Happy Easter From "TDS"! :)

Vintage Easter Clip Art Courtesy thisandthatpatterns

Saint Patrick, Saint Anne...and JK! :)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day Everybody!

 

In honor of Saint Paddy's Day, TDS is taking a look at an early Jack Kelly film about an Irish-American family.

Sally and Saint Anne is a warm-hearted comedy from 1952. As the movie's poster proclaims, "If you loved the fun of Miracle On 34th Street...the happiness of Going My Way...the hilarity of You Can't Take It With You--this one's for you!" (It's got JK in it, so I know it's for me!)

Close-up of young JK from the Sally and Saint Anne poster

The Sally of the title (Ann Blyth) starts out as a 12 year-old schoolgirl who can't find her lunch pail one day. A friend advises her to pray to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost and stolen items. Sally hurries into a church, intending to pray at a statue of Saint Anthony. But, the school bell rings and she makes it only as far as a statue of Saint Anne (the mother of Saint Mary and the patron saint of mothers and minor children). Sally sends up a prayer to her instead.

Sally's lunch pail is quickly located. However, it was found on the back of an ice truck where she foolishly hitched a ride to school. She's reprimanded by her school's Mother Superior and must write her contriteness over and over on the blackboard as a punishment. Still, it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Sally and the Saint.

Over the next six years, Sally prays to Saint Anne about everything, especially her eccentric family, the O'Moynes. In addition to her parents, Sally has three brothers who have managed to succeed at nothing but failure. Willie (Lamont Johnson) is a luckless musician; Danny (Hugh O'Brian) is a stumblebum boxer; and Mike (played by JK) is a magician who finds magic rather tricky. 

Oh, and there's Sally's grandfather, who's refused to get out of bed for 20 years.

The family must pull together when a crafty alderman (played with a gleaming gold tooth by John McIntire) schemes to evict them from their cozy homestead so he can build a highway through it. But, the O'Moynes move on their own--house and all!--which only causes more complications for the comic clan. Eventually, however, Sally and her special friend Saint Anne save the day.

Here's a gallery of Sally and Saint Anne stills. The first two stills may look familiar--I scanned them for Linda Alexander to use in her fabulous biography of Mr. K! :)

 

Below, John McIntire (center) plays a scheming alderman who's been feuding with the O'Moynes for years. Below, he tells Aunt Bee Mom, Pop and Mike:

"I like Bret Maverick better than Bart Maverick."

 

 

And, if that's not bad enough, he wants to flatten their home to build a freeway. So, they move their house...right between two of the alderman's buildings.

He decides their tree's gotta go:



 

 Mike (JK, on the left) and his bros agree to chop down the tree. Unfortunately, it falls on one of the alderman's buildings. Danny (HO) pledges to pay for the damages with the winnings from his next fight. Pop thinks this is a bunch of blarney, since Danny never wins.

 

 

  As Sally watches, Mike displays some fancy footwork as he spars with Danny before the big fight:

I've seen some websites selling Sally and Saint Anne, but apparently it's never been officially released on home video, so buyer beware. For more about the movie in the meantime, there's a complete synopsis on TCM along with a link to vote on having it released on DVD. There's also a wonderful post about Sally and Saint Anne here on "Another Old Movie Blog". Enjoy! :)

How About A Nice Belt?

A Maverick belt, that is! :)

Made of "top-grain cowhide", this classic belt would have been a must-have accessory for the mini Maverick back in the day. 

Just look at the buckle:

 

The tooling on the leather is just as impressive:

When I attended the now sadly defunct Gene Autry Days festival a few years ago, one of the vendors showed me a Maverick holster set he'd just bought. It was etched with Bret Maverick's portrait. Well, this belt has portraits of Bret and Bart:

Not the greatest likeness of Bart, but, hey, at least he's on the belt:

This belt even has a pouch which would be handy for stashing things like, oh, a thousand-dollar bill (darn--it's empty):

The belt was crafted in San Francisco by the Keyston Brothers company, which has been around since the days of the real Old West:

I'd love to wear this belt. Alas, however, it was designed for pint-sized buckaroos. Oh well, I'm happy just to have it in the Kellection! :)

Up Next: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with JK! 

