Remembering...

Julie Adams has passed away at age 92 after an acting career which spanned over 60 years. She starred with Jack Kelly in the Maverick episodes "Brasada Spur" and "The White Widow", the 1957 Lux Video Theatre production of "Just Across The Street", and the 1953 feature film The Stand At Apache River (in which she was billed as "Julia Adams"). Rest in peace, Ms. Adams.

An original promo photo from the Kellection for the "Brasada Spur" episode of Maverick, with color tint added by La Bartista. Dated 2/20/1959, the episode info on the reverse of the photo reads: "ROMANTIC INTERLUDE--Jack Kelly, as Bart Maverick, the deft dealer of the pasteboards, finds that his lovely business partner, Julie Adams, portraying Belle Morgan, seems to have fallen in love with him, which further complicates their dealings. A scene in 'Brasada Spur', episode in Warner Bros.' Maverick series for ABC-TV network, Sunday, February 22."  

Another original promo photo from the Kellection, with the following episode info: "Jack Kelly (Bart) and Julie Adams in a suspenseful moment from 'The White Widow', the Maverick story for January 24 [1960], at 7:30 p.m., over ABC-TV."

A tense quartet in The Stand At Apache River. The snipe on the back of this vintage still reads: "Col. Morsby (HUGH MARLOWE), Hatcher (JACK KELLY), Valerie Kendrick (JULIA ADAMS) and Sheriff Lane Dakota (STEPHAN McNALLY) face attack by Apache braves in this scene from Universal-International's The Stand At Apache River."  

Wintervention! :)

Hello!

Much of the Midwest has been in the bone-chilling grip of a "polar vortex" for the past couple of days. Sub-zero temperatures and record-low wind chills have closed schools and even caused mail delivery to be temporarily suspended in some states.

As January comes to an icy end, I think we need a "wintervention" to help warm us up. So, here are some pix from the Kellection of Jack Kelly and his first wife Donna (May Wynn) frolicking in the California sun. 

These first pix are from a 1958 fan magazine feature titled "Just The Jack For Jim":



"They had tested dozens of young actors to play opposite

 James Garner in the ABC Maverick series...Then somebody decided to try Jack Kelly..."

  

"Handsome TV cowboy actor Jack Kelly is shown

 with his bride of a little more than a year, pretty actress May Wynn."





"Jack and May pose in the garden of their new house.

Jack is from an acting clan--sister Nancy Kelly is a screen star."

 

"In the living room of their comfortable ranch-style home

in Studio City, the Kellys relax a bit.

Jack loves California."

 

"Jack, who has proved a perfect foil for James Garner as the brother in Warner's ABC Maverick,  helps with the cooking." [B27--Um, JK was more than just "the brother" in Maverick. And, I bet he's using Kaiser foil here. ;>]

 

Finally, here's an actual United Press photo taken at the same time as the shot above (notice May/Donna's shiny leather slacks!):

 

The snipe on the back reads: "CARRYING ON (Studio City, Calif): Providing a pick-me-up for his pretty wife, actress May Wynn, actor Jack Kelly bears up well under the burden outside of the pair's home in Studio City, Calif. Jack appears as Bart Maverick in the ABC Television Maverick series." And, the photo is dated 1/29/58--almost exactly 61 years ago!  

 

Well, I hope these sunny pictures have picked you up. Please stay tuned for more fun with JK in TDS--and stay warm. :)

Oh Snap! :)

Howdy!

Here's a provocative pic of Jack Kelly and Valerie Jackson from a 1953 issue of Picturegoer, the long-defunct British film magazine:

The text says, "Jack Kelly--he's to be seen in It Happens Every Thursday, one of next week's releases--finds Valerie Jackson's frontier-style garter packs an extra loud snap in Law And Order, due here soon."

Actually, JK wasn't seen in It Happens Every Thursday--he broke his leg in a skiing accident shortly before filming began and was replaced by another actor. However, he is definitely in Law And Order. 

I have an original still of the image above, so we can get a better look at JK as "Jed" as he lusts after Ms. Jackson as saloon girl "Clarissa" (yes, that's a holster on her garter and she's clutching a derringer):

That's a posed promo still--this scene doesn't actually appear in the film. Clarissa can be glimpsed in the background as a drunken Jed helps to shoot up the saloon's fancy chandelier (JK is directly in front of the bartender below), and that's about the closest they come to being seen together:

Like everyone else in town, Clarissa must surrender her little bitty gun for the sake of, yep, law and order:

Law And Order isn't bad...how can it be when it features not only JK but a real-life President (Ronald Reagan), "Chester"/"McCloud" (Dennis Weaver), "The Professor" (Russell Johnson), plus the ever popular Chubby Johnson? I'll definitely have to take a more in-depth look at it in the future here in TDS.

In the meantime, please stay tuned for more fun with JK! :)

JK--Pushin' Up Roses? :)

Howdy!

As you may have noticed after nearly 10 years and over 500 posts here in TDS, I have a nose for nostalgia. And last evening, I decided to stop and smell the roses by enjoying a vintage video on YouTube when...whaaaat?!

Here's the video I was watching (yes, that's Groucho's favorite foil, George Fenneman):

It's simply a string of mostly local commercials shown on Los Angeles station KTTV back in 1974. Lots of fun stuff here, including an original Kentucky Fried Chicken ad with the real Colonel Sanders.

But, it was right after the KFC commercial--at about 3:49 minutes into the video--when my ears perked up. A young couple is shown teaching their child how to ride a bike. Then, the announcer starts talking about caring, and beauty and: a mortuary?

And, I suddenly realized that the announcer sounded awfully familiar...

Yes, I'm certain that's Jack Kelly doing the voiceover for the Rose Hills Memorial Park ad. Take a listen to the ad in the video above and compare the voiceover to other commercials featuring JK's voice here and here.

I'm amazed to have discovered what's apparently a long-lost and/or long-forgotten regional example of JK's considerable vocal talents. You'll discover some other neat ads in the KTTV video, too. (Just don't mess with "Lady Kung Fu" or you might end up in Rose Hills Memorial Park.) ;>

Happy New Year 2019!

Vintage clip art courtesy of New Years Info.net

A New Year Is Almost Here! :)

Clipart courtesy of Leonard's Lines .com

Today in Jack Kelly History...

On 12/30/1963, JK appeared as disgraced wagonmaster "Fenton Canaby" on ABC's Wagon Train: