Can You See JK? You Sure "Canasta"! :)

Hola!

Here's something you don't see every day:

A German lobby card for a Mexican film! (Canasta de Cuentos Mexicanos, or, A Basket of Mexican Tales).

This gorgeous card, which recently joined the Kellection, shows smilin' Jack Kelly (as "Eddie Winthrop"), Mari Blanchard (JK's future She Devil co-star as "Gladys Winthrop"), and a Mexican actress in a segment of the film titled "Canasta". The Winthrops are American tourists who discover some beautifully hand-woven baskets while vacationing in Mexico. But, when they try to cut a deal with the basket-maker to have the canastas mass-produced for sale north of the border, their plans for quick riches quickly unravel.

Like each segment in this episodic 1956 film, "Canasta" was based a short story by the enigmatic author B. Traven, probably best known for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Traven's story "Assembly Line" is the basis for "Canasta". 

Here's something else you don't see every day--JK in a bathing suit:

 

You can enjoy the rest of this scene (and the entire "Canasta" segment) here:

 

Now, be sure to travel back to TDS, because a basketful--well, a mailbox-full--of other Kellectibles also arrived with the lobby card, including a DVD and some photos (hmm... ;>). Plus, bloodhound Bartista is on the scent of something really cool and hopefully I'll be able to share it with you here soon, too. So, stay tuned amigos! :)

JK Friday Fun :)

Name the episode:

 

(Bonus points if you can also name the actor who portrayed "Lee Hong Chang" and two other roles he played opposite Jack Kelly) :)

Happy 2017 From La Bartista & "TDS" :)

Vintage clip art courtesy http://www.jattdisite.com

The Feel Good Video of the Year :)

Hello!

2016 may not have been the cheeriest year, but the video below is guaranteed to bring joy to your heart. Although it has absolutely nothing to do with Jack Kelly, I just had to share it with you. And here's why:

 

You may have seen this incredible story on Fox News or elsewhere. Well, I'm proud to say, the "stars" of the video--Christine and her son Alexander Joel--are my niece and great-nephew. I met Alex in person for the first time last Christmas and he truly is one amazing kid!

 

 

I thank God and Tim Tebow for making this miracle adoption--and this precious addition to my family--possible. :)

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Vintage clipart courtesy of Pinterest

"Give The Boots The Stars Wear" Pt V

And now, to conclude our yuletide look at JK & Acme Boots, the pièce de résistance:

 A pair of Maverick boots with their original box, courtesy of the now apparently defunct "Toy Cabin" website. Unfortunately, these marvelous boots weren't for sale (the site was just for looking), but the description read, "These fantastic items are produced in black leather with contrasting cut design around the sides which cleverly incorporates hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs on the border."

I hope you've enjoyed these glimpses of Christmases past with JK, JG and Acme Boots. And, I hope you have a blessed Christmas 2016. :)

"Give The Boots The Stars Wear" Pt IV

And the "boot" goes on... :)

This slick 1960 ad is probably the best known Acme Boot ad featuring the Maverick boys--it appeared in popular large format magazines such as Life and The Saturday Evening Post, and it turns up for sale as a standalone Kellectible now and then:

The photo from which the images of JK and JG down in the left corner were taken recently became a part of the Kellection.

Speaking of images, after poring over all these wonderful vintage Acme ads, I got to thinking about the different products that Maverick and its stars were used to advertise. "Mavertising", as it were. :)

The connection to Jeep automobiles and to Kaiser aluminum foil and siding is a no-brainer: they were owned by the show's main sponsor, Kaiser Industries.

Peter Paul was also a Maverick sponsor at one point.

And don't forget the Topper scooter.

In the case of Acme Boots, author Jane M. Gaines reveals in her book Contested Culture: The Image, The Voice and The Law how Acme became the boots the stars wore: "But it is also important to see merchandising as a part of scientific management strategy, in which the principle was to turn star property into capital wherever possible. Control of the star image gave studios certain leverage with other industries with which they may have had many other kinds of cooperative arrangements. And in fact, studios even traded star images for free supplies of props such as automobiles, wild animals and cowboy boots. The Warner Bros. merchandising contract with Acme Boot Company, for instance, gave the studio a $2500 cash advance and fifty-four dozen pairs of western boots each year for two years in exchange for the use of the stars of Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Lawman and Maverick in their advertising."

By the way, I haven't seen Roger Moore (cousin Beau Maverick) in any of these Acme ads, maybe because of some candid remarks he made while filming Maverick. He recounted to a Reuters reporter in 2008, "At Warner Bros. I was doing (the 1950's TV series) Maverick and sitting on the back lot and it was hot and my feet were pinched in these bloody cowboy boots. I was doing an interview and said the reason there were so many killers in the Old West was the boots--they pinched their feet and they got bad-tempered and shot one another. About a month later, I was sent for by Bill Orr, who was the head of Warner Bros. TV and he said: 'You know, the Acme Boot Company are very upset. They supply our boots and you'd better stop saying these things.'"

UPDATE! I found RM's original comments in a 1960 Australian "TV Week"

Well, I'm sure you won't complain when you see what's coming up next in TDS.  ;->