A Bird in the Hand :)

Hello Everyone,

I know we all pray and hope that the COVID-19 pandemic would just disappear--now. And, it will fade away, eventually.

As a respite for now, here's Jack Kelly and Ann Blyth in a publicity still for the 1952 film Sally and Saint Anne:

It appears that JK as amateur magician "Mike O'Moyne" thinks he made a dove disappear from his hat. But, what's that in sister Sally's hand? ;)

Well, please stay tuned for more JK magic in TDS--and stay well.

A Danish "Basket" :)

Hello Everyone,

In the midst of this turbulent time of social distancing, working from home and panic buying, here's a little diversion from Denmark:

This is the cool cover of the Danish program for the episodic 1956 Mexican film Canasta de Cuentos Mexicanos, or, A Basket of Mexican Tales. As you can see, Jack Kelly (with co-star Mari Blanchard) is featured prominently on the cover. Strangely though, Ms. Blanchard gets top billing above the photo, but JK's name is a no-show.

He is mentioned in the cast list, albeit with sixth billing:

There are two more pix of JK in the section of  the program about his episode in the film ("Kurven" or "The Basket"):

The synopsis (roughly translated via Google) reads:

"Gladys and Eddie Winthrop are vacationing in Mexico. They buy some inexpensive but beautiful hand-woven baskets and take them home to New York. A chocolate maker sees one of the baskets and decides it would make excellent packaging for his goods. He places a large order for baskets with the Winthrops. They immediately return to Mexico to start production. However, they encounter an unexpected obstacle: the Indian from whom they purchased the original baskets explains that while he's not interested in becoming wealthy, the more baskets he and his family weave, the more it will cost the Winthrops because of the detailed work involved. The Winthrops realize their dream of making a quick profit from cheap labor isn't viable and reluctantly return to New York. Eddie gets a clerk job and Gladys returns the mink coat she bought thinking the basket money would pay for it."

Well, I hope this brightened your day a bit. Please stay tuned for more basketsful of fun with TDS. :)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day 2020!

Vintage original postcard physically scanned

from The La Bartista Kellection

BONUS! Jack Kelly's very own recipe for corned beef and cabbage:

Another Valentine's Day Question :)

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

A few years back, TDS asked a Valentine's Day question.

Well, here's another Valentine's Day question:

The answer is: "Of course he is!"

Because "he" is Jack Kelly:

"Don't pout if he suddenly decides to have the gang over for dinner--he'll do the cooking and you'll love it. The guy's a whiz at golf, swimming and spear fishing. Easy-going and generous, he'll surprise you with gifts. If you get a kick out of life, Kelly's the boy for you."

No doubt about that! :)

And if you get a kick out of Kelly, please stay tuned to TDS! :)

Yet Another Postcard Post :)

Hello Everyone!

Yet another Jack Kelly postcard has joined the Kellection, and it's an absolute doozy! It's also the earliest (and best) one I've seen so far:

The front of the card shows a young JK  during his pre-Maverick days as a Universal-International contract player. Just look at that smile! :) There's also a facsimile signature.

 

The reverse of the card (addressed to a fan in Kansas) has a 2-cent postmark and a plug for the U-I film Mississippi Gambler, which was released in 1953.

The message says:

"Dear Friend: Thank you for your letter. I am only too happy to send you a photograph in response to your request. In the event you wish a larger photograph, I am listing below the various sizes available. You will note a small charge is made to cover printing and mailing cost. Thanks again for writing me."

The charges are $1.00 for a 11" x 14" photo, $0.25 for an 8" x 10" photo, $0.10 for a 5" x 7" photo and $.05 for "snapshots". How I wish photos of JK were available at those prices today--I paid a lot more than $1.00 for this postcard. ;)

Well, I hope this post has your "stamp" of approval. TDS is the address for all things JK, so please stay tuned! :)

Remembering...

Robert Conrad

1935-2020

Robert Conrad passed away today at age 84. Best known for portraying "Jim West", the suave Secret Service agent in the hit TV series The Wild Wild West, Mr. Conrad made one of his first TV appearances in 1959 as "Davie Barrows"(shown above) in the "Yellow River" episode of Maverick with Jack Kelly.

In 1962, while starring as "Tom Lopaka" in the Hawaiian Eye series, he acted with JK in the short anti-Communist film Freedom and You (a.k.a. Red Nightmare):

Incidentally, The Wild Wild West is currently (2020) airing on Family Entertainment Television (FETV).

JK and RC also appeared as cohorts in a daring train robbery scheme in the 1965 Kraft Suspense Theatre episode "Four Into Zero" (also starring Martha Hyer):

Caption on the reverse of photo: "'Suspense' Trio--Jack Kelly, left, Martha Hyer, and Robert Conrad are seen in 'Four Into Zero', drama about stolen currency plates to be presented on 'Suspense Theatre', in color Thursday night [2/18/1965] at 10 o'clock. In the segment, Kelly plays an ex-ski instructor who bolsters his ego by staging a $1 million dollar money-making scheme."

Rest in peace, Mr. Conrad. 



The Kelly Family Way! :)

Hello Everyone!

On January 13, 1965--55 years ago today--The Family Way opened at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway.

It closed on January 16, after only five performances.

But, Jack Kelly, the star of the play, beamed as he posed with his big sister, Nancy, in this incandescent candid image scanned from a color slide in the Kellection:

What a fantastic Kelly family portrait!

Here's the cover of the Playbill, like the one Ms. Kelly is holding:

Well, it's the TDS way to share photos and stories about JK with you, so please stay tuned for more! :)