Maverick (Series) - TV Tropes WMG The two best known Maverick brothers, Bart and Bret. Maverick is a Western TV series that ran from 1957 to 1962. It starred James Garner as Bret Maverick, a gambler and conman travelling around the Old West seeking a quick buck and (more or less reluctantly) helping the helpless . Later episodes introduced other members of the Maverick clan: brother Bart (Jack Kelly), English cousin Beau ( Roger Moore ), another brother, Brent (Robert Colbert), and, in one episode, father Pappy and uncle Bently (Garner and Kelly again ). Diane Brewster had a supporting role as Samantha Crawford, the recurring love interest/ nemesis of the Bros (and one of several Drop-In Characters throughout the series). Unsuccessfully revived twice: Young Maverick (1979, starring Charles Frank as nephew Ben Maverick) and Bret Maverick (1981, with Garner returning as an older and more settled Bret). A film version was made in 1994, with Mel Gibson as Bret Maverick and James Garner in a supporting role.

This series provides examples of: Affectionate Parody : The famous episode "Gun Shy" takes aim at all things Gunsmoke . Towards the end of the series, "Three Queens Full" did something similar for Bonanza . All Your Powers Combined : "Shady Deal At Sunny Acres" features Bret, Bart and all the recurring characters up to that time. The Butcher : Bret Maverick was once stalked by a gunman calling himself "Terrible Fred" and "The Butcher". He turned out to be a wannabe gunfighter who had in fact been a butcher. Casino Episode : Bret Maverick included a two-part episode called "Faith, Hope, and Clarity" which involves the title character directing a sting to help the townsfolk get their land back from a guy that cheated them out of their land titles. The Massive Multiplayer Scam involves the townsfolk setting up a casino on the second floor of the local saloon, including knocking out walls between bedrooms to make a larger space. Character as Himself : In the episode "Pappy", James Garner plays Bret and Bart's father, while Jack Kelly plays Uncle Bently Maverick.

Pappy is listed as "Himself", while Uncle Bently is listed as "?". Divergent Character Evolution : Starting late in the first season, episodes started to alternate between focusing on series mainstay Bret Maverick (played by James Garner) and his brother, Bart (played by Jack Kelly). Although Bret and Bart were written identically (writers were told to always write for Garner, and the producers would later just select which character would lead due to scheduling), the actors' portrayals quickly established Bret as the fun-loving, wisecracking brother, and Bart as the more serious-minded of the two. The same process happened to a later Maverick as well, as Roger Moore played Beau Maverick as a refined gentleman, at odds with the other two brothers' portrayals, despite the character, again, being written exactly the same. As for the final Maverick brother (Robert Colbert as Brent Maverick), he only appeared in two episodes, and thus never really found a personality of his own. Historical-Domain Character : John Wesley Hardin, in "Duel at Sundown". How We Got Here : Many episodes start with a teaser of a dramatic moment that will occur around 30 minutes in.

Identical Grandson : In the episode "Pappy", James Garner plays Bret and Bart's father, while Jack Kelly plays Uncle Bently Maverick. Lovable Coward : The entire Maverick clan have made cowardice their family motto for generations. Massive Multiplayer Crossover : During the course of the episode "Hadley's Hunters", Maverick ran into people from Lawman , Cheyenne, Bronco, and Sugarfoot, and he stopped by the office from Colt .45 but nobody was home (a reference to the show being recently canceled). Maverick also crossed out into other Massive Multiplayer Crossovers, the film Alias Jesse James and the TV movie The Gambler Returns. Our Love Is Different : The episode "Duel at Sundown" has this happen to the daughter of an old family friend, who falls for a young gunslinger played by Clint Eastwood . It's unclear whether she's right or being played for a sucker until halfway through, when the man visits his other girlfriend and they discuss how his plans to seduce the old man's daughter and gain access to the ranch are going. Professional Gambler : The Mavericks are an entire clan of professional gamblers. Revival : Young Maverick and Bret Maverick.

Neither lasted more than a season. Although Bret Maverick has the distinction of airing on NBC three times: the original one season run in 1981-82, then again a few years later as "new" programming to fill spaces in the schedule during a writer's strike, and finally once more for a few weeks in 1994 as promotion for the Mel Gibson movie version . Shout-Out : One of the Beau Maverick episodes is set in Virginia City, Nevada, during the mining rush, and has as a supporting character a journalist named Clem Samuels — a shout out to Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain ), who really was working as a journalist in Virginia City during that period. Significant Reference Date : Bret Maverick's birthday is the same as James Garner's. Suspiciously Similar Substitute : Bart, Beau, and eventually Brent were all literally playing parts that were written for Bret; the differences in characterization were all down to the performance.

Brent is a standard Similar Substitute, added after James Garner left the series, but the other two were added while Garner was still with the show; having a stable of interchangeable leading men allowed the producers to accelerate the show's production schedule by shooting multiple episodes simultaneously and assigning each episode to whoever was available. It also applies to recurring characters - after Diane Brewster and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. weren't available to play their respective roles of Samantha Crawford and Dandy Jim Buckley (another con artist, but one with less ethics than the Mavericks), other similar characters began to appear (like Richard Long's Gentleman Jack Darby and Mona Freeman's Modesty Blaine). Theme Naming : All the Mavericks ( with the exception of Uncle Micah in "The Maverick Line") have first names beginning with the letter B. What Would X Do? : "Like my Pappy always said..." - or, in the case of Beau, "my Uncle Beau." :: Indexes :: Maverick You can make a difference...

Maverick (comedy western, starring James Garner) (ABC Primetime, 1957 - 1962) [The original series "Maverick" from Warner Brothers Television had intended to feature one character named Bret Maverick played by James Garner. But when when production of this novel new series began to lag behind schedule, Warner Brothers came up with a novel solution: they introduced a new character around whom alternate week episodes could be produced. The character was a brother named Bart Maverick played by Jack Kelly. Having done this out of desperation, the secondary brother was also another device producers used in varying the series since he could also show up unexpectedly, and some episodes could even have both. Since the device of the brother was a fun ingredient, producers even introduced an English cousin "Beau Maverick" played by James Bond actor (before he played Bond) -- Roger Moore -- who made several appearances. The episodes featuring Garner were the most popular and he was to become the "star" of the series -- Bret was a gambler who was a coward in a gunfight, and a ladies man with charm who could try to talk or con his way out of trouble instead of use a gun.

