S01/E08: ROUGH BUCK
In this episode the motive for murder is strikingly similar to the previous two episodes—third episode in a row where somebody got killed because someone didn’t want anyone getting too cozy with what he believes is his girlfriend. Didn’t Peter Gunn producers find this repetitiveness a bit too much?
In the pre-title sequence, boxer Tony Triano, a successful and popular prizefighter, leaves the gym (possibly after a training session), now dressed up in a suit and tie and gets in his friend Gino’s car (that he borrowed from Gino because his own car had broke down, but we don’t learn that until much later; for now we think it is Tony’s car). As Tony is about to drive off, some mobsters in a convertible quickly pulls up to the car Tony Triano is in and gun him down through the windshield with a shotgun. (This pre-title sequence is the shortest so far, timed at 43 seconds; 00:42:97 to be exact).
At Lt. Jacoby’s police station office, Gunn and Jacoby discuss the murder of Tony Triano. Gunn gets a phone call from Mother (how did she know he was there?) who tells him that Gino is at the bar—a scene shows he is obviously drunk—and that he’s waiting to speak to him. Gunn says he’s on his way and hangs up.
When Gunn arrives at Mother’s, Gino is gone because Barney the bartender refused to continue serving him. Gunn goes to Edie’s dressing room where they engage in some smooching and romantic chit-chat. Mother enters the room and tells Gunn that Gino came back, but was quickly removed from the club by two hoods. Gunn runs out after him.
The hoods are giving drunk Gino a terrible beating in a back alley until he falls unconscious, then go back to their car. Gunn has a good look at them as they drive off. He finds Gino in the alley, picks him up, and helps him back to Gunn’s apartment.
Jacoby arrives at Gunn’s apartment and observes Gino badly beaten up while asleep in Gunn’s bed. Lt. Jacoby informs Gunn that the car Tony was killed in did not belong to Tony; it belonged to Gino. He also says that it’s hard to find anybody that didn’t like Tony. (At this point a sharp-minded viewer may conclude that Gino was the target of the killing and that this was a case of mistaken identity). After Jacoby leaves, Gino, who overheard part of the conversation, has gotten out of bed and asks Gunn, “He thinks I killed Tony?” Gino goes on to explain how they were best friends. Gunn wants to know why Tony was using his car and Gino says Tony’s car had broken down. (It’s not clear how Gunn—and Jacoby—develop suspicion of Gino killing Tony just because he lent his car to him. And why would an unemployed boxer, who barely makes money fighting, shoot up his own windshield?) Gunn asks who managed Tony. Gino tells him it’s Al Matson, who doesn’t like “charity cases…like me.”
Gunn arrives at the boxing gym where Al Matson is observing some fighters sparring in a rink and he’s not happy about answering any of Gunn’s questions. Matson finally agrees to talk to Gunn in the gym’s office. Gunn observes a framed picture of an attractive blonde on the credenza. When Gunn mentions Gino’s name, Matson doesn’t hold back in expressing his hatred for him and said he only allowed Gino as a boxer in his stable because Tony insisted on it. Matson refers to Gino as “a punk, a bum”. Matson denies having paid mobsters to kill Tony Triano, a boxer who made him a lot of money (implying how that would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs).
Gunn goes to see the woman he saw in the photograph in Matson’s office, Sharon Moore. (How Gunn knew the person in the photo or how to find her so quickly is never explained). Sharon is in her dressing room of a burlesque club. She is exposing a lot of cleavage and bare legs while seated on a lounge chair and getting ready for a performance as Gunn sits at her vanity table waiting for answers to his questions. She raises a knee high to put on a shoe (likely a sexy tease for male viewers of this episode). Sharon says she knows Gino and she’s “heard of” Al Matson. Gunn tells her there’s a picture in his office of her indicating it was “a lot more than that”. Sharon tells Gunn that every soldier has that same picture “next to his heart; that’s how we won the war”. (What war is she talking about? We didn't win the Korean War, which ended six years earlier in 1953. And WWII ended 14 years earlier in 1945, whereby Sharon would have been no more than a young teen). Sharon finally has enough of Gunn and insists that he leave.
