Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Psalm 65 clipart courtesy DuoParadigms

JK Loves A Parade Pt. II :)

"More autographs, Jack?

C'mon, I wanna go to the rodeo!"

JK Loves A Parade :)

Howdy!

As promised, more images of Jack Kelly at the parade for the Palm Springs Mounted Police Rodeo in 1961 are coming up.

But first: what exactly was the Mounted Police Rodeo?

An editorial from a Palm Springs newspaper explains the serious reason for the festivities:

 

"This is Rodeo Week in Palm Springs, with two top days of action scheduled this weekend at the Polo Grounds, plus a Rodeo Ball Friday night and the traditional parade down Palm Canyon Drive on Saturday morning. And it's all for a good cause, with proceeds used by the Palm Springs Mounted Police to purchase additional rescue equipment, which is used in the pursuit of the organization's volunteer work as an auxiliary force of the Palm Springs Police Department. Their rescue work is well known, with members called upon day or night to travel hazardous mountain trails to locate missing or lost hikers. Without such a volunteer organization, this community would be forced underwrite a trained rescue crew. Let the community show its appreciation by supporting the 21st annual Rodeo this weekend and make it the biggest ever."

JK was announced as the parade's Grand Marshal on January 14:

 

An ad on January 26 drummed up more excitement:

 

As noted here before, Dorothy Provine was originally scheduled to serve as "Rodeo Queen", but had to drop out at the last minute due to an eye infection. So, Barbara Nichols became the substitute Queen.

On Saturday, January 28, literally thousands of people viewed the parade as it made its way down Palm Canyon Drive:

"A glittering star-studded Mounted Police Rodeo parade moved down Palm Canyon Drive at 10 a.m. sharp today, with one of the largest crowds ever attending...The parade was headed by Palm Springs Mounted Police color guard...The Marine Band from Twentynine Palms preceded a caravan of cars holding Grand Marshal Jack (Maverick) Kelly, Queen Barbara Nichols...and Palm Springs' own Joan Davis," read a newspaper account.  

So, now that we know the story of the parade, here's the star of the parade: JK! :)

All of the following images were scanned from original negatives in the Kellection:

 Here's a charming shot of JK and BN.

Gentleman Jack steadies Barbara's arm as she turns to give the photographer a saucy grin.

 

Let's zoom in for a close-up! :)

 

JK glances in the direction of some fans. I think the convertible is a 1961 Cadillac. 

(Note: For privacy purposes, I've blurred the clearly visible faces of bystanders who were not celebrities or parade officials.)

 

A killer close-up (sigh...)

 

JK is greeted by a group of young autograph seekers

 

I wonder what JK is saying?

 

"Hang on to this autograph--it'll be worth big bucks one day on eBay!" ;>

 

Babs waits patiently as JK signs more autographs

 

"Hey, who put invisible ink in my pen?"

 

 

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

The Maverick's A Marshal :)

Howdy Pardners!

Remember that 2009 TDS post titled "Jack Kelly Goes To Rodeo", which featured a Japanese magazine clipping of JK, wife Donna and actress Barbara Nichols at a rodeo in Palm Springs, California?

Well, I recently purchased a U.S. magazine with a fun article and additional photos of the rodeo:


 "It's not a sight you're likely to see on your TV screen--Maverick's gone straight. But loyal fans needn't fret. It's only temporary, and come Sunday he'll be back again on the other side of the badge."

 

Photo captions: 1."Rodeo queen Barbara Nichols doesn't need gun to get her man. Duds are enuf." 2. Jack and Barbara look on tensely during exciting moment in bronco-busting event" (B27: And let's not forget Donna Kelly/May Wynn, sitting right next to her husband!)

 

 Article text: "Take one spoonful of a western hero, add a pinch of a curvy blonde actress, garnish with a trio of nightclub crooners and season with a top radio disk jockey, and you've got yourself the big 21st annual Palm Springs Mounted Police Rodeo.

 

21st Annual Palm Springs Rodeo Program courtesy of Palm Springs Historical Society

 

"Handsome Jack Kelly the star of Maverick, lovely Barbara Nichols, the Crosby brothers (Lindsay, Dennis and Phillip) and KMPC's Dick Whittinghill were the ingredients--as Grand Marshal, Rodeo Queen, Parade Marshals and High Sheriff respectively. For three days these madcaps were on hand, adding fun and glamor to what has already become one of the top rodeos.

 

"Still, it was a major blow to all self-respecting outlaws."

 

1."Three of Bing's sons (l to r) Phillip, Dennis and Lindsay are Parade Marshals" 2. "Jack and wife (actress May Wynn) admire trophy and each other at end of big day"

 

 It's a shame these fantastic photos are so hard to see. But, not to worry: we can see them much better, because I have these same photos--scanned directly from the original negatives! :)
 

(I think Babs forgot part of her costume.)

 

"This isn't my first rodeo!"

 

"So where's my cowboy hat?"

 

Donna has the best prize of all--JK! :)

 

Extra-special images of this event have actually been in the Kellection for some time now but I was waiting for a special occasion to share them here in TDS. Quite honestly, I've spent mucho dinero purchasing them and untold hours scanning them, digitizing them and researching the story behind them. That's because I believe that you, my readers, deserve the very best. Because, let's face it, you are the very best! :)

And, you've waited long enough. So, I'm declaring today a special occasion, the start of a parade of fabulous photos starring JK! (Watch out, Macy's! ;>)  

I'm also working on a special "beyond the blog" project with these images, so please stay tuned! :)

Thank You For Your Service :)

Clipart courtesy of veteransday.quotesms.com/

Those "Mercury"-al Mavericks! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Just about this time 60 years ago, the Maverick boys--Jack Kelly and James Garner--were crisscrossing the country making personal appearances.

Many of these appearances were in support of the United Appeal charity. For example, according to newspaper accounts, JK promoted the UA campaign mainly in western cities while JG did the same in the east. While JK paused for the cause in Cincinnati, JG visited Cleveland, and they eventually met up in Chicago to wrap up the promotion. Then, they returned to Hollywood to resume filming Maverick.  

So, how did Bart and Bret accomplish this whirlwind trek? Certainly not on horseback or by stagecoach. Nope, they traveled via the latest mode of luxury air transportation for 1958: a non-stop, all first-class American Airlines DC-7 propliner! It was part of AA's service dubbed the "Mercury" because of its speed (7 hours and 15 minutes from Los Angeles to New York City). 

And...well, I'll just let these vintage newspaper ads for the Mercury--starring the Mavericks!--explain the rest:

  
"Millions of viewers follow James Garner and Jack Kelly as Bret and Bart Maverick each Sunday night on ABC-TV in Maverick filmed by Warner Bros.", the text reads. "And when they set forth across the country to meet personal appearance commitments, both Mavericks follow the trail of other knowing travelers aboard American's famous Mercury. Once you've been aboard, the reason's obvious. You fly the radar-equpped DC-7, fastest airliner coast-to-coast. You enjoy reserved seats, spacious lounge, the marvelous Mercury menu and and exceptionally attentive service every minute of your flight. Make your next trip East on American's Mercury. You'll be glad you did."

There were variations of the ad tailored to different cities:

    

 

To get an idea of the Mercury "experience" for yourself, here's a fascinating video from the archives of the San Diego Air and Space Museum:

 

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed our flight through time with JK and JG. Where will TDS travel to next? Please stay tuned and find out! :)  



Remembering...