Garner left the series the year before its final season which was renamed "The New Maverick" and featured brother Bart Maverick played by Jack Kelly in all episodes during 1961 - 1962. After this successful series ran its course, there were not one, but TWO short-lived attempts to recapture the magic formula of this western with its classic charm and wit. They included the "Young Maverick" on CBS (1979 - 1980) starring Charles Frank, and "Bret Maverick" on NBC (1981 - 1982) in which James Garner reprised his classic role.

This last series was also re-run during the 1990 season on NBC.] Theme (for the original ABC "Maverick" series): "Maverick" [aka: "Maverick T V Theme", and "Maverick (Theme)"; Theme collector Mark Koldys reports that the "B" theme motif ("Riverboat ring your bell") was heard in a background cue of the 1956 feature film "The Lone Ranger" which was also scored by David Buttolph -- who apparently thought well enough of this tune to recycle it as part of this Main Title/End Credit THEME.] Composers: music by David Buttolph (ASCAP) [professional name of James David Buttolph, Jr.]; with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster Original Publisher: M. Witmark & Sons (ASCAP) 1998 Publisher: M. Witmark & Sons (ASCAP) c/o Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA Copyright Date: April 21, 1958; EP 118 635.

Renewal Date: February 3, 1986; RE-284-530. Recordings: Theme 2 (for CBS's 1979 "Young Maverick" series): "Young Maverick" [an alternate title for "Young Maverick Cues" listed in ASCAP; This is based upon the "Maverick" Theme #1 by David Buttolph above in a quasi-hippie "soft rock" arrangement with some extended cadences and codas, etc.] Adapter: Lee Elwood Holdridge (ASCAP) Original Publisher: W B Music Corp. (ASCAP) 2002 Publisher: W B Music Corp.

(ASCAP) c/o Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., of Los Angeles, CA Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings: Theme 3 (for NBC's 1980"Bret Maverick" series): "Ever, Never Lovin' You (Theme from 'Bret Maverick')" [above is the title as filed for copyright in 1982; the song "Ever, Never Lovin' You" became a million-selling country hit song in 1981, as sung by co-writer Ed Bruce] Composers: William E. ("Ed") Bruce (BMI), Patsy Ann Bruce (BMI), and Glenn Ray (ASCAP) [pseudonym of Glenn Ray McGuirt] Original Publisher: Tree Music Company (BMI), and Sugarplum Music Company (ASCAP) 2002 Publisher: SONY/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI) of Nashville, TN; and Other Publishers (ASCAP) [As a 45rpm sound recording published on July 29, 1982]: Copyright Date: SR-38-683; Sep.

10, 1982 Renewal Date: [Date of publication: September 29, 1981; filing date]: Copyright Date: PA-178-023; July 5, 1983. Recordings: 45rpm single M C A Records MCA-52109 (1982) Watch Maverick (1957) online. Free streaming 50 min, Argentina:60 min Plot Bret and Bart Maverick (and in later seasons, their English cousin, Beau) are well dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game. Poker (5 card draw) is their favorite but they've been known to play such odd card games as Three-toed Sloth on occasion. The show would occasionally feature both or all three Mavericks, but usually would rotate the central character from week to week. ... search for Maverick on IMDb Streaming resources for this Action, Adventure, Comedy TV Show Maverick (TV Series 1957–1962) - IMDb With Jack Kelly, James Garner.

Bret and Bart Maverick (and in later seasons, their English cousin, Beau) are well dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game. Poker (5 card draw) is ... Maverick (TV Series 1957–1962) - Episodes - IMDb Bart tracks oily swindler Pearly Gates to recoup his winnings, so does the doll-face who helped Pearly dupe Bart. Bart just lost his puffy shirt, Marla lost her icy heart - when Gates jumped the altar with the ring SHE bought. MAVERICK (1957) - Cast and Crew - Who's Dated Who? Maverick is an American Western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, an adroitly articulate cardsharp. Maverick (TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Maverick is an American Western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins.

The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, an adroitly articulate cardsharp. Maverick (1957) - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in ... Maverick was a television Western comedy series that starred James Garner as Bret Maverick, a card-playing gambler who got himself in and out of jams through various cons and schemes. Matinee Classics - Classic TV Shows - Maverick (1957) Maverick (1957-1962) 50 minutes Western Cast:James Garner as Bret Maverick Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick Roger Moore as Beau Maverick Diane Brewster as Samantha Crawford Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Dandy Jim Buckley Robert Colbert as Beauregard 'Pappy' Maverick Maverick is a western television ... Maverick Episode Guide 1957 Season 1 - War of the Silver ... Maverick 1957 Season 1 Episode Guide of Episode 1: War of the Silver Kings - TVGuide.com Amazon.com: Maverick: The Complete First Season: James Garner ...

When "Maverick" first appeared in 1957, it immediately set itself apart from most Western series thanks to its somewhat lighter approach and the magnetic character that Garner had created. Maverick - Kickass TV Series Torrent Download - Kickass Movies Maverick (1957) Comedy Western. Maverick is an American Western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, an adroitly articulate cardsharp. Classic TV Western Shows - Maverick, James Garner, Jack Kelly ... Jack Kelly From the Doug Abbott Collection. Maverick Cast. James Garner as Bret (1957-1960) Jack Kelly as Bart Roger Moore as Beauregard (1960-1961) Maverick [TV Series] (1957) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis ...

Find trailers, reviews, synopsis, showtimes and cast information for Maverick [TV Series] on AllMovie - 1957 - Created by Roy Huggins and debuting September 22, … 'Maverick' star James Garner dies - Yahoo News US actor James Garner starred in the 1957-1960 cowboy series "Maverick" and also as a private detective in the 1970s show "The Rockford Files" (AFP Photo/Mark Mainz) Classic TV Westerns- Maverick (1957-1962) Maverick is an American Western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC Maverick (1957) - Seasons 1-5 (TVRip) - xtremetv.org - Video ... Download "Maverick (1957) - Seasons 1-5 (TVRip) - xtremetv.org" torrent (Video » TV).

