Ricky Kelman

Rick Kelman in the 1969 coming of age film, The First Time

Richard William Kelman, known as Ricky Kelman and later as Rick Kelman (born July 6, 1949), is a former actor who appeared in film and on television from 1954 to 1974. As a child actor, Kelman had a supporting role in two one-season situation comedies, CBS's The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959-1960) and ABC's Our Man Higgins (1962-1963).

## Early career[edit]

Kelman is adopted. He was born in Los Angeles, California.[1] His first appearances were as a choirboy in 1954 and 1955 on The Red Skelton Hour. He then had an uncredited role in the 1955 film A Man Called Peter, based on the life of the U.S. Senate chaplain Peter Marshall. In 1957, he portrayed Jimmy Logan in the episode "Bentley and the Baby Sitter" on CBS's Bachelor Father series, with John Forsythe and Noreen Corcoran.[2] In 1957, Kelman played the role of Elmer in the last of the Ma and Pa Kettle films, The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm. This was the last screen appearance by Marjorie Main.[3]

In 1958-1959, young Kelman was cast in three episodes as Homer Foley on NBC's children's western series, Buckskin, with Tommy Nolan and Sally Brophy as a son and a mother living in a hotel in a small Montana town.[2] In 1958, Kelman appeared in the episode "The Unfamiliar" of Ronald W. Reagan's General Electric Theater on CBS.[2]

Kelman was cast as Randy Towne, the son of Dennis O'Keefe's character, Hal Towne, in The Dennis O'Keefe Show, which ran for thirty-two episodes. Hope Emerson played Amelia Sargent in the series.[4]

In the 1960 season premiere of ABC's 77 Sunset Strip, the then 10-year-old Kelman appeared in the role of Randolph in the episode "Attic", set in a remote mountain hideout. The episode also features Kathleen Crowley, Lee Van Cleef, and Gary Vinson.[5] He made two appearances in 1961 on NBC's Bonanza in the episodes "Many Faces of Gideon Flinch" and "The Infernal Machine."[6]

In 1961, Kelman was cast in two conflicting roles as John and Oliver Hadley in the episodes "The Bully" and "The Sissy", respectively, of NBC's National Velvet family series. On December 7, 1961, he appeared as "Butch" in the episode "The Fabulous O'Hara" of ABC's The Donna Reed Show. In 1961 and 1962, he appeared twice on CBS's Gunsmoke[2] and in 1962 as the youthful Alex in the episode "Young Man's Fancy" of CBS's The Twilight Zone, co-starring with Phyllis Thaxter.[7]

Then, Kelman played Tommy MacRoberts, one of the children, in the 34-episode Our Man Higgins, with Stanley Holloway in the title role of an erudite English butler in the United States, with Frank Maxwell and Audrey Totter as the parents, Duncan and Alice MacRoberts.[8]

## Later roles[edit]

Kelman appeared on CBS's Lassie series in 1959 and twice in 1965. In 1968, he appeared as Donny Clement in the episode "The Fatal Hours" of the ABC police drama Felony Squad, with Howard Duff and Dennis Cole. In 1969, he was cast as Josh Odam in the episode "Mexican Honeymoon" of CBS's My Three Sons situation comedy with Fred MacMurray and Beverly Garland.[9] Three years earlier, he appeared as Frankie Martin in MacMurray's film about the Boy Scouts of America, Follow Me, Boy![10]

Kelman played the character Mike in the 1969 coming of age film The First Time, a comedy about three inexperienced teenagers seeking their first sexual encounter in what turns out to be a nonexistent bordello near Buffalo, New York. His costar was Jacqueline Bissett.[11]

On December 31, 1969, Kelman played Quincy Rust in the episode "The Adversaries" of CBS's Medical Center. Audrey Totter, Kelman's co-star in Our Man Higgins later joined the Medical Center cast but did not appear in this episode. In 1970, Kelman appeared twice on ABC's high school comedy-drama, Room 222, and in the episode "The Boy Next Door" on CBS's To Rome with Love, another John Forsythe situation comedy. In 1972 and 1973, Kelman was cast in episodes of CBS's Hawaii Five-O and Here's Lucy. In the latter he played a 23-year-old "teenager" in the episode "Lucy and Andy Griffith."[2] A decade earlier, Kelman had portrayed John Ballantine in the acclaimed Lucille Ball and Bob Hope film, Critics Choice.[12]

Kelman's last acting appearances were in 1973 and 1974 in two episodes of the syndicated anthology series Insight.[2]

His older brother, Terry Ross Kelman (born 1947), is a former child actor whose screen appearances occurred between 1954 and 1959, with his last work on two episodes of NBC's Wagon Train.[13]

Kelman's whereabouts since 1974 is unknown.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ California Adoptees: Ricky Kelman. ifa.zoomshare.com. Retrieved on November 23, 2012; now under a pay wall.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Ricky Kelman. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on August 18, 2012.
3. ↑ Synopsis of The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm. blockbuster.com. Retrieved on August 20, 2012.
4. ↑ The Dennis O'Keefe Show. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on August 17, 2012.
5. ↑ "Atttic", September 16, 1960. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on August 18, 2012.
6. ↑ Boy Actors: Ricky Kelman. boyactors.org.uk. Retrieved on August 20, 2012.
7. ↑ The Twilight Zone: "Young Man's Fancy" (1962). artistdirect.com. Retrieved on August 20, 2012.
8. ↑ Our Man Higgins. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on August 18, 2012.
9. ↑ My Three Sons: "Mexican Honeymoon", November 29, 1969. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on August 20, 2012.
10. ↑ Ricky Kelman: Credits. tvguide.com. Retrieved on August 19, 2012.
11. ↑ The First Time: Synopsis. fandango.com. Retrieved on August 19, 2012.
12. ↑ Critic's Choice: Overview. tcm.com. Retrieved on August 20, 2012.
13. ↑ Terry Kelman. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on August 18, 2012.