The Not-So-Wild West :)

Hello Everyone!

In May 1955, Jack Kelly starred in an episode of Cavalcade of America, a TV series which dramatized inspiring historical incidents from the lives of real-life Americans.

JK was cast as "James E. West", an attorney and advocate for children. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1876, West spent most of his own childhood in an orphanage after his parents died. 

While in the orphanage, West was diagnosed with a tubercular hip, which left him with one leg shorter than the other. He wore a leg brace until he was strong enough to use crutches. 

Unable to do physically demanding work like the other boys, West was relegated to the orphanage's sewing room with the girls. But, he longed to attend school. He was eventually permitted to attend classes and later graduated with honors from high school. 

West taught himself to ride and repair bicycles, and attended law school while working at various administrative jobs. He passed the bar in Washington, D.C., and in 1902 was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to the Board of Pension Appeals in the Department of the Interior. 

It's during this phase of West's life that the plot of "Sunrise on a Dirty Face", JK's episode of Cavalcade of America, begins. 

"HAPPY HOMECOMING--Marion West (Lois Collier) welcomes her attorney husband, James (Jack Kelly) from his visit with Theodore Roosevelt in the White House in a scene from 'Sunrise on a Dirty Face' on Cavalcade of America on ABC-TV. "

One day, a youngster named Jeremy Haggott is caught stealing coal from a bin at West's home. West declines to press charges, but the boy is taken into custody: 

"'BUT YOU PROMISED ME'...Jeremy Haggott (Peter Reynolds, right) voices his ire to James E. West (Jack Kelly) as he is taken into custody by a constable in 'Sunrise on a Dirty Face'. "

When Jeremy ends up in court, West serves as his attorney. He's appalled by how badly juvenile delinquents are treated by the court. West successfully lobbies to establish the juvenile court system in America. 

In reality, a young man stole West's car and it was that incident which prompted the attorney to ensure that juvenile offenders would be treated fairly in court. West also pushed for reform in the child care system, working to dismantle the orphanage model and encouraging foster care. From 1911-1943, he served as Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. West died in 1948.

Cavalcade of America, sponsored by Du Pont, became Du Pont Cavalcade Theater the following season and focused on more contemporary events. However, "Sunrise on a Dirty Face" must have been rerun that season, because the second photo above is promoting Du Pont Cavalcade Theater and is dated May 1956. 

West? East? Which direction will TDS go next? Please stay tuned and find out! 

An Imaginary Trio :)

Happy New Year Everyone!

I've puzzled over Brent Maverick before in TDS. He was the mysterious Maverick brother who suddenly appeared and then disappeared in early 1961. 

As far as Maverick episodes go, Brent's tenure was just two and through. Apparently, though, some folks didn't get the message. Like, the editor of the Chicago Daily Tribune's "TV Week" section:

Yep, that's Brent (Robert Colbert) showing off his $1000 bill to brother Bart (Jack Kelly) and cousin Beau (Roger Moore).  JK, RG and RC posed for a series of goofy pictures like the one above. Which is odd, since this particular configuration of Mavericks didn't exist in the actual series. Beau and Moore had already vanished from Maverick by the time Brent showed up. 

But, that didn't stop "TV Week" from publishing this fantastic photo in July of 1961. Plus, the cover story (titled "Coming Up: One More Maverick") presents Brent as a character who hadn't yet debuted, rather than one who had already come and gone:

"There's another Maverick riding down Channel 7's TV trail this season--name of Brent, relative of Bret, Bart and Beau. His real name is Robert Colbert--and he's the latest substitute pressed into duty for James Garner, who blew the Maverick series amid a flurry of lawsuits. First, there was Roger Moore, who subbed as the Mavericks' British cousin, Beau. But, Roger proved too Piccadilly for TV viewers and is being dealt out of the game.

"Now comes Brent, or Bob Colbert, who bears a striking resemblance to Garner, the original. They even sound alike.

"Bob's introduction to the role came as a complete surprise. One day, after rehearsing for a Lawman episode, he was told to report to Warner Bros.'s wardrobe department for a costume. When the attendants dressed him in fancy dude's outfit, he told them they were making a big mistake. 

"Still in the dark as to what was happening, Bob reported to ABC production bosses. They eyed him up and down.

"'He's perfect,' said one official. 'We can use the same stock footage.'

"The young actor finally got the drift: He was nominated to be the new Maverick brother.

"'I know it's tough to follow the original,' Bob says realistically. 'I don't hope to be as good as Jim Garner. But I think the show can capture the same flavor it had in those early days. We are going back to the original concept of the Mavericks as slightly larcenous and cowardly, instead of playing them as the standard western heroes. There's enough of that on TV.'"

(Of course, Colbert realized all along that Garner's boots were way too big to fill and later admitted he told his bosses, "Put me in a dress and call me 'Brenda' but don't do this to me!")

Here's another fun pic of the imaginary Maverick trio from the Kellection:

"Surprise! I was just pretendin' to be a Maverick--now give me your thousand-dollar bills!" ;)

Please stay tuned for more fun with JK in TDS. :) 

Happy New Year From La Bartista & "TDS"! :)

 

Merry Christmas 2020 From La Bartista & "TDS"! :)

 

Vintage Christmas card image courtesy of Pinterest

"Give the Boots the Stars Wear" Revisited!

 Hello Everyone,

Christmas will be here in just a few days! So, what better time to revisit the "Give the Boots the Stars Wear" Acme Boots ad campaign. This colorful holiday-themed magazine page from the Kellection dates back to December 1959:

As Santa says, "Here's authentic western style, fiery color, imaginative design--all in comfortable, sturdy-wearing boots that live up to the legend of the west, every day of the year! No gift ever speaks with such understandable language to youngsters...'the boots the stars wear...Acme Boots.'"