Download millions of torrents with TV series, movies, music, PC/Playstation/Wii/Xbox games and more at Bitsnoop. List of Maverick episodes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The following is an episode list for ABC's 1957 comedy - western television series, Maverick, created by Roy Huggins and starring James Garner, Jack Kelly, Roger Moore, and Robert Colbert. Unusually for an American television program, Maverick's main cast varied episodically. As such, the ... Maverick TV intro (1957) - YouTube Brett and Bart Maverick (and in later seasons, their English cousin, Bo) are well dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good ga... Watch Maverick 1957 online - MediaBang Bret and Bart Maverick (and in later seasons, their English cousin, Beau) are well dressed gamblers. CTVA US Western - "Maverick" (WB/ABC) (1957-62) James Garner ...

CTVA The Classic TV Archive - TV Western series Cheyenne (1955-62) Sugarfoot (1957-60) Bronco (1958-62) Maverick (1957-62) Colt 45 (1957-60) Lawman (1958-62) Maverick (Television Favorites) (1957) - Amazon.com: Maverick ... Maverick tells the story of Brett and Bart Maverick. These "fancy pants" gamblers roam from town to town during the era of the great old west looking for a good game; inevitably, making enemies when they won and extricating themselves from rough situations when they lost. Customer ... Those are web search results for "Maverick 1957" and may change in time. We are not affiliate with any of these websites. If some of the links harm copyright laws please see our DMCA and Copyright page.

Amazon details ROGUE GAMBLER BRET MAVERICK SHUFFLES UP A STACKED DECK OF HIGH ADVENTURE WHEN HE TEAMS UP WITH A VAMPISH CON ARTIST & A DROLL MARSHAL TO OUTWIT BANDITS IN THE OLD WEST. Actors: Walter Brennan Joan Hackett Wally Cox Directors: Roy Huggins "Maverick" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb trailers and videos full cast and crew trivia official sites memorable quotes Overview 45 out of 51 people found the following review useful: Classic Western, Intelligent Individualism; Roy Huggins' Masterwork Author: silverscreen888 29 September 2005 "Maverick" ran for only five seasons. Early on, it was decided that the series would be best served by having two Mavericks, Bart, played by James Garner and Bret, played by Jack Kelly. By alternating the two leads, the productions for each's scripts could be shot at the same time. This led to the show's technical peculiarity. It had only one supervising producer and script supervisor, Roy Huggins, who was its creator; and he used four female assistants as script supervisors.

Also, he employed 36 directors, 39 different writers, 17 cinematographers, 40 film editors, 8 art directors and 7 property masters all under Perry Ferguson as chief art director, 20 set decorators, 10 makeup personnel and 31 second-unit directors. This classic B/W show featured satires, dramas, adventures and comedies. It was inexpensively made sometimes, but offered attractive costumes and good actors, utilizing narration by the leads and clips from the Warner Brothers film library to avoid having to stage elaborate scenes. The Maverick brothers were designed by Roy Huggins to violate the Code of the West. While they could fight, and shoot, very bravely and effectively, they preferred not to fight, not to save people at great risk, not to do foolish things on a dare and not to keep up appearances. The show's creator also innovatively employed sidekicks for his leads, unusually frequently, and hired talented lead guest actors plus developing a stock company of continuing characters including Diane Brewster as larcenous and lovely Samantha Crawford, Kathleen Crowley as Melanie Blaine, Mike Road as Pearly Gates, Leo Gordon as Big Mike, and Gerald Mohr as Johnny Balero.

Later, in 1960, Roger Moore played Beau Maverick, and Robert Colbert was added as cousin Brent in 1961, when Garner left the series. The leads played Texas men, a maverick being a name given to unbranded cattle in that part of the country. They gambled professionally, and continually sought after a large-enough prize to satisfy their hopes--which always eluded them somehow. Because of budgetary constraint, the writing and directing for the show were its hallmarks of quality, plus its fine guest stars. Memorable among these to me, who saw the original series, were Julie Adams, Mona Freeman, Buddy Ebsen, Abby Dalton, Ben Gage, Ruta Lee, Arthur Shields, Tol Avery, Gage Clark and many others. The ranks of the series' writers included TV stalwarts Ron Bishop, Carey Wilber, George Slavin, Gerald Drayson Adams, Wells Root, James O'Hanlon, Irene Winston, Marion Hargrove and Leo Townsend. The episode each week might be light-hearted or a dangerous mystery; frequently one Maverick or another sought a monetary prize at some risk or was cheated, kidnapped or involved in a hazardous business.

Garner, with his touch for comedy, was usually given more laughs per hour. In his scripts; he fought, romanced, played cards, observed, commented and was misused. But the narrative lines of Jack Kelly's scripts were every bit as good or better, although he avoided the physical with more dexterity. The hallmark of the series I suggest was that it was about objectivists--purposive men who dealt with reality as they found it, without employing denial, wishful thinking or conventional or religious self-delusions. "My 'ol Pappy used to say," one of the brothers would drawl, and then he would proceed to state the truth, setting wisdom against the usual way men looked at things. The show is was pure Roy Huggins; he employed noted directors and talented producers such as Coles Trapnell, William P. D'Angelo, Howie Horwitz, Arthur W. Silver, William L. Stuart plus fine actors to get the result he wanted.

Without him, "Maverick" would not be the "legend of the West" it has become; along with "Cheyenne", "Bonanza" and "Gunsmoke", the program was a towering hit and a trend-setting show at a time when the character-based western was deservedly eclipsing all other genres. The series was adult,American and a delight, at a time when individualism was still a desirable philosophical goal to U.S. citizens and not a buzzword for its opponents to misuse while they attacked the concept. The man who lives by his own standards is only dangerous to the bad guys; the Maverick outsmarted the honest and cheated only criminals. They went "riding the trail to who knows where" as their theme song said, with luck as a companion and an intelligent gamble as their way of life. We loved them in 1957; we who enjoyed their adventures then miss them today. They and their self-assertive sort. Was the above review useful to you?

33 out of 34 people found the following review useful: Still just as funny today from United States 10 June 2005 UPDATE: Encore Westerns started showing Maverick from Episode 1 in early July 2008. As of the beginning of 2010, they have moved it to an early morning time slot in favor of showing The Virginian and Cheyenne on the late afternoon/early evening slot which Maverick occupied for 18 months. If you've never seen this show or missed some of them, be sure to set your DVR if you have one. ***************************************************************** This is the role that made James Garner, and as much as I like his later work, for me he would never be this much fun to watch again (exception: Support Your Local Sheriff, but that was unquestionably written to capitalize on his Maverick role). I remembered liking Maverick when I was a kid, but after 40 odd years I didn't remember a single episode or plot line. I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to find this series resurrected on Good Life (Now American Life) TV.

Sadly, after a few years ALTV abandoned the excellent B&W series they had been showing, and began airing very inferior color series from later years. Yep, I'll take Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip over Time Tunnel and Lost in Space .... EVERY time. However, when it aired on ALTV, discovering each episode's charm brought my wife and I months of entertainment, and expectation for the next week. Among some classic episodes to look for are: * "War of the Silver Kings", this is the first episode and unquestionably one of the best * "Gun Shy", an absolutely hilarious take off on Gun Smoke * "A Fellow's Brother", an entertaining story throughout that made me fall out of my chair laughing when presented with the twist that resolved the crises * "Shady Day at Sunny Acres", in which Bret Maverick spends the majority of the episode in a rocking chair on the town's boardwalk, whittling and uttering the line, "I'm workin' on it" * "Pappy", wherein you meet the originator of all of Bret's "My old Pappy used to say ..." lines. Garner of course plays dual roles in the episode and does a great job.

(So the movie is only the 2nd time he got to play Bret's father!) Was the above review useful to you? 24 out of 27 people found the following review useful: James Garner As 'Maverick' - Another Cool Guy In The Genre from United States 10 April 2007 It's amazing how many "cool"" guys there were in the late '50s playing the heroes in television westerns. There was the "king of cool" Steve McQueen as "Josh Randall" in "Wanted: Dead Or Alive," Richard Boone as "Paladin" in "Have Gun, Will Travel," and more. That more included James Garner as "Maverick." He was one of those guys the ladies thought was attractive and the men liked, too, a man's man and a ladies' man at the same, time. "Brett Maverick" was hip, cool under pressure, a fast-talker with quick wit, a great poker player, suave and sophisticated but physically tough if all else failed. However, he preferred to use his brains over his brawn. Maverick's humor, I think, endeared him to the public the most of all his attributes.

You can thank James Garner for that, because he was always funny in any movie role that asked for humor. He downgraded his acting ability, but we all know better. Garner made this a very, very popular show. Eventually, brothers Bart and Beau were introduced in the series but I was disappointed if I saw Garner wasn't going to star that week. It was appropriate he had a role in the 1990s movie starring Mel Gibson, who did Garner's character proud. My hope is that some day individual Mavrick seasons will come out on DVD. Was the above review useful to you? 18 out of 18 people found the following review useful: The Prime Directive from N Syracuse NY 7 August 2005 I've heard Bret Maverick described as a "coward" and the show described as a western spoof that gets its humor from the cowardice of the hero. I think this is totally wrong. A decade before Star Trek introduced its "Prime Directive"- that they shouldn't interfere with the development of the civilizations they encounter, a rule they had to repeatedly break if there was to be any story, Bret Maverick was exercising his own "Prime Directive".

All that advice from his "Pappy" adds up to one thing: mind your own business and if everyone else minds their own business, you'll be fine. When Maverick is at a gaming table, he's fine. He knows what's going on and can manipulate things to his advantage. When he gets involved in other things, he has the tread water just to keep up. He's no coward. He can get angry and be aggressive, (especially in the early episodes, when Roy Huggins was still doing much of the writing). He just doesn't want his life to get too messy and would rather use his wits to resolve his problems rather than tactics that are likely to get somebody hurt. He saw too many people get hurt in the war and wasn't impressed. But, as with "The Prime Directive", if Bret, (or Bart), was allowed to stick to this, there would be no story. So the writers had to come up with something to him involved in other people's business- or them in his. The first option was to invoke rule #2: Bret doesn't let anybody cross him.

If he gets cheated or conned, he will go far out of his way and bend all other rules, if necessary, to get what's coming to him and make sure the cheaters get what's coming to them. The second option was to introduce an attractive female- who may or may not be trustworthy and have her, intentionally or not, seduce Maverick into helping her solve her problems. Then, there's always money. Everybody has to bend rules when they are broke and a gambler frequently finds his luck running against him and will be willing to take a job- even a dangerous- one in such circumstances. Finally, there are occasions when, against his-and Pappy's better judgment, Maverick just has to do the right thing. These weaknesses and inconvenient strengths endear the character to the audience. So does Maverick's generally sunny disposition. When he's minding his own business, he figures things will work out. Even when he's in trouble, he somehow always seems to figure he will get out of it somehow and takes temporary defeats in stride. Someone said that "Maverick" is "The Rockford Files" out west. Of course, "Maverick" came first. There are similarities.

But Rockford is more world-weary, lest trustful of what the future may bring. A stretch in jail will do that do you. With him, avoiding complications is even more important. He does detective work because it's what he knows but he really just wants to make enough money to go fishing with his Pappy. Maverick stills see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Was the above review useful to you? 14 out of 17 people found the following review useful: The Western Version Of The Rockford Files....... from Durham, North Carolina 14 September 2004 This was one of the best TV Westerns to come out of the golden age of the 1950's television. For the five seasons that it ran on the ABC-TV network from 1957 to the final episode in early 1962,"Maverick" was in a class by itself especially with the performance given by James Garner as the suave and sophisticated man of the West-Bret Maverick,a gambler,all-around gentlemen with the ladies,and a man who was quick with a gun when it came to handling difficult situations.

In some of the episodes,some of the situation that Maverick would get into and sometimes he would get out of them as well would be set toward his facial expressions;a virtual three-ring circus of sorts was something to look at,even though that was a Western,but a TV western that was aimed at adult audiences,but kids were watching it too. But "Maverick" had something that the other Westerns lacked-a flair for comedy,and during James Garner's tenture,his genius for comedy was inspirational not to mention having his character become a rather "cool" for taking care of business situations while at the same time,having a serious like businessman approach. This would work well during James Garner's second TV series-"The Rockford Files",years later. After Garner's departure,the solo outings from various actors,would prove that when watching them,you can see just how good "Maverick" really was. However,the other actors,including Jack Kelly as Bret's brother Bart along with Robert Colbert(as Brent Maverick),and their British cousin Beau Maverick(played by Roger Moore)including others that would make their stride including Richard Long and Efrem Zimbalist,Jr. during the show's five year-run.

