The Santa Clarita Valley plays the tiny kingdom of Belgardia in this weird musical comedy from Trem Carr's Monogram Pictures. We don't know all of the places it was shot, but some of the exteriors were shot at Carr's ranch in Placerita Canyon — which, in 1934, was located just east of present-day Highway 14, where Walt Disney later established his Golden Oak Studios.
Directed by Leonard Fields (1900–1973), "King Kelly" features singer/showman Guy Robertson in his only known film role as James W. Kelly. Better known to movie fans are some of the supporting cast members, including Irene Ware (1929's Miss USA; there was no Miss America then) as the love interest; and the busy character actors Ferdinand Gottschalk as King Maximilian and Edgar Kennedy as Happy Moran.
Carr is the producer, and as usual for a Monogram picture of this period, Ernie Hickson, as art director, was responsible for dressing the sets.
ABOUT E.J. STEPHENS
An Indiana native, E.J. Stephens has lived in Southern California for 30 years. He wed his passions for history and film together in his first book, Images of America: Early Warner Bros. Studios. A second book, Images of America: Griffith Park, describes the fascinating history of one of the largest urban parks in North America. E.J. has worked for much of the past 15 years for Walt Disney's Imagineering division, and more recently for Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where he and his wife still docent for the Warner Bros. Museum. E.J. recently added the role of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Guide to his list of accomplishments. He has been published in several newspapers and magazines throughout Southern California, and his blog, "Deadwrite's Dailies," can be found at deadwrite.wordpress.com.
E.J. has visited all 50 states and 40 foreign countries, circled the globe, bicycled across the United States, and reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. He is a director of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society in Newhall, where he hosts a classic film series and teaches a class on the rich film history of the Santa Clarita Valley. E.J. lives in Canyon Country with his wife Kim and their two children, Mariah and Dylan, plus six cats, a dog, and a rabbit named Hoss.
ABOUT BILL WEST
Bill West is a movie nut who serves on the board of Friends of Hart Park, gives tours of the Hart Mansion and maintains the Friends' website.
In his spare time, Bill writes software for Walt Disney Imagineering, where he has contributed to Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and other attractions. Previously, he wrote software at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Bill enjoys lounge music and he plays the drums for pickup bands. He lives in Santa Clarita with his Realtor (his wife Liliana) and their son Josh. Pets include Maya the Mutt, Luigi the Canary, and a cat whose name he can't pronounce but is Polish for "kitty."
