ABOUT THE PETER GUNN TV SERIES

With much of the music provided by legendary composer Henry Mancini, any lover of the old jazz age will surely enjoy the Peter Gunn television series which aired from 1958 until 1961 for a total of three seasons and 114 episodes. The black and white series is greatly intertwined with jazz musicians and jazz music of the time. The show’s protagonist, hero private detective Peter Gunn, pretty much makes his office at any given table in a jazz nightclub called Mother’s for the first two seasons, and at Edie’s Supper Club—a jazz combo always on stage—for the third season, with no explanation ever given as to why Mother’s was either shut down or simply disregarded during that final season. A payphone on the wall at Mother’s throughout the first two seasons was where Gunn made and got his phone calls! 

The series was created by Blake Edwards, who also wrote and directed many of the episodes. It starred Craig Stevens in the title role as the suave and debonair private detective with a taste for expensive suits and nice cars complete with a car phone (driving a different model in each of the three seasons). Many of the cases he takes on would seem best handled by police investigators, including hunting down a murderer, kidnapper, or bank robber, but the show’s producers seem to get past this by having Gunn’s client express concern as to why he or she doesn’t want police involved. In some instances Gunn does assist the police department’s detective, Lieutenant Jacoby, on various cases, though one may wonder why if he’s not being paid.

In order to enjoy the Peter Gunn series it may be necessary to ignore the often silly, farfetched, and unrealistic storylines. The cinematography and music, however, largely makes up for the barrage of loony situations. Some of the most bizarre segments occur when Gunn visits any of a slew of oddball characters, often derelicts recently released from incarceration, whom just so happen to know the name and exact whereabouts of the person Gunn is trying to hunt down. For a crisp high dollar bill from Gunn’s pocket, these informants from the city’s “underworld” will do whatever snitching is necessary to help Gunn solve his case.

Yet another oddity with the series could be the combination of actors and actresses (outside its regular cast members) with atrocious acting skills alongside veteran actors or up-and-coming actors later to be seen in other television shows or the movies.

It would seem that the detective, Peter Gunn, works only at night. Almost every episode of the series takes place during the late evening or midnight hours, with much of the action occurring along deserted rain-soaked roadways in a virtual ghost town of what is supposed to be a thriving waterfront city. The backdrop is often that of old tenement housing brownstone apartment buildings (reminiscent of those in New York City) with a variety of dimly lit mom-and-pop shops on the ground floor, most of them closed for the night.

The exact location for the Peter Gunn series is never stated. Blake Edwards may have insisted on some imaginary locale, but it appears he wasn’t very creative in doing so. For instance, some scenes of affection occurring between Peter Gunn and his girlfriend Edie Hart takes place on an outside back deck at Mother’s nightclub. With its old rough wooden rails and standing circular beams with ropes and chains attached, the area appears as a boat dock (though no boats are ever seen docking there). The dock overlooks a river that could be the Hudson or East River. In several episodes, a bridge looking much like the Brooklyn Bridge with the Manhattan Bridge just beyond it can be seen at the far end. Also, Lieutenant Jacoby works out of the “13th Precinct”. The term “precinct” is how New York City police stations and its districts are referred to. Additionally, in one episode (Season 1, Episode 37: The Coffin) Peter Gunn is aboard a plane that is shown flying over what is clearly Manhattan. And lastly, numerous times during the show’s run the method of the state’s death penalty was referenced as occurring in the electric chair. During the 1950s, very few states were using the electric chair (none on the west coast), however, New York had been one of them. In fact, during the time period that the Peter Gunn series first aired (Sep 22, 1958 to Sep 18, 1961), twelve convicted men were executed in the electric chair in New York State. However, failing to remain consistent—and with Blake Edwards possibly realizing that his imaginary riverfront town is looking too much like New York City—in several episodes of Seasons 2 and 3 the gas chamber was mentioned as the method of execution. And on separate instances a new thug in town was described as having arrived from “the east”, further adding confusion as to the show’s location. Even the state name on license plates was not shown when that section of vehicles came into view; only a tag number is shown.

In reality, episodes of the Peter Gunn series were filmed at Universal-International Studios (Season 1) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Hollywood (Seasons 2 and 3).