This was a string of TV Westerns that ABC-TV and Warner Bors. cranked out including "Cheyenne","Sugarfoot",and the Western adventure,"The Alaskans" during the early years of television. During the 1950's and part of the early 1960's,there were mainly several types of shows;you had the regular quiz show/game show concept, family oriented comedies,crime dramas,action-adventure fare,and westerns. During its run,Maverick brutally satirized two of the most popular Westerns of their day;Gunsmoke and Bonanza,in different episodes,not to mention it also satirized another show too;Wagon Train, which was in another episode. Recently cable's TVLand,brought back these episodes after years out of circulation,and their rerunning these episodes every so often,so catch them when you can. Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Winning the West with a Grin and a Pair of Aces from Claremont, USA 31 August 2008 My old pappy says this is a signature series of the 50's that lives up to its name.

It took the producers time to figure out that gold lay not in the direction other Westerns were taking, but in an untraveled direction. In 1958, a Western with a comedic format was still a foreign concept since it was hard to build up to a gunfight with belly laughs. Of course, the matinée cowboys (Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, et al.) included a side-kick for comic relief, but the lead cowboy was always the truest and the fastest on the block. Probably no movie genre stuck more closely to formula than the American Western. That is, until Maverick. Nonetheless, the signature tongue-in-cheek took time to evolve; like a strong friendship, it didn't suddenly spring forth with the first installment. By my reckoning, the first 30 or so entries had parts that looked like any other Western of the day, ie. gunplay, fist-fights, etc, and it wasn't until episode # 37 "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" that we got 60 minutes of pure Maverick. Here it was a battle of wits from beginning to end with sly running gags, colorful characters, and nary a drop of blood in sight.

It's at this point that the series discovered itself, and likely the audience discovered a very different kind of Western. The biggest problem the series had was keeping lead actor James Garner from jumping ship into the better-paying world of movies. Likely, it was Garner's exceptional comedic skills that moved the series in a humorous direction in the first place. He had such an obvious flair that I think the format came to fit him rather than vice-versa. But TV had a reputation of "using up" actors before casting them aside. So, it's understandable that Garner would use his new leverage to negotiate into the more stable environment of film. But that created cast problems for the producers. The series was pretty much identified with Garner's Bret character. Jack Kelly was an able second banana, but lacked the skills to carry the show. Thus the lead casting bounced around some, depending on Garner's availability. As a result, we came to find that the Maverick family has a number of off-shoots, including Beau (a smooth Roger Moore) and Brent (a rather inept Robert Colbert). Often overlooked is how well the series tapped into a neglected aspect of Americana.

During the Cold War Americans were told the Soviets had a popular advantage, because their national game was chess, a highly cerebral contest of move and counter-move that requires great concentration and sometimes hours to complete. Aside from prodigy Bobby Fischer, the US produced few chess players of note. No, our national game is not the prestigious pursuit of chess, but a case can be made for America's love for good old plain-faced poker. Thousands of neighborhoods enjoy a low-stakes version, as well as the high-stakes casino variety. Surprisingly poker turns up rarely on the screen, perhaps because it's a game of chance associated with gambling, an activity condemned by many. Now chance does play a role in poker, otherwise known as "the luck of the draw". But knowing how to play your cards requires real skill, and just as importantly, being able to "read" your opponent. Note in Maverick how many pearls of wisdom are drawn not only from dear old Pappy, but from how to play a good hand of poker. I think people enjoyed hearing pearls like "never draw to an inside straight, except...", especially when combined with the usual Maverick dose of wry good humor.

So how surprising is it that millions of amateur players tuned in weekly to see their game legitimized on the screen and maybe pick up a few pointers at the same time. It wasn't all aces, of course, especially in regard to production values. After all, the show was, like most of the day, modestly budgeted. Going into the wide open spaces usually meant crossing the tree line from the Warner Bros. sound stages to the backlot and moving around some of the many fake boulders. But that was okay since the show's appeal wasn't authenticity or scenery. What wasn't okay, in my book at least, was the sloppy matching of stock shots with the backlot footage. Thus, we'd get a shot of someone riding across backlot trees and foliage and the next progression shot of him riding across the barren red rock country of Arizona! Maybe that happens on Mars, but not on planet Earth. I could understand this lack of continuity from an independent production, but not from a big-time studio like Warner Bros. The show never relied on big-name stars or celebrities to boost its appeal, unlike, say, the popular Wagon Train or Bonanza. That meant, for one, that the scripts had to be unusually good.

The writers could not rely on stock situations to drive the plot once the format shifted from melodrama to sly tongue-in-cheek. But now, the screenplays had to come up with contests where the Maverick boys could outwit opponents and generate some laughs at the same time. Scriptwriters didn't always succeed, but when they did, the result was unlike anything else at the time. In fact, if memory serves, ABC even scheduled the show opposite CBS's perennial Sunday evening blockbuster, The Ed Sullivan Show. Pretty fast company for an hour that started off as just another Western. All in all, however, I think the best measure is that over the years, "Maverick" managed to dig not only a small niche into popular consciousness, but also into the traditional fund of American folklore. Even people who've never seen the show think "sly poker player" when they hear the name. I guess the producers knew how to play the game, after all. (See my review of "A Fellow's Brother", episode 11, season 3, for discussion of the series' slyly subversive content.) Was the above review useful to you?

9 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Launching a great career from Buffalo, New York 17 January 2006 I still remember as a lad when Maverick made its debut on the ABC network. It was on Sunday nights at 7:30 and with that early half an hour start, it knocked the stuffings out of Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen who had their shows begin at 8:00 in the Nielsen ratings. Maverick was unlike any western that had been on television before. Previously you had heroes stand tall and tangle with villainy head on. Maverick was no coward, but he never went looking for trouble and he never would look for a face to face confrontation if a little back channel maneuvering would work as well. The show started the precedent that Law and Order, Criminal Intent is using now to give star Vincent Donofrio some rest with having Chris Noth and another female partner solve crimes on alternate weekends. James Garner was the original Bret Maverick and later Jack Kelly was brought in as brother Bart. Later on we had cousin Beau and another brother Brent played by Roger Moore and Robert Colbert. Those last two we never even see the episodes with them.

James Garner wanted a feature film career and Maverick helped launch him in one. His best efforts have always been when he's played a variation on Maverick and that would include his later hit series, The Rockford Files. Unfortunately Jack Kelly never got the same break as Garner. But Bart was also pretty good at thinking on his feet as well. Still he was good performer and the Bart episodes do hold their own. And the shows they did together, pure magic. Was the above review useful to you? 12 out of 16 people found the following review useful: GREAT, simply GREAT from Burnet, Texas (USA) 25 December 2001 I just finished watching the last part of a February 1959 episode that had Clint Eastwood as a guest and it was great like most of the shows were. This show reminds me of how good television can be (but rarely is).On a personal level, it reminds me that this show was one of the few good things about the so-called good old days. In the 50s (when I was young), there were mainly two types of shows: quiz show and westerns.

