Veterans Day 2020

 Veterans Day clipart courtesy of fg-a.com

Oh Brother (Bart)! :)

Happy Tuesday!

Today is another auspicious date in the history of Maverick. On November 10, 1957, viewers first met Jack Kelly's Bart Maverick in the episode "Hostage!"

Bart was born of necessity. Before Maverick had even premiered, newspaper columnist Erskine Johnson announced in August 1957 that Bret Maverick was getting a brother as a form of "health insurance" for the show's already overworked lead:

"James Garner...will have a kid-brother as a sort of ride-on. The lad, not yet cast, will star in an occasional stanza and dominate the plots of others, giving Garner time off to avoid joining the list of weekly TV performers who have collapsed from the strain."

The strain was genuine for Garner, because a lot was riding on this unconventional new western series and its then-unknown star. To meet the scheduling demands of weekly television, each episode of Maverick was being cranked out over a period of eight long days. The sole lead actor and filming crew soon found it impossible to maintain the grueling pace. 

So, a Maverick brother was added to help carry the load. The only question was, who was going to play him?

The answer was Jack Kelly: 

Although not exactly a "kid" (JK was in fact about eight months older than JG), it was eventually established that Bart was younger than Bret.

A fantastic photo of the smilin' Maverick brothers in "Hostage!" entered the Kellection not long ago. That's lucky guest star Laurie Carroll (as "Yvette Devereux") in the middle:

What's even cooler about this photo is that before it joined the Kellection, it was part of the personal collection of James Arness--yes, Marshal Dillon of Gunsmoke! :)

I also have an original script for "Hostage!":

Bart's first lines:

A brotherly reunion:

A scene sizzling with danger:

And, finally, the old Maverick switcheroo:

November 10, 1957, was also a meaningful date for JK because:

Well, I hope reading about JK's debut as Bart Maverick has made your Tuesday just a little bit better. Please stay tuned for more fun in TDS! :)

"Sub" of a Gun! :)

 

In tonight's episode of Maverick, Bart misplaces his pistol and must use his hand as a substitute gun. ;)

Seriously, this is a still from the "Substitute Gun" episode of Maverick which recently joined the Kellection. The episode first aired on April 2, 1961. 

Joining Jack Kelly in this still is erstwhile child actor Jack (Jackie) Searle, who portrayed the appropriately named Wilbur Smiley Drake. 

JS and JK would act together again in an episode of The Lucy Show titled "Lucy Makes a Pinch", which originally aired on November 9, 1964! 

Please stay tuned for the next TDS--accept no substitutes. :)

Remembering...

Lucky "Lass"

 Hello Everyone!

Wow, I can't believe it's November 1 already. 

Speaking of November 1--it was exactly 61 years ago today (Sunday, November 1, 1959) that the Maverick episode "The Lass With The Poisonous Air" premiered on ABC-TV.

The plot:

The storyline for this episode was adapted by Catherine Turney from series creator/producer Roy Huggins' novel Lovely Lady, Pity Me (which was also the basis for an episode of 77 Sunset Strip with the same title). 

On the outskirts of Denver, Bart gallantly rescues Linda Burke (Joanna Moore), whose horse is galloping out of control. The gambler and the lady fall in love and rendezvous by a lake every day. 

Lovely Linda remains coy about her private life during their lakeside trysts, neglecting to tell Bart that she's married to the wealthy guy he plays poker with in town. 

Linda has a rival for Bart's affection: Cathy, the teenaged daughter of the owner of the livery stable where his mare (Goldie!) is being stabled. Bart pays no attention to her, so she sneaks to the lake where she secretly spots him and Linda. Later, Cathy asks Bart to take her for a buggy ride, and they conveniently "happen" to pass by the Burke mansion in time to see Linda leaving for dinner with her husband.

Bart also has a rival for Linda's affection: Dana, a drunk who's already sore at Bart because he lost at poker to him. Dana knows about Bart's meetings with Linda and threatens to blab to her husband. He also taunts Bart until the gambler knocks him out.

The next day, Dana beats Bart to the lake and is shot in the back by Linda, who flees, leaving Bart to take the rap after he arrives to find Dana dead. Cathy warns him that the sheriff is on the way to arrest him for Dana's murder. Bart wonders how that's possible, because, didn't he just now discover the body, with no one else around?! 

Cathy hides him in a barn and urges him to run away. But, Bart wants to prove his innocence. He asks Cathy for some tattered old clothes and a nondescript horse to ride. Bart lopes into Denver and narrowly escapes after he's spotted by the sheriff. 

Bart scales a balcony into Linda's room at the mansion. She's startled to see him, but then professes her "love" for him. She tells him to go to the lake and she'll meet him there. 

Instead, Linda runs downstairs, screaming to her husband and the sheriff that Bart just tried to kill her. Then, Bart comes downstairs with his hands up. The sheriff hears him out. Linda's husband tries to alibi for her, but their stories become so contradictory that they finally confess that Linda is guilty of killing Dana. Bart goes free and can be his carefree gamblin' self again.

Although she had a poisonous air, Linda was a lucky lass to have been "extra chummy" with Bart Maverick. Unfortunately, her portrayer, Joanna Moore, wasn't so lucky. Following a promising start that included a brief stint as "Peggy" on The Andy Griffith Show and a marriage to actor Ryan O'Neal which produced actress Tatum O'Neal, Ms. Moore's career and life sadly declined. After battling drug addiction and lung cancer, Ms. Moore died at age 63 in 1997.

