Jack Kelly - More "Lost" Maverick Episodes! ;->

Hi Everyone!

I did some additional research and discovered there are actually more "lost" episodes of Maverick.

I wondered why these episodes have never been shown on the Encore Westerns Channel. Well, according to the book Maverick: A Definitive History of The Beloved TV Classic Starring James Garner and That Other Guy by Burl Robertson, these episodes featured the Pappy Roy character and it was felt that he was meant to be quoted and not seen. Thus, these episodes were shown only once when the series originally aired and weren't included in the rerun package. Their current whereabouts remains a mystery.

However, I found the titles and plot descriptions of these missing episodes in old issues of TV Guide:

"Bret's Not in This Episode So Just Turn It to 'Ed Sullivan'" - Pappy Roy gets mad when Bart's episodes get bigger ratings than Bret's.

"The Maverick Conspiracy" - Bart uncovers a sinister plot to make Bret the only Maverick.

"Pappy Roy Doesn't Know Jack" - Pappy Roy must run for his life and become a fugitive when the Facebook Ladies and La Bartista take the Wayback Machine to 1959.

"Bart Has the Last Laugh" - Bart wins a mine in a poker game and drops a load of coal on Pappy Roy.

Jack Kelly - A 'Lost' Maverick Episode! ;->

Hello!
The existence of a hitherto-unknown Maverick episode, "Pappy Roy Likes Me Better", was recently brought to light by one of the fabulous JK ladies on Facebook:

"In one memorable episode, 'Pappy Roy Likes Me Better', Garner appears at least 8' tall and Kelly about 4'7". Kelly reportedly did not resent this, telling one interviewer: 'Jim may be taller, but not that much taller. And I'm cuter. All the Facebook ladies say so'".

Armed with this amazing new info, I drove 150 miles, paid $20 admission, and dug diligently through 200 stacks of disorganized photos at the Chubby Johnson Memorial Western Film Festival held in Walgreen Corners, Ohio, this weekend. Eureka! I managed to find a publicity still from the "lost" Maverick episode, along with the original caption:

"SIZE MATTERS: The powers that be didn't think 8' tall James Garner ('Bret Maverick') looked tall enough, so they ordered 4' 7" Jack Kelly ('Maverick's brother') to hunker down some more for this scene from 'Pappy Roy Likes Me Better', an upcoming episode of the Maverick TV series. Kelly is pictured shooting at guest star Billy Barty (not shown)."

Jack Kelly - How the West Was Fun - Again! :)

Hi Everybody,

Today's post may look like a rerun, but I just found some additional information about the When the West Was Fun special--and a much better copy of it on DVD--and I wanted to share it with you.

While watching the DVD I bought last Saturday, I noticed that the picture quality left a lot to be desired, as you could tell by the grainy screen caps I posted. Plus, a news brief scrolled across the bottom of the special at one point, and I realized someone had simply taped this landmark special from TV and copied it to a DVD. Grr.... >:(

I wondered if I could find a better copy of it somewhere, so I checked eBay. Well, not only did I find a better copy of When the West Was Fun on eBay, I actually found the show's producer, Brad Marks! His son, Michael, is selling sharp, "director's cut" DVDs of the special on eBay right now. How "sharp"? Have a look:

As you can see, the color and clarity are far better. If interested in purchasing the authentic DVD, search the seller name marcos1brad on eBay.

And, of course, I had to ask about you-know-who. This is what Michael told me his dad remembered about JK's stint on the special:

"Jack was a politician who lived in Orange County, California. During the show Dad, Jack, Neville Brand and Slim Pickens played cards during breaks."

JK also has a very funny card-playing scene in the special with Neville Brand of Laredo (on which JK guest-starred) and Lee Van Cleef (his Commandos co-star) which erupts into a full-scale bar room brawl. He even smashes a bottle over the head of Alan Hale, Jr. (who guest-starred in two of JK's Maverick episodes!) Bart Maverick also makes a cameo appearance by way of a Maverick clip.

Speaking of bottle smashing, Michael let me in on another little secret: In a scene where host Glenn Ford is demonstrating how fake prop bottles are usually used in western film fights, he accidentally conks Larry Storch of F-Troop on the head with a real bottle! (They left the scene in the special.)

There's also a clip of a fight scene from Bonanza where the Cartwright boys display an unprecedented lack of brotherly love. And, Pernell Roberts wasn't too forgiving in real-life either after When the West Was Fun aired--according to a 1979 article in the Pittsburgh Press he claimed his image was used without his permission and sued ABC, the network that ran the special!

Jack Kelly - "Will He Be Drafted?"

Hello Everyone,

One of the movie magazines I bought over the weekend contains an unusual story which fits in with Memorial Day.

To get a better perspective on the story, let's take the Wayback Machine and travel back to the fall of 1961:

Service quotas were increasing in the US military due to Cold War tensions building in Berlin, Germany. According to an AP news story at the time, the draft was stepped up sharply by President John F. Kennedy in August of 1961, when 18,000 men were called.