In what seems to be an attempt by the show’s producers to maximize viewership of a male television audience, much of the series contains appearances of beautiful, busty, and seductive women with lots of cleavage and bare legs exposed. Many women of the series are presented in dimwitted roles; the classic “bimbo” in other words, something that many men of the time, for some reason, found highly attractive. A bimbo was a lot easier to control than an intelligent woman, it would seem. When researching the biographies of such cast members, it was determined that many of these “actresses” were actually former beauty pageant contestants and models of the 1950s. However, in a turn of events from the typical movie or television playboy detective, Peter Gunn always attempts to avoid their advances, very much remaining loyal to his nightclub singing girlfriend, Edie Hart, a role played by the stunningly beautiful actress and singer Lola Albright. Although Edie (pronounced E-Dee) is often presented as a sensuous and sexy blonde during intimate scenes with Gunn, there is much less risqué and exposure of body parts with her role. And she was presented as a lot better educated than other women of the show, having become a book writer and successful entrepreneur while operating Edie’s Supper Club during the third and final season.

Several barriers with regard to television broadcasting appear to have been broken during the running of Peter Gunn. For example, during an era when Black Americans were rarely cast in prominent roles, actor Morris D. Erby appeared as a recurring cast member playing the part of domineering police sergeant Lee Davis, who also handled administrative duties at the police station. Sergeant Davis had at times found it necessary to scold Peter Gunn and put him in his place, however, he was very much admired by Gunn, Jacoby and others. In one episode where Davis is framed for murder (Season 3, Episode 18: Death is a Sore Loser), many come to Davis’ defense, and Lt. Jacoby even makes a statement about Lee Davis to Peter Gunn when he says, "Best police officer I ever had."

Another circumstance unusual for television broadcasting during this era involves the intimacy displayed between the Peter Gunn and Edie Hart characters. Throughout the series there were numerous scenes that seem to come close to a depiction of Gunn and Edie practically having sex with their clothes on. His extremely intimate kissing of her neck and her moaning are scenes that, quite frankly, makes one wonder how the show’s producers got away with that—or how the Federal Communications Commission overlooked it—during a time when actors playing married couples on television shows were still required to sleep in separate beds if a bedroom scene takes place.

There were other episodes displaying moments so risqué that one might question if the FCC today would be opposed! For instance, in one episode (Season 2, Episode 22: Hollywood Calling) there is a shot of a drive-in diner’s carhop outside in the parking lot taking Gunn’s food order as he sits in his car. She is standing over him wearing a tight top and there is a close-up view of her large breasts just inches from Gunn’s face. In 1960, when that show first aired, a scene such as this broadcast on television was almost unheard of!

Devoted fans of the Peter Gunn series would surely wish to find themselves spending an evening at Mother’s, watching and listening to a live jazz combo performing on a stage from their small tables set sparsely throughout the floor, with most men wearing a suit and hat, accompanied by women in long dresses. It was a time when smoking cigarettes was thought of as cool (even the show’s hero Peter Gunn smoked) and lots of smoke had surely filled the air at Mother’s on a busy night.

A fan may perhaps think of himself in Gunn’s place, very late in the evening, leaning on a wooden railing on the boat dock out in back of mothers. Standing there, just above the river in a dimly lit setting with dense fog rolling by and music from the jazz band inside heard in the background. There is the occasional sound of a ship’s horn in the distance and the club’s beautiful singer is beside you as she takes a break between numbers.

By Season 3, Mother’s no longer existed. The new gathering haunt had become Edie’s Supper Club, a high-end establishment in comparison to Mother’s, complete with a European Chef and a Maître D' dressed in a black suit with a rose on his lapel and escorting patrons to white table-clothed tables. Gunn now received phone calls from clients on a landline telephone at the restaurant with a cord long enough for the Maître D' to carry the phone to him at almost any point in the club, including the deck outside. However, a jazz band—with several of the accompanist transferred over from Mother’s—and Edie belting out sweet tunes was still the norm.

If you are looking for smooth jazz music, lots of beautiful women from the Silver Screen Era, a super cool detective, lots of 1950s cars and car chases, fist fights, gun fights, and loads of other action, then look no further than the television series Peter Gunn.