Maverick brutally satirized two of the most popular, Gunsmoke and Bonanza, in different episodes. Watching either of these alone is enough to demonstrate just how good Maverick really was. Catch it on TVland when you get the chance. It's worth it... Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 18 people found the following review useful: James Garner and Jack Kelly had a sensational chemistry and Garner's performance is quite different than most think. from New York City 23 June 1999 James Garner's acting on 1957's TV series "Maverick" is superbly inspired but usually underrated because he memorably told the press at the time that he "can't act. I'll learn if I have to, but so far I haven't had to." This modest refusal to champion himself publicly resulted in his performances being taken much more for granted, but viewed today, it's apparent that here was a world-class talent throwing himself into every scene, registering a virtual three-ring circus of facial expressions; there is always something going on to look at, in severe contrast to most of the other TV western leads of the era.

Jack Kelly, normally a more pedestrian performer, lights up to incandescence in his scenes with Garner and their astonishing chemistry vaults the series' fantastic entertainment value phenomenally, although Kelly's solo outings aren't in the same league and his acting seemed to deteriorate along with the quality of some of the scripts in the wake of Garner's departure. Kelly was completely and utterly lacking Garner's genius for comedy, except when working directly with Garner. I always thought of Garner's character's warmth as being his hallmark trait, perhaps as a result of years of seeing "The Rockford Files," but upon recently studying the "Maverick" tapes it became apparent that his character was basically cool and chilly, almost businesslike with an Indiana Jones-like seriousness in his routine comportment, but quite warm with friends. This surprised me. When people refer to Bret Maverick as "cool," they're actually much more correct than I ever would've assumed. Was the above review useful to you?

7 out of 7 people found the following review useful: One of the best westerns ever 23 May 2009 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Maverick was not only one of the greatest westerns ever, it was one of the greatest TV shows ever. It had just the right combination of action, adventure, comedy, and drama. It is a series that would do well in any generation. You could make a case for Bret being TV's first anti-hero. He admits to being a coward, he pulls scams, he gambles, and he loves money. However, when the situation calls for it, he will step up and do the right thing. Plus, most of the people he scams are people who are scam artists themselves. This is James Garner's signature role, and it is just amazing to watch how good his performances are. He is just so charismatic that you can't help, but root for him. Contrary to what some might have you believe, the series was not just about Bret. Along the way he is joined by his brother Bart, played by the very talented and under-appreciated Jack Kelly.

It is amazing, because Kelly's appearance was only supposed to be a one-shot deal, but he and Garner had so much chemistry that they decided to keep him on as a regular. My favorite episodes are the ones that feature both Bret and Bart. After Garner left the series in 1960, Kelly did a great job of keeping the Maverick brand going for two more years. While Bret had his fair share of female companions, Bart was more of the ladies' man. It was actually kind of funny just to see how easily he would fall in love. After Bret left, then came cousin Beau, played by future 007, Roger Moore. This must of been one of his first big roles in America. Although, he was only there for one season (15 episodes), Beau proved himself to be worthy of carrying on the Maverick tradition. There ended up being a third Maverick brother, Brent, played by Robert Colbert. However, he only lasted two episodes, and I truthfully didn't think much of him. To me, he just did not have the charm and charisma that Bret, Bart, and Beau displayed. If you have Encore Westerns, it is something definitely worth checking out. Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 2: The American Cowboy Chronicles: Jack Kelly - America's Other Maverick The American Cowboy Chronicles Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Jack Kelly - America's Other Maverick He was born John Augustus Kelly, Jr., on September 16th, 1927, in Astoria, Queens, New York. Yes, though he was born a city boy, he became a Western hero. "Jackie," as he was called as a child, came from a prominent theatrical family. His mother, Nan Kelly, had been a popular stage actress and a John Robert Powers model. Kelly's father was theater ticket broker, and after he moved the family to Hollywood, went into the real estate business. His sister, Oscar-nominated actress Nancy Kelly, was a prominent movie child star turned leading lady. His other two siblings, Carole and William Clement (25 July 1934-6 April 1983), also tried show business. Its said that when they were children, his mother would not let them eat meat and would never give them medicine when they were sick.

Jack Kelly made his film debut in an uncredited role in the 1939 biopic The Story of Alexander Graham Bell, opposite Don Ameche and Loretta Young. After appearing in several films and television series, Mr. Kelly landed his first starring role in a television series in 1955 with a one-season effort based on the 1942 feature film Kings Row. Mr. Kelly played Dr. Parris Mitchell, a young psychiatrist coping with the narrow-minded environment of his small town. The series was one-third of the Warner Bros. Presents Wheel series, hosted by Gig Young. It rotated at the scheduled hour of 7:30 Eastern on Tuesday with a similar television version of the popular movie Casablanca as well as the new Western series Cheyenne starring Clint Walker. After the series ended in 1956, Jack Kelly went on to appear in Forbidden Planet (1956) and She-Devil (1957), along with guest roles on Fireside Theater, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Lux Video Theatre, and Gunsmoke. Then came Maverick (1957–1962).

James Garner as Bret Maverick with Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick As an American film and television actor, Jack Kelly is most noted for the role of Bart Maverick in the 1950 television Western series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962. Though James Garner was originally supposed to be the only Maverick, the studio eventually hired Jack Kelly to play his brother Bart, starting with the eighth episode. The show's demanding filming schedule had caused production to lag behind early on. Because of that lag time, the producers decided to give Bret Maverick a brother so as not to run out of episodes long before the end of the season. The producers had realized that it took over a week to shoot a single episode, so Jack Kelly was hired to rotate with James Garner as the series lead, using two separate crews -- while occasionally appearing together. Bart Maverick first appeared in the episode Hostage. It’s said that the producers were concerned about his being accepted by the viewers. So in that episode, in order to engender audience sympathy for the new character, the script called for him to be tied up and beaten by an evil police officer.