Twenty-five thousand men would be called by the Army in September 1961, at the time the largest call since the Korean War. Twenty-thousand men would be called in both October and November.

Anxiety over the possible outbreak of war even seeped onto the placid pages of Photoplay, which reported that it had received "an avalanche of letters" from readers asking: "Which stars will be drafted?...Will a married actor be called?...What about Elvis?...Which actors are in the Reserves?..."

Photoplay answered, "Because of the impossibility of answering each question personally, we decided to publish a list of the most popular movie and TV stars and their draft status. Those most likely to be drafted, according to information provided by members of the Los Angeles Board of Selective Service, are unmarried males between the ages of 21 and 26. Within this group, the 23 year-olds would most likely be called first. However, young men from 18 to 21 are also eligible for the draft, and those in the Reserves are subject to call even before a national emergency is declared. Men between the ages of 26 and 36 would probably be taken only in a national call-up. Those over 36 would be tapped only in case of actual war."

One of the popular stars listed in the story is Jack Kelly. He turned 34 in 1961 and had already served his country in the Air Force. Photoplay noted "the specific draft status of each star is confidential and cannot be released to the public". But, here is how they speculated about JK's possible draft status:

Although the crisis in Germany led to the construction of the Berlin Wall, a national emergency in the US was averted, meaning JK and the other stars weren't called up in 1961. If they had been, however, I'm sure they would have proudly served.

I would like to say "Thank You" to all current service men and women (including my nephew, who is deployed in Iraq) and to take a moment to remember all those who've served in the past, including my dad, my older brother, and JK.

Jack Kelly - How the West Was Fun! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Before we begin another jaunt into JK Land, I just want to thank Linda Alexander and those two other Wise Girls (Debbie Barth and Dori DeCarlo) once more for inviting my "alter ego" to speak on their wonderful podcast last Thursday. I've heard from several TTDST readers who heard the show. I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was helpful to you.

And, I want to again thank you all for your kind words for this little blog. :)

Well, today (Saturday) I did some traveling and ended up at an established cinema event. It's an annual gathering of old-time movie fans, or, I should say, fans of old-time movies. And, I mean old-time. Like, when Rin-Tin-Tin was just a puppy.

Now, I adore old-time, classic, vintage films. But, I didn't watch any today because it would have cost me $35. See, this was a bona-fide film festival.

In addition to the film screenings, there was also MUCHO movie memorabilia for sale. Fortunately, the festival offered a substantially reduced entrance fee for fans like me who only wanted to peruse the posters and such. And not only did I have to pay to get in, I had to register and wear a badge, just to flip through photos.

But, in the interest of Jack Kelly fans everywhere (and in the never-ending kwest for Kellectibles), I paid the fee, registered, and entered the sales room. :->

The sellers were all fine folks with many rare and wondrous items, but I have a favor to ask of them: Please organize your stuff!

Frankly, the place looked like an explosion in a movie buff's basement. For instance, there were loads and loads of fabulous movie stills, but they were all piled on crowded tables with no rhyme or reason. Is there a Jack Kelly pic in here? Maybe, but I have to thumb through pix from Gold Diggers of 1933, Rocky II, and just about every other movie made in the last 80 years to find out. After a little while of hunching over the Hollywood stills, my back was yelling "Cut!". (To those photo vendors who did have their wares thoughtfully arranged in binders: thank you!)

Although I didn't find any JK pictures, I didn't come away empty-handed. I found a couple of interesting movie magazines, and a DVD of When the West Was Fun, a 1979 reunion special which rounded up scores of famous TV cowboys, including JK.

This special really is fun. It begins with a cleverly pantomined sequence as famous western stars enter a saloon. Each is ushered in by their TV theme song. Below is a scene from JK's memorable entrance (sorry, these screen caps are a bit grainy):

He gets in a little bit of comedy right after his entrance, too. Incidentally, he wears a fantastic black frock coat, but no cowboy hat.

Another great shot. I absolutely LOVE the adorable look on JK's face here and the way it kind of mirrors the image behind him. And, yes, you can really see his chain. :->



After this, JK is mostly glimpsed in the background. But, he does get in a funny line here, and you can see more of the chain:

There is lots more fun (and funny) stuff in this special, such as a hilarious discussion between "Festus" (Ken Curtis) and "Doc" (Milburn Stone) from Gunsmoke. I'm glad that so many of these now-departed western stars were gathered here for posterity.

I could have done without the dance hall girls chirping, "Back when the west was fun, you could tell a man by the size of his gun!" (Well, that's why they invented the fast forward button
;->.) But, I wouldn't have missed the special's moving musical finale with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans for the world. :)

Jack Kelly - The Tenderfoot :)

Howdy All!

I thought you might enjoy seeing more pix of young Jack Kelly in his pre-Maverick western film days. I guess you could call him a "tenderfoot" at this point. (Just don't call him "Sugarfoot"--that was Will Hutchins. ;->)

Recognize the guy in the center? (Uh, the guy standing in the center, wearing a star.) That's Randolph Scott, of course. But, who's the dusty dude on the right?