But, she shines in "The Lass With The Poisonous Air". Here are some original stills from the Kellection of Ms. Moore with Jack Kelly:

"BEHIND THE TV CAMERA", the snipe begins. "Jack Kelly, an old hand now at playing Bart Maverick, assists pretty Carole Wells [sic--yes, it really identifies Ms. Moore as the actress who played "Cathy"!] in getting the most out of the script of 'The Lass With the Poisonous Air', the next Warner Bros. Maverick show, in which she appears with Kelly. The new episode will appear on ABC-TV network Sunday, November 1." 

Another rehearsal still 

Surprise! 

It's Bart in disguise...

...And he's not buying Linda's lies! :)

The original snipe for this still says, "ROMANCE LEADS TO TRAP...Bart Kelly [sic--yes, the caption writer actually called him that!] gets chummy with a mysterious beauty named Linda (Joanna Moore) and ends up in a well-planned frame in 'The Lass With the Poisonous Air', ABC's Maverick teledrama Sunday, November 1 (7:30-8:30 PST). Jack Kelly stars as Bart Maverick."

Well, please stay tuned for more about Bart, er, I mean Jack Kelly in TDS.  :)

All Day With JK! :)

Hello!

While researching the previous posts about Drive A Crooked Road, I came across this block of movie ads from February 1, 1955:

Look closely. Notice anything interesting? 

Well, three movies with Jack Kelly were playing in theaters on this day: The Violent Men, Black Tuesday and They Rode West. Both the first and last of these films also co-starred his future wife May Wynn (Donna Kelly).

So, one could have spent all day watching JK! :)

Of course, we can do that today, too. And, thanks to modern viewing technology, fans can watch JK in his various roles at home, without having to rush between three different theaters. Still, it would have been fun to see him on the big screen.

Although JK played only supporting roles in these three films, he managed to attract the eye of a moviegoer when she and her friends saw him in Black Tuesday. She asked a fan magazine about "the good-looking actor who played 'Frank Carson' the reporter...Although his part was small, my friends and I were impressed." 

"The facts", but they got JK's birthday wrong! :0

Please stay tuned for more about our good-looking guy in TDS. :)

"Drive A Crooked Road" With JK - Pt. III

Hey!

Buckle up for Part III of our look at Jack Kelly in Drive A Crooked Road:

Eddie floors the souped-up getaway car through the desert, with Steve and Harold hanging on for dear life. He makes the run in the prescribed time (22 minutes), and he and the bank robbers part company after splitting the loot.

Back at his rooming house, Eddie phones Barbara. But, there's no answer.  

Barbara is at the beach house. Steve hands her a plane ticket to New York, expecting her to be glad the bank job was a success and they can start a new life with their ill-gotten gain.

Barbara isn't glad, however. She still regrets leading Eddie on and getting him mixed up in Steve's scheme. She wishes she could at least tell Eddie "good-bye". Steve callously dismisses her concern for "the midget". 

Suddenly, Eddie shows up at the door. Steve tells Barbara to hide.

Eddie explains to Steve that Barbara's landlady said she'd moved away. He couldn't believe she would just leave without telling him. Steve tells Eddie he hasn't seen Barbara and warns him to stay away. 

But, Barbara shows herself and tells Eddie the whole sordid truth, including the fact that he was targeted from the start and that she never really loved him.

"You've been had, Mr. Shannon," Harold interjects. 

Steve suddenly pulls a gun. Barbara's show of remorse is a death sentence for Eddie, since Steve fears he'll now tell the police about the robbery.

Barbara pleads for Eddie's life as Harold drags him toward the door, but Steve tells her, "You killed him--you killed him when you walked into this room."

Harold hustles Eddie outside and forces him at gunpoint to remove the car from the garage.

The uncropped version of this exact still from the Kellection
was used in Linda Alexander's print biography of Jack Kelly

Then, Harold tells Eddie to start driving very slowly up the highway.

He taunts Eddie: "C'mon, Shannon, you must be thinking about dying."

This gives Eddie an idea. He swerves the car towards the beach. It rolls down an embankment and flips over. Only one man survives the crash...

Drive A Crooked Road concludes with Steve ending up dead in the surf and the police closing in as Eddie comforts a hysterical Barbara on the beach.

Most of the reviews and publicity at the time of the film's release focused on the "new" Mickey Rooney, who abandoned his usual wisecracking screen persona to play "a lonely little guy who thinks with his heart". 

Jack Kelly dishes out the wisecracks in Drive A Crooked Road. He expertly portrays handsome Harold as the snarky accomplice to Steve's slick mastermind. But, when Harold is tasked with taking out Eddie at the end of the film, JK chillingly reveals the menace behind Harold's mirth. 

TRIVIA:

• Working titles for Drive A Crooked Road were Speedy Shannon and The Little Giant.
• Although now considered a film noir classic, Drive A Crooked Road wasn't a box office hit. Columnist Louella Parsons named it the "sleeper" movie of 1954, lamenting "Few people saw this, and more the pity."
• The screenplay was written by Blake Edwards, who would direct JK in the "Safe Journey" episode of The Star and the Story television series in 1954
• Also in 1954, JK and Dianne Foster appeared in the feature film The Bamboo Prison. In 1955, they appeared in The Violent Men starring Glenn Ford. 
• Like JK, several members of the supporting cast also had successful TV careers. Jerry Paris went on to co-star in The Dick Van Dyke Show and later directed episodes of that series as well as Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Paul Picerni become one of The Untouchables. And, Harry Landers was a regular on the Ben Casey TV series.
• And: You can watch Drive A Crooked Road right here! (Be sure to stick around for the original theatrical trailer at the end.) NOTE: If the video doesn't appear on the mobile version of this post, it can be viewed on the web version.

Well, that's all for our Drive with JK. Where will TDS travel to next? Please stay tuned and find out! :)