Gunn enters his apartment and finds Gino boozing it up. Gino says he answered all of Jacoby’s questions back at the police station. Jacoby arrives and informs Gino that Tony’s insurance policy is for fifty thousand dollars and that Gino is the beneficiary. Gino acts surprised and goes into a drunken, almost psychotic, rant with heavy laughter explaining how “the champ who carried the bum on his back” found a way to screw him over one more time after death. (Gino hugging his knees on the couch in a fetal position looked ridiculous). Jacoby tells Gino to go home and sleep it off, basically kicking Gino out of Gunn’s apartment. Jacoby tells Gunn that the mobsters that killed Tony had to have been paid a lot of money and Gino has “never seen that kind of money”. Gunn tells Jacoby that all he found out was that everybody loved Tony. Jacoby adds how everybody hates Gino. “Sure looks like they killed the wrong man.” Gunn and Jacoby look at each other as if a light bulb just went on in their heads. (Really? It took this long to figure this out?)
Gunn heads back to the burlesque club to see Sharon Moore again. (Why he chose to go see her again is not clear). Sharon appears shocked at Gunn’s presence. She explains that Gino was just with her when he received a phone call from someone saying he was Peter Gunn and to meet with Gunn at the gym. When Gunn hears this he knows Tony’s life is in danger.
Gunn arrives at the gym where Al Matson holds a gun to him and two hoods have Gino, who is still drunk, trapped in the boxing ring. Al Matson tells Gunn he can have “whatever is left” of Gino; that serves as a signal for the two thugs in the rink to proceed in giving Gino another beating as Gunn watches while held at gunpoint. Gino starts out putting up a good fight, but is eventually out-manned and falls unconscious.. While Gino is getting beaten to a pulp, Al Matson yells out, “You couldn’t keep away from her, could you?” (Thus the plot is revealed; Gino has been moving in on Sharon Moore and he was the one that should have been killed in his car). As Matson yells, he takes his eyes off Gunn, who karate chops the arm holding the gun, causing it to fall away. Gunn then punches Matson hard, knocking him out (he remains unconscious for the remainder of the episode). The two thugs still in the rink pull their weapons and begin shooting at Gunn. Peter Gunn runs to the light switch and shuts it off, then shoots, killing one of the thugs. With the lights still out, and one of the thugs now out of the rink, Gunn and the thug, with guns in hand, play cat and mouse with each other seeking a clear shot. In the rink, Gino comes to. He reaches over and grabs the dead thug’s gun. He shoots the other thug dead as he was closing in on Gunn.
QUOTES
When Lt. Jacoby arrives at Peter Gunn’s apartment and sees a bruised up Gino asleep in Gunn’s bed...
Gunn: “He didn’t look very comfortable in the alley.”
At the burlesque club where Sharon Moore tells Gunn to leave (after giving Gunn misleading answers to his questions)…
Sharon: “There’s the door, now use it. I’ve got a performance to give.”
Gunn: “Funny, I thought you just gave one.”
NOTES
In a filming/editing goof up, when Tony Triano is seen at the start of the episode getting into the car, the car’s antenna is badly bent. After he is shot and killed and the gangsters drive away, the antenna is perfectly straight. Did one of the bullets from the gun strike the antenna and straighten it out?
Another minor goof up: The office door at the gym shows the name “AL MATSON”, but in ending credits the actor Ken Lynch is credited for the role as “Cal Matson”. Also, when referred to by others during this episode, it appears they are pronouncing it as “Al Madsen” and the ROKU Channel subtitles also has it as “Madsen”.
Actor Antony Carbone, who portrayed the role of Gino Nicholetti, appeared a bit too overly dramatic at times. Carbone is alive today (at the time of this writing) and is 94 years old. He actually was born in Italy.
It is unknown who the actor was that played the role of Tony Triano, shot and killed at the start of the episode. Not even IMDB, where uncredited actors are often listed, has him in cast list.
DECEASED: Hit man hired by boxing gym operator Al Matson mistakenly shoots Tony Triano thinking it was Gino Nicholetti. Tony was in the driver’s seat of Gino Nicholetti car. – After disarming and knocking out Al Matson, Peter Gunn shoots one of the two hoods that were instructed by Matson to beat up Gino Nicholetti. – Gino Nicholetti grabs dropped gun from dead hood and shoots the other hood.
GUNN KILLS: 1 – SERIES TOTAL: 3
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NEXT BLOG: S01/E09: “IMAGE OF SALLY”
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