Have a "GR8" Tuesday! :)

A Pause for the Cause

Hello,

The sitcom Happy Days was set in the 1950s. But, of course, not everything in the Fifties was so rosy. People had their share of unhappy days as well.

One of the reasons for their unhappiness was cancer. But, back in 1958, comedian Sid Caesar decided to take action after the dread disease claimed a number of notables including film legend Humphrey Bogart, pianist Eddy Duchin, actress Hattie McDaniels, and Caesar's friend,  Manie (sometimes spelled "Manny") Sacks. Sacks, who died of leukemia at age 56, had been a vice president of RCA Victor and the NBC network.

Caesar contacted the American Cancer Society and asked what he could do. Then, he presided over "The Something Can Be Done About It Club" and rallied his fellow entertainers to join the fight.

According to 4/3/58 story in the Indiana (PA) Gazette, the comic sent a telegram explaining, "The purpose of the club is to bring vital information about cancer to the public and help save the 75,000 who die needlessly every year; to raise money to increase the quantity and intensity of existing and proposed cancer research which will eventually bring about the breakthroughs that will end cancer as the number one health menace."

Caesar encouraged celebrities to do "...one thing a year for the American Cancer Society...Your duties are: to make a recorded announcement, or appear on a network TV program , or film an announcement, etc."

A couple of Mavericks participated in "The Something Can Be Done About It Club". Jack Kelly and James Garner are seen below in a feature in the May 10-16, 1958, issue of TV Guide, looking at an "educational film" about cancer.

 

Here's a close-up of our boys taking a pause for the cause:

 





Some of Manie Sacks' famous friends came together in 1959 to pay tribute to him on NBC.  

Although great strides have been made against cancer since 1958, it unfortunately remains a major health menace today. My father died of cancer in 2002; I had a minor bout with skin cancer last year; and my dog was recently diagnosed with canine lymphoma (he's  undergoing chemotherapy and is thankfully doing very well at this time).

Early detection and quick treatment remain two of the best weapons we have against cancer, so please--have that check-up and give generously to the cancer charity of your choice.

Have a "Mary, Mary" Monday! :)

Hello!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend.

Now, here's a riddle to start your week:

What's red and white, printed on paper and is oh-so-romantic?

A valentine, right?

Yes--and also the program for the play Mary, Mary:

As you may remember from "All the World's A Stage With JK- Pt II", Jack Kelly co-starred (as "Bob McKellaway") in Mary, Mary at the Houston (TX) Music Theatre with the now-late Marjorie Lord in October 1966.

A rare program from this limited-run production recently joined the Kellection, and it's a doozy! Not the usual digest-sized "Playbill"- type program, it's a large booklet with card-stock covers.

Each of the principal players (JK, Ms. Lord, and popular character actor Leon Ames) was given a full-page write-up and photo in the program. And, best of all, they autographed their photos!

Here's how JK signed his beaming portrait for a lucky fan named "Jan":  

Incidentally, the program even includes a bit of insight into the writing process, courtesy of the bio for the play's author, Jean Kerr. If anyone wants to write, but thinks their surroundings aren't conducive to creativity, read how Ms. Kerr managed to put words to paper: "For some years Jean had a study outside the house. It was an old automobile parked at least two blocks away from [her home] 'The Kerr-Hilton', her five sons, her husband, and her household problems. The past year she had to transfer her work to a more orthodox spot--her master bedroom. 'I ran out of places to park,' she says ruefully."

While I'm not writing in my car (it's a little too cold outside for that!), I am working on lots more posts for TDS. So, please stay tuned! :)

JK Friday Foto Funnies :)

 

"Beetle Bomb?!"

(JK & Kevin McCarthy in Drive A Crooked Road -1954)

 

"And fer the last time,

git yer elbows off the table!"

(JK seated at left w/Glenn Ford & friends in The Violent Men - 1955)