According to series creator Roy Huggins in his Archive of American Television interview, the two brothers were purposely written to be virtual clones, with no apparent differences inherent in the scripts whatsoever. This included being traveling poker players, loving money, professing to be cowards, spouting intriguing words of advice their "Pappy" passed down to them, and carrying a $1,000 bill pinned to the inside of a coat for emergency purposes, but there was one accidental distinction. James Garner's episodes tended to be more comedic due to his obvious talent in that area, while Jack Kelly's were inclined to be more dramatic. Huggins also noted in the Archive of American Television interview that Jack Kelly, while funnier than James Garner "off camera", dropped a funny line "like a load of coal" on camera. At 6 feet 3 inches tall, James Garner was also two inches taller than Jack Kelly. This lead a character in one episode, Seed of Deception, to refer to James Garner as "the big one" and the 6 feet 1 inch Jack Kelly as "the little one".

To get disappointed viewers used to the idea of a second Maverick, James Garner filmed a series of vignettes that aired at the beginning of the Jack Kelly-only episodes, where he would introduce the evening's story. Mr. Kelly did the same in the James Garner-only episode, Black Fire, by appearing in the opening vignette to introduce the story, and narrating the remainder of the episode. While he may not have matched James Garner's popularity on Maverick, Jack Kelly did have his enthusiastic admirers. Possessing an easy-going screen presence, Jack Kelly enjoyed an attentive following among female viewers of the series. While Jack Kelly developed a following among the show's female fans, not everyone was happy with his addition to the cast. It was said that the chairman of Kaiser Aluminum, which was the series' main sponsor at the time, became so mad when Jack Kelly was brought in that he was heard to say, "I paid for red apples and I get green apples!" It's also said that ABC had to make a new deal with Kaiser Aluminum as a result. A deal that supposedly cost the network a small fortune. The episodes featuring the two were audience favorites, with critics frequently citing the chemistry between the Maverick brothers.

Bret and Bart often found themselves competing for women or money, or working together in some elaborate scheme to get even with someone who had just robbed or swindled one of them. Though it was never said explicitly, Bret appears to be the older, stating once in response to someone mentioning lightning striking twice in the same place, "That's just what my Pappy said when he looked in my brother Bart's crib." In real life, Jack Kelly was seven months older than James Garner. Jack Kelly shared the lead with James Garner in one of the show's most-discussed episodes, Shady Deal at Sunny Acres, on which the first half of the 1973 movie The Sting appears to be based. In the episode Shady Deal at Sunny Acres, in which Bret spends most of the acclaimed episode apparently relaxing in a rocking chair, calmly whittling and offhandedly assuring the inquisitive and derisively amused townspeople that he's "working on it" while Bart runs a complex sting operation to get even with a crooked banker who'd stole Bret's deposit of $15,000.

James Garner notes in his memoir, The Garner Files, that he was given the choice of which role to play in that episode. He chose the one where he spent the episode sitting down even though it was a smaller part, because he'd been feeling tired and overworked. Of all the Maverick episodes that James Garner was in, supposedly Shady Deal at Sunny Acres was his favorite episode. This episode of Maverick was also used as the basis for the movie "The Sting" staring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. In the episode According to Hoyle, Diane Brewster made her first appearance of as roguish Samantha Crawford in Maverick – it was a role she'd first played in an episode of the Western TV series Cheyenne. The episode The Saga of Waco Williams with Wayde Preston and Louise Fletcher, actually drew the largest viewership of the series. Yes, this is one of my favorite Maverick episodes. From me, what made this such a great episode was the contrast and comparison in the two completely different ways of looking at life. Brett actually questions whether his way of looking at life is right or not. The episode Gun-Shy was an intended spoof of Gunsmoke.

In the episode Duel at Sundown, Bart rescues Bret at the climax in which James Garner had a showdown with a young guest star by the name of Clint Eastwood. And yes, in the episode Duel at Sundown, Clint Eastwood played a smart mouth gunslinger, villain, who turned coward. Imagine that! In his Archive of American Television interview, Roy Huggins contends that the first half of the motion picture The Sting was actually an uncredited restaging of Maverick's Shady Deal at Sunny Acres. The pair also co-starred in the famous Pappy episode in which James Garner played the brothers' much-quoted father Beauregard "Pappy" Maverick, in addition to his regular role of Bret. Aided by trick photography, Bret and Pappy play cards together in one scene while Jack Kelly had a dual role in the episode as well, playing Bart and elderly Uncle Bentley Maverick. Since James Garner enjoyed seniority on the series, he had first choice of which part he would play in the two-brother episodes, which delineated the brothers as "Maverick 1" and "Maverick 2" in the scripts, giving him an enormous advantage.

The episode Pappy stands out as a unique episode, with James Garner playing Bret and Bart's father Beau Maverick, an important but previously unseen character always referred to throughout the run of the series as "Pappy". Bret and Bart were both constantly saying, "As my Pappy used to say" then reeling off some intriguing aphorism like "Work is fine for killing time but it's a shaky way to make a living." In this particular episode, Pappy, Pappy was brought to life for the only time in the series by James Garner, and Bret also winds up disguising himself as his own grey-haired, mustached, father as part of the plot line. The split screen sequences with two James Garners in the same shot were singled out by critics as especially interesting. Jack Kelly also plays a dual role, briefly portraying old Beau's brother Bentley, or "Uncle Bent", as Bret calls him. It is important to note that James Garner's Beau Maverick is not the same character as the Beau Maverick played by Roger Moore later in the series. Roger Moore's Beau is the nephew of James Garner's Beau as well as being Bret and Bart's cousin.

Moore's Beau Maverick always referred to "Uncle Beau" instead of calling him "Pappy". Although the "solo" episodes in which Bart appeared tended to be somewhat more dramatic than the Bret episodes, Kelly displayed his comedic skills in lighter Maverick outings such as Hadley's Hunters and The People's Friend. It is said that Jack Kelly's favorite episode was Two Beggars On Horseback, an adventure that depicted a frenzied race between Bret and Bart to cash a check, the only time in the series that Jack Kelly also wore a black hat -- albeit briefly. For me, my favorite Jack Kelly episode is from the second episode of season four called Hadley's Hunters which features brief crossovers from the Warner Bros. array of Western shows. In that episode, as Bart Maverick, he encounters Warner Bros stable of television characters, including Dan Troop (John Russell) and Johnny McKay (Peter Brown) from Lawman, Cheyenne Bodie (Clint Walker) from Cheyenne, Tom Brewster (Will Hutchins) from Sugarfoot, Bronco Layne (Ty Hardin) from Bronco, and Cookie (Ed Byrnes) from 77 Sunset Strip.

