Jack Kelly - Who Is That Tall Dark...Stranger? :)

Hi Everyone!

The Jack Kelly Facebook page has posted links to an endlessly entertaining blog called "Inner Toob - A Look at TV as An Alternate Reality". This clever blog puts forth the notion that our favorite TV characters all live in one big universe and makes whimsical (but logical) connections between them.

The most recent postings focus on Maverick. One posting is about the most mysterious Maverick, Brent, the never-before-mentioned sibling who suddenly materialized in season four.

And, speaking of Brent:

Here's a picture of him and his brother, Bart. Bart seems to be thinking, "Who is the tall dark stranger there...and why is he wearing Bret's clothes?!"

Here's a close-up of Brother Bart, which is dedicated to JK fans everywhere, and one very special fan (and lady) in particular:

Jack Kelly - Kraft Made More Than Just Cheese :)

Hi All!

I wanted to direct your attention to an entertaining new blog I just found which is "dedicated to the NBC Television show Kraft Suspense Theatre that ran from 1963 to 1965". It provides a comprehensive look at the anthology series, which is currently rerun under the syndication title Crisis on the "Retro TV Network". Luckily, I receive RTV and have seen all three episodes of Suspense Theatre in which Jack Kelly starred. I've been meaning to review them here, but in the meantime, this blog has a brief review of "The Name of the Game", where JK plays a professional gambler. However, unlike Bart Maverick, the gambler plies his trade with dice rather than cards.

The author mentions JK several times throughout the blog and also points out a connection between Suspense Theatre and JK's film Forbidden Planet. Enjoy! :)

Jack Kelly - The Shoot-In Continues! :)

Hello Everybody!

Now, we continue with more screen captures of Jack Kelly in "The Shoot-In At NBC".

Here, Bob Hope nervously eyes the "enemy":

(They probably didn't use real booze in these scenes, but I get the feeling the participants may have enjoyed liberal libations before the filming started! ;->)

JK asks Phil Carey who the "two characters" are at the end of the bar. PC tells him they look like "Geritol hippies".

Bob Hope tries to cheer up Steve Allen by suggesting they watch this great comic on television--Bob Hope! So, he has the bartender turn on the TV.

Suddenly, JK remembers it's time for PC's show, too. ("So why are we watching Pappy Yokum?")

(By the way, doesn't Steverino's outfit kinda remind you of JK's costume in that Batman episode?)

PC isn't too happy with the Hope show, so he decides to shoot the TV, using JK's head to steady his aim:

Bullseye!

After this, JK and PC are seen no more. Which is too bad, because they both did a wonderful job as comical cowboys and it would have been nice to see more of them.

The special gets even sillier after this. The "comics" steal all the horses from the "cowboys", because you can't make westerns without horses. And, the horses end up hidden everywhere, even in Perry Como's bed (but this is not The Godfather, and it's a whole horse!) However, the cowboys rent more horses and charge toward the comics' hideout. Although the comics try to repel the invading cowboys with golf balls and seltzer spray, the westerners triumph at the end. (It's a wonder they didn't all catch Dodge Fever.) ;->

Jack Kelly - Breaking News! "Young Billy Young" on Hulu :)

Yep, it's the whole movie! JK plays a baddie, but he does a great job of it:

Jack Kelly: Oh, the Cowboy and the Funnyman Should Be Friends... :)

Howdy!

Our guest post is coming in the near future. In the meantime, I have another exciting Jack Kelly treat to share with you: screen captures from a TV special that we've all been "Hope"-ing to see: The Shoot-In at NBC.

Yup, it's the 1967 Bob Hope show which pits TV comics against TV cowboys.

The premise: The funnymen (everyone from Don Adams to Danny Thomas) are fuming because westerns are taking over TV and taking away their jobs. So, they declare war on the cowboys.

Which really doesn't make much sense, because I checked, and at the time the special aired there were actually 23 comedy series on TV and only 12 westerns. (Or 14, if you count Daniel Boone and Cowboy in Africa.) It would have been more logical to do this show in 1957. But, since this is a comedy special, I guess it doesn't need to make much sense.

Before all the feudin' commences, though, there's the intro, where all the comics and cowboys are announced. Here's JK:

After the intro, we have Bob Hope's monologue. It's full of then-topical jokes about Governor Ronald Reagan, smog ("It's exhaust from politicians"), and even Zsa Zsa Gabor (who's still in the news today).

And, about every five minutes, this mod chick in a white mini-dress pops up in commercials where people are suddenly struck by "Dodge Fever". This terrifying illness causes its victims to become mesmerized by ugly station wagons and drop whatever they're doing so they can go buy one. (I hope surgeons and airline pilots are immune.)

Then, there's Bobbie Gentry. She's neither a comic nor a cowboy, but she'd just had a monster hit with Ode to Billy Joe, and she appears throughout the show to comment on the action by crooning a parody of the High Noon theme song. She also sings a tune called Lazy Willie which sounds almost exactly like Billy Joe.

Okay, finally, JK shows up with Phil Carey, whose brother he'd played earlier that year on Laredo. Thankfully, JK is wearing a much nicer jacket than the drab brown number he wore in "Enemies and Brothers" and that dreadful ruffled shirt is nowhere in sight:

JK and PC appear in a silly segment with Bob Hope and Steve Allen, who are in a bar commiserating about the comics' (alleged) unemployment problem. (And I bet ol' Steverino was thrilled to see one of the Maverick brothers who used to outgun him in the ratings. ;->)

Although Maverick had been off the air for five years and JK was now an itinerant cowboy guest star, he brags to the bartender (Bill Dana), "My show just got a 60 rating--30 for me, 30 for my horse!" And, although Laredo had been canceled, PC boasts, "And my show just got picked up for another 20 years!" (Maybe he meant One Life to Live, although it hadn't actually started yet. ;->).

JK is still wearing his pinky ring, too:

....To be continued! :)

NEXT TIME: See how JK uses his head as more than just a place to wear his hat!

Jack Kelly - We Have A Winner! :)

Hello All!

And "thanks" to everyone who entered the guest blogger contest.

We have a winner:

Reader "Prof. Plum" has correctly identified Jack Kelly's mystery date as Cora Sue Collins.

JK and Ms. Collins, a former child actress, were an "item" at one time. Newspaper gossip columnists had them this close to announcing an engagement or an elopement. However, as we know, JK moved on to May Wynn, and the rest is history.

While still together, a beaming JK and CSC walked the red carpet at the premiere of JK's 1955 film To Hell and Back, where they were captured in our captivating contest photo.

And, JK's bandage? According to the caption on the back of the photo, it was there because JK burned his hand in a barbeque accident! (Poor baby!)

So, well done and congratulations, Prof. Plum. We're looking forward to reading your guest post. :->

Jack Kelly - Be My Guest...Blogger! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at blogging? Would you like to review your favorite Jack Kelly movie or TV performance, or do you have an item of JK memorabilia you'd like to discuss here on The Tall Dark Stranger There?

Well, here's your chance to be a guest blogger! All you have to do is identify JK's mystery companion in the photo below:

A couple of hints: Obviously, the lucky lady is not May Wynn, although she is an actress. The toothsome twosome was snapped at a glamourous Hollywood event. (And, poor JK has a bandage on his hand!)

Please post your answer in the "comments" section. (And, to be fair, please don't post the correct answer on Facebook until after I've announced the winner here--thanks!)

The first person to correctly identify JK's mystery date will be my guest blogger. I'll contact you to confirm you're the winner. Then you can send me your Jack Kelly-related write-up--including photo(s), if you wish--and I'll post it here instead of my usual nattering. ;->

So, take a good look--and good luck! :)