It's 22 year-old JK, in what is often listed as his first film as an adult actor, Fighting Man of the Plains (1949). I happened to catch it as it came on TV a few months ago. I'd vaguely remembered reading that JK was in it. However, I was afraid it was going to be one of those "Is that him?" blink-and-you'll-miss-JK movies, like Holiday Affair.

But, I sat down and watched Fighting Man. Luckily, it had an interesting plot and good acting, and--hey, there's JK! (My brother was over and even he noticed when JK suddenly appeared about an hour into the film: "Isn't that Bart Maverick?")

JK plays an uncredited "cattleman" in a couple of scenes. Other familiar western faces in Fighting Man include Victor Jory (who would later co-star with JK in the short-lived Kings Row TV series), Paul Fix, Barry Kelley, Rhys Williams, and, as "Jesse James", a young actor named Dale Robertson.

Here's another pic of JK as "Curly Mather" in Gunsmoke (1953). The lady is Susan Cabot.

Finally, here's my favorite pic, showing JK as "Hatcher" in 1953's The Stand at Apache River, trying to persuade Jaclynne Greene to leave her innkeeper husband. Incidentally, some actors just don't look right with mustaches; fortunately, JK was one actor who looked fantastic with or without facial hair! :->

Jack Kelly - "I Hated Horses When I Was a Kid" :)

Howdy Everyone!

After reading Jack Kelly's stirring column about the Lone Ranger and Silver, I got to wondering: How did JK really feel about horses himself? We know he rode Sickle, a.k.a. Goldie, and other mounts in Maverick. And, of course, he rode horses in the western films in which he appeared.

So, I did a little digging and found an article from 1960 which reveals how JK felt about horses and some other interesting things, as well:

"TV's Maverick Once Didn't Even Like Horses -
Let Alone Ride Them
by Joe St. Amant,
United Press International, 10/30/1960

Jack Kelly, television's sophisticated easy-in-the-saddle Bart Maverick, talks to his horse these days but there was a time he was not on speaking terms with any of the four-legged critters.

This suave TV gambler with the educated eyebrows [B27 - I love that description!] who looks perfectly at home on a horse in his video shenanigans, was not born to the saddle. He was not raised in the saddle. And the only range he knew as a boy was the kitchen stove at home in Astoria, Long Island.

Between scenes in the shooting of a Maverick episode on the Warner Bros. lot, Kelly came clean on his relationship with horses.

'I hated horses when I was a kid,' he recalled. 'I was afraid of them.

'When we moved here to Southern California, I used to ride at weekend boys' camps--I don't know whether they have things like that any more--but I never liked it. Then, in 1951, I signed a contract with the old Universal Studio--for about 150 or 200 bucks a week. They had regular classes for young actors in almost anything you can name--including riding and Balinese dancing where you'd have to strike a lot of kookie poses. [B27 - I had to stop here because I was laughing so hard - can you imagine JK dancing like that?] This was the greatest thing that ever happened to me as far as training was concerned. You learned poise. You learned how to cock your head or lift an eyebrow to get an idea across. I do that a lot today in Maverick, if you'll notice. [B27 - Yep!]

'But the riding class--I thought I could do without that. I missed the first two classes and Bob Palmer, head of talent then, called me into his office and told me, 'Listen, young fella, the measure of your success in this business may well be how you can handle a horse. Now get out of here and get your satchel over to the stable.' I got.'

Thus began a great friendship between Kelly and the equine family.

'I really learned to handle a horse," Kelly continued seriously. 'In the first place, I lost my fear. You couldn't hold me then. I wanted to get out there every day and saddle up as soon as possible. The wranglers they had at the studio were great guys. They knew horses, of course. And they taught you how to treat a horse. It was their responsibility to see that the horses were not mistreated. They did a good job on the horses and the students.'

For the past three seasons, Kelly's been grateful for his acquired horsemanship.

'In the situations in Maverick, I could look awfully silly if I didn't know how to handle a horse," he explained. It's getting on and off mostly in the show, and I could look foolish if I didn't know what I was doing.'

But, he isn't about to indulge in any mad gallops down the side of a mountain or any other such breakneck stunts.

'I've got too much at stake," he said. "A broken arm or leg and my career might be wrecked.'

That career is a serious thing with Kelly. In real life, he displays few of the characteristics of the light-hearted drifter, Bart Maverick.

He recently completed a movie for Warner Bros. called A Fever in the Blood. He plays a straight part as a district attorney who exploits the prosecution of a murder case as a lever to try to become governor.

Kelly recently renegotiated with Warner Bros. and signed a seven-year contract covering Maverick and four more movies.

'I got what I wanted,' he said.

Kelly said he does not think movie audiences will identify him with Maverick.

'It doesn't have the stereotyping characteristics that some other westerns have," he explained. "I like doing this show. The stories are usually whimsical. The spirit infiltrates the whole company and turns it into a lot of camaraderie. It helps to make the work easier.'

It's easier in the saddle now, anyway."

JK is tall in the saddle as "Curly Mather" in
Gunsmoke (1953), one of his early Universal westerns.