Paging Dr. K....

Hello All,

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day here. The temperature went up into the 40's and while I was driving in my car, I popped open the sunroof just for fun.

I had lunch, got some housework done, and was even able to take my dog for a walk for the first time in weeks (the sidewalks were about 99% clear of snow).

Yes, it was a great day, until about 8:00 pm. That was when my cat, who is usually very docile and sweet, started acting up. She'd been looking out the window and suddenly jumped down and began running all over the room. Then, she jumped back in the window, thumping her tail. Something outside obviously had her spooked. I glanced out the window to see what it was.

BIG mistake...

My kitty, in her agitated state, didn't appreciate my intrusion and swatted me in the mouth.

With her claws out.

My mouth quickly filled with something warm and raw, which ran out when I screamed in pain. Not to get too graphic, but that swat from my little pussycat pugilist resulted in a trip to the emergency room, a tetanus shot, six stitches on my upper lip, and a very swollen lower lip. My mouth looks like I went a few rounds with Mike Tyson rather than one round with a tabby cat.

I was prescribed antibiotics and assured that once the swelling goes down, everything should heal nicely.

Now, there's really not much funny about all this. I'm probably going to have to drink my meals and miss work for at least the next couple of days. But, you'll never guess who treated me in the emergency room:

Dr. Kelly.

No, not Jack Kelly, although I was hoping that would be his first name so this story would have an incredible twist ending. As it was, though, I got to talking (well, mumbling) with the doc and told him that one of my favorite actors was named Jack Kelly. I mentioned Maverick, but Dr. Kelly looked to be only about 25 and he replied, "That must have been a little before my time". Yeah, it was a little before my time, too, but suddenly I felt like I was about 100 years old.

I'm doing okay today. I'm just very thankful that my injuries weren't more severe and that only my mouth (and not my eyes and nose) was involved. I'm resting in bed. Fortunately, I have a nifty little netbook that I can use to blog and catch up on my other computing when I'm not napping.

And, yes, I did forgive my kitty, who is back to her usual placid self. However, the declaw discussion will be on the agenda during her next visit to the vet...

Jack Kelly - 'Tis a Puzzlement :)

Hello Everybody,

We've all seen a "tie-in". This is a book, toy, game, etc., that's based on a movie or TV show.

The original Maverick series generated plenty of tie-ins, some of which (e.g. comic books) you've seen on this blog. There were also Maverick vests, string ties, cowboy hats, cap guns and holsters, wallets, school-bags, coloring books, plastic figurines, phonograph records, paint-by-number sets, and even Halloween costumes.

Most Maverick merchandise was popular--and profitable. Reportedly, at least a million dollars worth of Maverick-themed items had been sold by the end of 1958.

Jigsaw puzzles were another tie-in. I've seen a few Maverick puzzles, including a couple printed with photos of JK and James Garner as Bart and Bret. I've also seen one with a painting of Bart riding a wildly bucking black bronco.

Here's another jigsaw puzzle I hadn't seen before. It's now part of the Kellection:

It depicts Bart on a leopard Appaloosa (where's Goldie?) galloping through the hinterland, with Cousin Beau following closely behind on a bay.

A label on the puzzle says it's "For Developing Coordination and Motor Control". Gee, I'd better practice putting it together several times a day, then! ;-> No, I'll just stare at it instead. :)

JK on TV - You're My Inspiration :)

Howdy!

Well, it looks like winter may be loosening its grip a little. Yesterday, the thermometer hit 40 degrees. The carpet of white on the lawn has shrunk a bit. The huge piles of snow the plows pushed to the curb are slowly shriveling into sooty mounds of slush.

This morning, I thought I saw a crocus trying to poke through the frost in the garden. And, the weatherman said it's supposed to be 50 by the end of the week! :->

Another day brightener: I got to see a tiny bit of Maverick today before I left for work. I noticed Bart was wearing his dotted vest. The vest and JK's curly hair reminded me of a photo in the Kellection, one of my favs:

When I first saw that pic, it looked very familiar. That's because I had this Maverick newspaper ad from 1960:

Here's a closer look at Bart:

It's clear where the artist got the inspiration for the ad. :)

But, that's not surprising...JK is always inspiring my work, too. ;->

More about the Maverick ad here.

Jack Kelly on TV - White Snow, Endless Ice :)

Okay, I give up.

It snowed all day yesterday. I drove home from work on unplowed streets, feeling like I was in an episode of Ice Road Truckers.

It snowed all last night. I was awakened this morning by the repetitive scraaaaape, scraaaaape of a neighbor shoveling their driveway.

I thought all the snow we've had would be a melted memory by now. But, no.

