The character of Bart Maverick was not part of Roy Huggins' original concept of Maverick. But as Warner Bros.' first hour-long weekly television western, it became apparent after filming the first few episodes that production time was taking too long. Unless they could speed things up, the studio would fail to deliver enough new episodes for the network to air every week. So Jack Kelly was brought on board to play Bret Maverick's younger brother Bart. That way, two individual episodes could be filmed concurrently and production time could be nearly cut in half.[3]

Scripts were written generically for the lead role of Maverick so either James Garner or Jack Kelly could play the part. Once the actor was assigned a script, "Maverick" became either Bret or Bart, respectively. Although either Garner or Kelly could potentially take any episode, the lighter scripts were generally reserved for Garner. It was felt he had a more natural flair for bringing out the humor that had come to embody the spirit of Maverick. The more straight-forward or "dramatic" stories were usually given to Kelly, who had a more established and formal acting background than Garner at the time.[3]

According to Marion Hargrove, Huggins approached him one day to suggest that he write an episode especially with Jack Kelly in mind. That script became "The Thirty-Ninth Star."[3]

The episode features several scenes that allowed Kelly's acting experience to shine. In one scene in particular, Bart delivers a lengthy and convincing monologue to Janet Kilmer after his hotel room has been ransacked. Garner could certainly have delivered the speech, but one imagines he may have handled it much more lightly, while the story seems to beg for a more serious and forceful tone at critical moments such as this.

While Bart and Janet are bivouacked in an abandoned barn together, Bart remarks that all he has to do is "find the Easter egg" while she not only has to find it, but take it away from him.[4] There are a couple of other Easter eggs hidden in the episode: If one looks closely at the desk register in the Capital City Hotel, one may notice the name of "The Jail at Junction Flats" film editor Fred Bohanan and his family staying in room 217. And the ill-fated Charles W. Farfan in room 212 is named for Maverick assistant director Robert Farfan.[3]

MAVERICK

Season 2, Episode 36

ORIGINAL AIRDATE
November 16, 1958[3]

WRITER
Marion Hargrove

DIRECTOR
Richard L. Bare

PRODUCER

Roy Huggins

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

William T. Orr

CAST

CREW

Jack Kelly

Bethel Leslie

John Litel

Sam Buffington

William Phipps

Mark Tapscott

Nestor Paiva

Peter Mamakos

Roy Barcroft

Robert Carson (uncredited)[4]

Ken Christy (uncredited)[4]

Cactus Mack (uncredited)[4]

Dennis Moore (uncredited)[4]

Alan Reynolds (uncredited)[4]

Mickey Simpson (uncredited)[4]

Guy Teague (uncredited)[4]

Guy Wilkerson (uncredited)[4]

John Cliff (uncredited)[4]

Jack Williams (uncredited)[4]

Harold Stine

Leo K. Kuter

James Moore

Robert T. Sparr

Oren W. Haglund

Francis J. Scheid

Mowbray F. Berkeley

Gordon Bau

Don Page

Bart Maverick

Janet Kilmer

Judge Somervell

Quincy Bigelow

Hazelton

Charles W. Farfan

Louie

warehouse owner

marshal

Dixon

hardware salesman

stagecoach driver (Grantsville)

Stuart messenger

bartender

Tiny

stagecoach driver (Salt Lake City)

hotel clerk

thug(Hazelton's first)

thug (Hazelton's second)

Barflyfirst

Director of Photography

Art Director

Supervising Film Editor

Film Editor

Production Manager

Sound

Set Decorator

Makeup Supervisor

Assistant Director