In that episode he also walked into the office of Christopher Colt to find it empty. He noticed Colt's gun hung up on the wall, both his pistol, holster, and his satchel covered in cobwebs and dust. This was an inside joke referring to Colt .45, another Warner Bros. western, which had recently been cancelled. And just for the record, while I loved the showed Maverick, Lawman, Cheyenne, and Colt .45 from Warner Bros. back then, I never did care for Sugarfoot or Bronco. And more so, while Bronco just never caught my attention, I really thought Sugarfoot's main character was dumb! As for some trivia on Maverick: Jack Kelly actually appeared in more episodes of Maverick than James Garner did. Jack Kelly appeared in 83 episodes and James Garner only 65. James Garner left the show following a contract dispute in 1960. In the wake of James Garner's departure, Roger Moore stepped in to play Bret and Bart's cousin Beau Maverick in 14 episodes which he shared the screen with Mr. Kelly in 3 of them. Robert Colbert appeared in two episodes as a third brother named Brent.

The producers dressed Brent Maverick to look exactly like James Garner's Bret, and they even had him wearing his hat like Bret used to. It was a concept that fell right on it's face. And yes, even though one episode briefly featured Jack Kelly, it was horrible. As for the basic concept for all of the Maverick characters, the various anti-heroic Mavericks were all dapper professional poker-players roaming the Old West with the benefit of superb scripts. The series had an enormous cultural impact during a time when there were only three television networks and most cities had only three TV channels to choose from. Mr. Kelly wound up being the only Maverick to appear in all five seasons of the series in the wake of James Garner's departure after the third season over a dispute about money and to opportunity to pursue a film career. When the series Maverick ended in 1962, Jack Kelly continued acting with roles in a number of films and television shows. In 1962, he played the lead in Red Nightmare, which is also known as The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming in its derisive 1985 video re-release incarnation.

It was a Cold War film narrated by Jack Webb in which Kelly's character wakes up one morning to discover that America has been taken over by Communists. The point of the film was that Americans should keep watch on their freedoms because they are precious. Yes, something of which Americans shouldn't have to be reminded. On December 30, 1963, Kelly appeared with Barbara Bain in The Fenton Canaby Story on ABC's Wagon Train. Canaby is a former trailmaster with a dark secret he refuses to discuss. He is attracted to Lucy Garrison, a young woman with her own questionable past played by Barbara Bain, long before Mission: Impossible. Virginia Gregg plays Grace Lowe, who blames Canaby for her husband's death. Jack Kelly co-starred in Commandos (1968) opposite Lee Van Cleef, and as a villain dressed almost exactly like Bart Maverick in Young Billy Young (1969) with Robert Mitchum. From 1969 to 1971, Mr. Kelly hosted the NBC daytime game show Sale of the Century but was eventually replaced by Joe Garagiola.

He was also briefly a series regular in Get Christie Love (1974) and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1978), and performed many lucrative television commercial voice-overs. In 1977, Mr. Kelly appeared as obstreperous villains for a few moments in two Rockford Files episodes starring James Garner. The first appearance was in the season 3 episode, The Becker Connection, and the second was the first show of season 4, Beamer's Last Case as a jealous husband. In 1978, he briefly appeared as Bart Maverick and was again paired with James Garner in the TV-movie The New Maverick and in James Garner's TV series Bret Maverick (1981). In the later, Mr. Kelly appeared momentarily at the end of the final episode of the show and would have become a regular had it been renewed. Jack Kelly also showed up on a 1983 episode of The Fall Guy, costumed as Maverick but basically playing himself in a storyline that rounded-up many classic TV cowboys.

In 1991, he reprised the role of Bart Maverick one last time in the TV movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, a Kenny Rogers vehicle briefly featuring more than a dozen 1950s television series cowboys. Jack Kelly's brief dialogue consisted almost exclusively of variations on the phrase, "you can't have a real poker game without a Maverick." Mr. Kelly's acting roles became less frequent in the late 1970s as he became more involved in real estate and local politics. He started buying real estate in Huntington Beach, California in the mid 1960s, and moved there permanently in 1971. He formed August II, Inc., to hold the real estate assets in June 1965 in Huntington Beach. His wife, Jo, became a real estate broker and did much of the business management of the real estate business, especially while he was involved with Huntington city government. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Jack Kelly served as city councilman and mayor in Huntington Beach, campaigning with the slogan "Let Maverick Solve Your Problems." As for his personal life, Mr.

Kelly married actress May Wynn (Donna Lee Hickey) on October 14, 1956. She played opposite of her husband in They Rode West, Taming Sutton's Gal and Hong Kong Affair. They separated in February 1964 and were divorced on October 19, 1964. She stated in court that they had been arguing a lot the last two years and he started staying out all night. Following the divorce he later dated Karen Steele for a short time. Then he married Jo Ann Smith in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 16, 1969. The following November their daughter Nicole was born. On April 28, 1992 he suffered a heart attack. Jack Kelly died of a stroke at Humana Hospital in Huntington Beach, California, November 7, 1992. He was 65 years of old. In addition to his sister Nancy, he was survived by his second wife, Jo, and their daughter, Nicole. Jo Kelly became an "extra" in film and television productions, helps others learn the business, and wrote a book about it, The Truth about Being an Extra (2006).

While Jack Kelly actually started in films on the big screen in 1939 when he appeared as Matt Clay in Young Mr. Lincoln when he was just a boy of 11 in an uncredited part, it was his work from 1957 to 1962 in the 83 episodes of Maverick where he made his mark in the acting world. These days, the series Maverick can usually be found on the Encore Westerns Channel. So yes, whether Jack Kelly knew it or not, his legacy would be as a 1950s-era television Western hero. I love watching Maverick, and do whenever I get the chance. I don't care for the Roger Moore episodes, and I don't like that other guy's two episodes. I do like the James Garner episodes, but I also like the performances that Jack Kelly put out in his episodes. Jack Kelly was underrated in my opinion. And frankly, because of poor scripts and lousy parts, nothing he did on screen in the future would come close to matching his excellence on Maverick.

Today, thanks to the Western Channel, he's becoming popular all over again as he's become available to all of those folks out there like me who appreciate watching great television entertainment like Maverick. Tom Correa

Question: In the 50's western series Maverick who played Beau the English Maverick cousin
Answer: Roger Moore