I was a big fan of Jack Kelly, dating back to his contribution to "Maverick" and many other TV appearances. But just as he was vastly overshadowed by James Garner on that hit series, he never made the A-list, unfortunately.
Here he stars as Frederick Piper, international private eye and Jet Set playboy, the third Chrysler Theatre episode in the role. It's frilly, wonderfully escapist entertainment that is so Swinging Sixties as to make me wonder how it's escaped detection over the years.
The story is minor: he's hired by bankers and relatives to hunt down their colleague Michael Rennie, who's absconded with $3,000,000 embezzled from the trust company. It's not a police issue -they want Rennie found and the money returned,to avoid family scandal.
Kelly's inimitably breezy manner and instant identification for the viewer reminded me of the very similar Matt Helm movie series underway at the same time as these TV shows. No surprise to me, Kelly as Piper is far better a character than Dino's creation.
Loaded with beautiful girls (Antoinette Bower and Jocelyn Lane, both impressive in their bikinis, plus forgotten beauty Karen Jensen as Piper's sexy secretary who's never met him, but plays her role mainly in a bubble bath), this romp is pure fun and definitely should have launched Kelly in a hit TV series on his own. A highlight is a, believe it or not, Masked Bikini Watusi Party, worthy of a time capsule from the '60s.
Here he stars as Frederick Piper, international private eye and Jet Set playboy, the third Chrysler Theatre episode in the role. It's frilly, wonderfully escapist entertainment that is so Swinging Sixties as to make me wonder how it's escaped detection over the years.
The story is minor: he's hired by bankers and relatives to hunt down their colleague Michael Rennie, who's absconded with $3,000,000 embezzled from the trust company. It's not a police issue -they want Rennie found and the money returned,to avoid family scandal.
Kelly's inimitably breezy manner and instant identification for the viewer reminded me of the very similar Matt Helm movie series underway at the same time as these TV shows. No surprise to me, Kelly as Piper is far better a character than Dino's creation.
Loaded with beautiful girls (Antoinette Bower and Jocelyn Lane, both impressive in their bikinis, plus forgotten beauty Karen Jensen as Piper's sexy secretary who's never met him, but plays her role mainly in a bubble bath), this romp is pure fun and definitely should have launched Kelly in a hit TV series on his own. A highlight is a, believe it or not, Masked Bikini Watusi Party, worthy of a time capsule from the '60s.
