Continuing with the Peter Gunn theme, I'm substituting Part I from one of the TV episodes for the movie clip this week. The episode is called "The Kill".
If you're interested in the whole thing, here are parts II and III.
Peter Gunn was a relatively short-lived series, only running from September of 1958 through September of 1961, but, in keeping with the era, there were a whole bunch of episodes each season (all of which, I was delighted to discover, are available on high-quality DVDs at Amazon; sounds like a nice Christmas present for myself). Craig Stevens stars in the title role, one of the last of Hollywood's old school private detectives: smart, sophisticated and well-tailored, but tough as nails. The somber and low-key Herschel Bernardi plays the typical police department foil, and the scrumptious Lola Albright is Gunn's love interest. One innovation of the series was the use of original "cool jazz" compositions as background music. Classic TV.
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ReplyDeleteYa trying to tell us William Conrad in "Cannon" was well dressed and sophisticated? Nyuk,nyuk.
After that show they started to transition into the action genre with shows like "Mannix". The American culture was changing.
I still like the Blues Bros. version, they had some hot players. Plus, Princess Leia puffing on a cig before firing a 4-by bazooka - what's not to like?
ReplyDeleteIn 1961, I was seven years old in England. But I recall this series, or perhaps it just swam around my subconscious during the film & TV noire soirees and Sunday afternoons with my mother watching the oldies.
ReplyDeleteSunday afternoons were always a delight to me. I just watched an old black and white movie. I now realize that the best movies were made in B&W.