings Row, the short-lived TV series in which Jack Kelly starred from September 1955 to early 1956. The script is dated October 1, 1955, with revisions listed inside dated October 4, 1955.

In Kings Row, JK played small-town psychiatrist "Parris Mitchell". His friend "Drake McHugh" was played by Robert Horton, who later starred in Wagon Train:


Kings Row was one of three rotating shows presented under the umbrella title Warner Brothers Presents. The other two shows were Casablanca and Cheyenne, and all three were based on old Warner Brothers feature films.

Guess which show clicked with audiences and went on to stand-alone status? Yep. Kings Row and Casablanca quickly bit the dust, and Cheyenne quickly became a big hit.

But, Jack Kelly must have made an impression. When Bret Maverick needed a brother a couple of years later, someone remembered that fellow from Kings Row...and the rest is TV history. :)

The description given for this script said that "Wedding Gift" was never filmed. However, the Internet Movie Database lists "Wedding Gift" in its entry for Kings Row. And, it shows up in TV Guides and newspaper TV listings from the late 1950's and early 1960's, usually as part of the syndicated series TV Hour of Stars:

• "Dr. Parris Mitchell (Jack Kelly) reunites two young lovers when a
  Spanish-American War veteran returns to Kings Row in 'Wedding Gift.'"


• "'Wedding Gift', with Jack Kelly. A man who has just returned from army duty is resentful that his future wife has planned their life."

"Wedding Gift" guest-starred Natalie Wood as "Renee" and Dennis Hopper as "Tod" (both seen in the still below), two immature youngsters who are about to get married...or perhaps not.

Dr. Mitchell uses a clever wedding gift to reunite the couple:

Incidentally, I've seen a still from Kings Row with Jack Kelly holding a shaggy dog, and the script says that Dr. Mitchell has a pup named "Little Doc".

Of course, I have no idea which actor used this actual script, but its fun to think it might have been JK. It would be even more fun if we could actually view Kings Row with JK some time. Until that happens, I posted some lobby cards from another Kings Row episode a while back so we can see JK as Parris.