Peter Gunn was an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. A television network is a distribution network for Television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many Television stations Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The show's creator (and also writer and director on occasion) was Blake Edwards. A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms A television director directs the activities involved in making a Television Episode. Blake Edwards (born July 26, 1922) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, Screenwriter, and producer A total of 114 thirty-minute episodes were produced.
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Peter Gunn
The title character (played by Craig Stevens) is a private investigator in the classic film noir tradition, which was a popular genre on American TV in the late 1950s. Craig Stevens ( July 8, 1918 – May 10, 2000) was an American Motion picture and Television Actor A private investigator or private detective (often shortened to PI or private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive However, a few traits differentiate him from the standard hard-boiled detectives, such as Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe. Hardboiled Crime fiction is a literary style pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the Sam Spade is a Fictional character who is the Protagonist of Dashiell Hammett 's novel The Maltese Falcon Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye Gunn was a sophisticated "hipster", a dapper dresser who loved cool jazz; where other gumshoes were often coarse, Peter Gunn was portrayed as the epitome of "cool". Cool jazz is a Jazz style that emerged in the late 1940s in New York City. He operated in a nameless waterfront city, and was a regular patron of Mother's, a wharfside club; his girlfriend, Edie Hart (Lola Albright), was a sultry singer employed there. Lois Jean "Lola" Albright (born July 20 1925, Akron Ohio) is an American Singer and Actress. Herschel Bernardi played Lieutenant Jacoby, a police detective. Herschel Bernardi ( 30 October 1923 New York City - 9 May 1986 Los Angeles California) was an American Edwards developed the character from an earlier fictional detective he created. Richard Diamond, Private Detective starred Dick Powell and aired as a radio series from 1949 to 1953. Richard Diamond Private Detective is a detective drama which was on radio from 1949 to 1953 and on television from 1957 to 1960. Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell ( November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American Singer, Actor, David Janssen later starred in the television adaptation from 1957 to 1960. David Janssen (March 27 1931 – February 13 1980 was a Golden Globe -winning Emmy Award - nominated American Film and Television It was this character's success that prompted his creator to revisit the concept as Peter Gunn. Edwards had earlier written and directed a Mike Hammer television pilot for Brian Keith. Mike Hammer is a fictional character created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book I the Jury (made into a movie in 1953 and 1982 Brian Keith (November 14 1921 – June 24 1997 was an American stage film and television actor
Music
The show's use of modern jazz music, at a time when most television shows used a generic, uninspired orchestra for the background, was another distinctive touch that set the standard for many years to come. Innovative jazz themes seemed to accompany every move Gunn made, ably rendered by Henry Mancini and his orchestra (which at that time included John Williams), lending the character even more of an air of suave sophistication. Henry Mancini ( April 16, 1924 &ndash June 14, 1994) was an Academy Award winning American Composer, conductor John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. Most memorable of all was the show's opening (and closing) theme, composed and performed by Mancini. A hip, bluesy, brassy number with an insistent piano-and-bass line, the song became an instant hit for Mancini, earning him an Emmy Award and two Grammys, and became as associated with crime fiction as Monty Norman's theme to the James Bond films is associated with espionage. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Crime fiction is the Genre of Fiction that deals with Crimes their detection criminals and their motives It is usually distinguished from Monty Norman (born in London, UK on April 4, 1928) is a Singer and Film Composer best known for composing the James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story The harmonies fit the mood of the show, which was a key to success. "The Peter Gunn Theme" has been covered by numerous jazz, blues, and rock artists since, including Ray Anthony, Quincy Jones, The Remo Four, The Blues Brothers, Croon & The Creepers, Brian Setzer, The Cramps, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Roy Buchanan, Melvin Taylor, Umphrey's McGee, Pulp, Dick Dale & The Del-Tones, and many others. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Ray Anthony (born Raymond Antonini January 20 1922, in Bentleyville Pennsylvania) is an American Bandleader, Trumpeter Quincy Delight Jones Jr (born March 14, 1933) also known as Q, is an American Music Impresario, conductor The Remo Four were a 1950s-1960s rock band from Liverpool, England. The Blues Brothers are a Grammy Award -nominated American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd Brian Setzer (born April 10 1959, Massapequa, New York) is an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter The Cramps are an American Punk rock band formed in 1976. Their line-up has rotated much over the years with lead singer Lux Interior and lead guitarist James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Aerosmith is an American Hard rock band sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston " and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" Emerson Lake & Palmer ( ELP) were an English Progressive rock supergroup. Roy Buchanan ( September 23 1939 - August 14[[ 988]] was an American Guitarist and Blues Musician. Melvin Taylor (born 13 March 1959, Jackson, Mississippi) is an American Blues Guitarist, based in Chicago Umphrey's McGee is an American Progressive rock / Jam band from Chicago Illinois (now residing in the Chicago area whose music is often referred to Pulp were an English Alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978 by Jarvis Cocker ( vocals Guitar) Dick Dale (born Richard Anthony Monsour on May 4, 1937, in Boston, Massachusetts) is a Surf rock guitarist, A version by Art of Noise, with guest artist Duane Eddy on twang guitar (taking the piano riff) earned a Grammy Award in 1987. Art of Noise were an Avant-garde Synthpop group formed in 1983 by producer Trevor Horn, music journalist Paul Morley, and session Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938) is a Grammy Award -winning American Guitarist. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Furthermore, the riff has been incorporated into many blues and jazz songs. The theme is also used as the background music for the 1983 arcade game Spy Hunter, with Saliva recording a song which used the main theme, with added lyrics, for the 2001 remake. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment Spy Hunter is a 1983 Arcade game developed and released by Bally Midway. Saliva is an American Alternative rock band formed in Memphis Tennessee in September 1996 and currently under Island/Def Jam Records Spy Hunter is an Enhanced remake of the 1983 arcade game of the same name for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox Versions of the theme have appeared in countless films, including The Blues Brothers and Sixteen Candles. The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd Sixteen Candles is a 1984 Coming-of-age film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall In 2004 the theme was used in The Lion King 1½ when Timon and Pumbaa try to break up Simba and Nala. The Lion King 1½ (also known as The Lion King 3 Hakuna Matata in some countries is an American Direct-to-video Simba is a fictional Lion character and the Protagonist of one of Disney's most famous Animated feature films The Lion King Nala is a fictional Lioness character who first appeared in Disney's popular 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. Today, many people with no knowledge of the original show still can identify the theme.
The Boston University Pep Band, of Boston University in Boston Massachusetts, plays the Peter Gunn theme when the Terrier Hockey team comes out onto the ice
Adaptations
After the two-season run on NBC and the single season on ABC, Edwards made numerous attempts to revive the character in other media. A novel and a comic book were released in 1960. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A feature film, Gunn, was made in 1967, and ABC carried a pilot in 1989 with Peter Strauss in the lead role, but they failed to catch on. Gunn is a 1967 mystery film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Craig Stevens. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. A television pilot is a test episode of an intended Television series. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Peter Strauss (born February 20, 1947) is an American television and movie actor perhaps best known for his roles in several television Miniseries In 2001, Edwards joined Norman Snider in developing an updated television series, but the project was scuttled when John Woo and David Permut began developing a big screen remake for Paramount. John Woo Yu-Sen (born May 1, 1946) is an internationally and critically acclaimed Chinese Film director and producer. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Both projects remain stuck in development hell.
In 2002, A&E Home Video released the first two seasons of Peter Gunn on DVD. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. A&E is a cable and Satellite television network with headquarters in Manhattan and offices in Stamford, Atlanta, DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is
Selected songs from the series
- "Peter Gunn Theme"
- "The Brothers Go to Mother's"
- "Dreamsville"
- "Blues for Mother's"
- "Sorta Blue"
- "Slow and Easy"
References
External links
- Peter Gunn at the Internet Movie Database
- The story behind the making of the music from Peter Gunn, including interviews with the musicians and sound engineers
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