I'm resigned to the fact that I probably won't see anything green until St. Patrick's Day. So, I'm embracing winter by taking a look at Jack Kelly in "White Snow, Red Ice", an episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater which originally aired on March 13, 1964.

JK is"Fred Piper" (a private eye character he would portray three times on the Chrysler Theater) in what the St. Petersburg Times described as "a sophisticated, tongue-in-cheek spy story in the James Bond manner."

Piper pretends to be a skiing stuntman in order to help lovely jewel thief Senta Berger defect. He also works to free an American businessman who's been kidnapped by Communists.

One of JK's other curvy co-stars in the episode was Grace Lee Whitney, who would shortly become well-known in a little show called Star Trek. She revealed in her autobiography (The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy) that "White Snow, Red Ice" was actually an unsold pilot for a JK/Fred Piper series. It was filmed in the Mammoth ski resort area in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Ms. Whitney played a ski instructor, but didn't enjoy her role very much because she'd injured her neck during a previous acting job. She was still in extreme pain and wearing a neck brace that she removed to film her scenes. And, Senta Berger became temporarily snow-blind during filming.

With everything they went through, it's a shame "White Snow, Red Ice" didn't launch a JK series. Well, maybe it will show up on Retro TV or some other nostalgic network some day.

In the meantime, here's a peek at Piper:

"I ordered steak but they Senta Berger instead!" ;->

A video clip of JK in another Piper episode of The Chrysler Theater can be seen here.

The Kelly Pages - Look What I Found Today :)

Hi Everyone!

An unfamiliar orb appeared in the sky today. After squinting through the icicles for a better look, I suddenly realized it was the sun. So, I tunneled out of my igloo and mushed my sled to an antiques show. :->

Here's what I found:

Okay, not very JK-ish, but I couldn't resist such an authentic old-time horse print. (And, hey, this could be Goldie's great-grandpa!) ;->

Look what else I found:

Yep, a Maverick comic book, for only $10! The cover's a little rough, but the inside is fine. I guess kids liked to write their name on comic covers back in the day (one of the other Maverick comic books I have is "autographed" like that, too). The seller told me he'll probably bring more Maverick comic books to a future show, so I'll be watching for him.

Now, here's the best thing I found:

I stopped at a booth that had some newer-looking magazines. Since I'm into the vintage stuff, these didn't seem too interesting at first. Until I noticed they were all Memories, "The Magazine of Then and Now". The "Then" part sounded promising, so I thumbed through the stack.

Jackpot! Or should I say, "Jack Kelly pot!" :) One of the magazines had an article titled, "Whither the TV Western?" It was about the rise and fall of television "rope operas". Not only did it have a couple of nice 1950's black & white Maverick stills of JK and JG, it also had brief present-day (1989) updates about JK & JG with color pics, including the one of JK above. (Note the famous gold chain peeking out of his shirt.)

Needless to say, this magazine instantly joined the Kellection. And, guess what--it was only $1.00!

Anyway, here's what the update said about JK:

"'We had a certain panache that allowed us to get away with things that most guys only wished they could,' says Jack Kelly, who as Bart Maverick alternated leads with James Garner (who played his brother) on Maverick.

"Poking fun at other TV westerns, the two antiheroes gambled and gamboled their way through the West, talking their way out of trouble with wit and a wry sense of humor.

"'If there were too many bad guys around,' Kelly remembers, 'I'd say to the girl, 'Let's get outta here!'

"Kelly stuck with the show after Garner departed in 1960. After its demise, he played cameos in other television series, but he says his 'lightning bolt was never rekindled'.

"Today Kelly, 66 [B27 -???], does voice-overs for TV commercials and occasionally takes an acting role. He recently stepped down after eight years as a councilman of Huntington Beach, CA, where he lives with Jo, his wife of 20 years, and their 17 year-old daughter, Nicole. As new owner and columnist for the Huntington Beach News, Kelly now hopes to 'kick up some dust as a journalist'."

(By Delphine Taylor in Memories - December 1989-January 1990 issue)

Nice write-up! (And even nicer pic!!!) However, I think JK was actually 62 in 1989, he was also mayor of HB for a while, and most of the guest shots he did after Maverick were a bit more substantial than "cameos" (which usually means walk-ons).

But, it was refreshing to see James Garner referred to as the Maverick brother for once! ;->

Happy Valentine's Day from JK :)

"This card always brings me luck

...especially on Valentine's Day."

Jack Kelly on TV: Fully Kraeusened?

Howdy!

I found another velvety Jack Kelly voiceover, this time for Heileman's Old Style Beer:

And, if you want to know exactly what "Kraeusening" is, here's the Old Style story.