Here's a closer look at those Warner Bros. western stars, headed by Jack Kelly and James Garner of Maverick:

And, a close-up of those magnificent Maverick boots:

Lucky was the little cowboy or cowgirl who found this footwear under the tree on Christmas morning! 

What will you find in the next TDS? Stay tuned and "Yule" find out! :)

Bart Is Kitty Cornered

Hello Everyone,

On this date in 1958, the Maverick episode "Prey of the Cat" premiered. It's one of the most dramatic and harrowing installments of the series. It's also the closest thing Maverick ever had to a Christmas episode, although the holiday is only incidental to the plot.

When his horse is spooked by a mountain lion, Bart falls and breaks his leg. He's rescued by rancher Pete Stillman (Wayne Morris), who takes Bart into his home to recuperate from the injury. While Bart recovers with the help of Stillman's wife, Kitty (Patricia Barry), the ranch has a Christmas celebration.

The day finally comes when Bart feels he's well enough to leave the ranch. However, Kitty has become obsessed with Bart. Desperate for  him to stay, she suddenly throws herself into his arms. Bart breaks free of Kitty's unwanted embrace, but not before it's witnessed by Bender the ranch foreman.

Pete asks Bart to remain at the ranch long enough to help him and Kitty hunt the puma who caused Bart's accident. During the hunt, the trio spreads out. Bart shoots at the cat. But, instead of finding it, he discovers Pete Stillman's corpse.

Kitty tells the sheriff that Pete's shooting was accidental and that Bart's bullet ricocheted off the rocks. Bart isn't charged. But, Bender blabbed about seeing the embrace, and Bart knows the town has already judged him guilty. 

Then, he's confronted by Pete's former girlfriend, Raquel (Yvette Dugay). She's heard the rumors about Bart and Kitty, and wants to kill Bart. However, he convinces Raquel that he is innocent of killing Pete.

Bart once more lets Kitty know that he's leaving. But, she confesses that she killed Pete so they could be together. Bart realizes Kitty is insane. She further informs Bart that if ever tries to leave her, she'll tell the sheriff that he killed Pete and that she just lied to protect him. 

A shaken Bart reveals Kitty's statements to the sheriff, but Kitty sticks to her original story. The sheriff now thinks Bart and Kitty are in cahoots. He orders Bart to stay at the ranch with Kitty, assuming that one of them will eventually crack and tell the truth.

Although he knows it will make him look guilty, Bart escapes during the night. He's re-captured and returned to the ranch--where Kitty is found with her throat slashed.

Now suspected of both murders, Bart watches helplessly from his jail cell as the sheriff resigns. The vengeful townspeople storm the jail, put Bart on a horse, and slip a noose around his neck. Bender raises a riding crop to strike Bart's mount so the horse will run out from under him. Bart is a hairbreadth away from being wrongfully executed. But, before the crop touches the horse...

You'll have to watch the episode to find out what happens next. It's one of Maverick's best. 

Please CATch the next TDS for more about Jack Kelly. :)

"Maverick" and Moppets :)

Clipart image of kids watching TV courtesy Clipartmag.com; 

image of Jack Kelly from the La Bartista Kellection

Howdy!

Like most of us, I grew up watching television. One of my earliest childhood memories is of eating a messy chocolate cupcake while watching The Lone Ranger on TV. 

So, when I recently stumbled upon a scholarly study about television and children which was published in the late 1950's, I was fascinated. Now, I wasn't around in the Fifties, but I've seen reruns of many of the programs mentioned in the study, including Maverick. 

Which age groups were most captivated by Bart and Bret? Let's find out:

First, a bit of background. The study is titled "Television in the Life of a Child--Implications for the School". It was authored by Wilbur Schramm of Stanford University. 

Dr. Schramm opens his study by explaining, "This paper is concerned with an activity which fills approximately one-sixth of the waking hours of an American child three years of age or over. It is an activity which ten years ago was known to only a few children, but in the last decade has replaced many of their other activities and rearranged their lives on a grand scale. Furthermore, this activity represents an experience so potent and flexible that it not only serves as the source of externally controlled recreation for children, but also is coming to be entrusted with a part of the teaching function of the schools. I refer, of course, to television."

(Naturally, today "television" could be substituted with "computing", "cell phone use", "social media use", etc.)

Dr. Schramm also noted that studies at the time revealed elementary school students viewed two to three-and-a-half hours of TV each day; their use of television began early (he recalls seeing babies in bassinets watch horses run across the TV screen); by age six, 90 percent of children were viewing television, meaning "that the average child brings to the first grade with him whatever adheres to his vocabulary, his values, and his picture of environment from several years of watching television."

Schramm discovered that--surprise!--the kids who were surveyed didn't really watch much educational TV. What did they watch instead? 

"As the child passes through the school years, childish programs are gradually replaced with adventure, crime, family serials and popular dance. Disneyland and Zorro dominate the first six school years; 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, American Bandstand and Peter Gunn, the second six years."

Maverick was the third most popular program among 5th graders and fourth among 6th graders. It was first with 8th grade boys and third with 8th grade girls. 10th grade boys placed Maverick second in popularity and 10th grade girls rated it fourth. Finally, 12th grade boys put Maverick in second place and 12th grade girls ranked it in third place. Other popular programs among teens included The Rifleman, Sea Hunt and Gunsmoke.

There's some hand-wringing in the study about how all this TV viewing might cause youngsters to imitate things they saw on screen.  Well, I watched a lot of Bugs Bunny as a kid and have never had the slightest inclination to drop an anvil on anyone. And, watching TV led me to Maverick and Jack Kelly, and that's not a bad thing. :) 

Please stay tuned for additional studious dissertations on Mr. John A. Kelly, Jr., er, more fun with JK in the next TDS!