S01/E16: THE FUSE

The opening sequence plays out like a scenario of the prodigal son returning home when Carlo Matzi enters a dark house and calls out to his wife, Maria. Suddenly, the lights turn on and he discovers that he’s walked into his birthday party when his wife, family, and friends all yell, “Surprise!” Carlo looks over at his wife who tells him, “Now you know why I wanted the car today.” (Why? Her reason for needing the car is not clear. To use the car for picking up party preparations? To transport guests to the party? To have a bomb planted in the car that will later kill him?). Carlo’s Italian-born father steps in and proposes a toast with his heavy Italian accent for the beloved son who has been an inspiration as the waterfront union president after running the organization honestly. Papa assures everyone how Carlo will surely win the union presidency again in the upcoming election “next week”. He thanks everyone in attendance for making the union so successful, including cousin Benny Faccio.

Carlo’s wife, Maria Matzi, tells Carlo that she is taking the car to pick up pizzas for the party, but Carlo insists that he will get it. Then Carlo’s friend and union associate Vincent Cano offers to pick up the pizzas, but Carlo continues to insist that he will go get it. Next thing you know, Carlo gets in his car to go get the pizzas and—boom!—the car blows up.

Carlo is transported to the hospital. Some in attendance at the party are there in a waiting room, including Carlo’s father who is seated on a couch praying in Italian. Lt. Jacoby is standing by in the lobby and then Peter Gunn arrives, presumably hired by Carlo’s brother, Sal Matzi (played by actor Ross Martin, best known for his later role as Agent Artemus Gordon in The Wild Wild West series from 1965 to 1969, opposite Robert Conrad). Jacoby and Gunn discuss the bombing and immediately suspect Jake Lynch, a mobster wanting to take over the union. A doctor appears in a doorway and calls Lt. Jacoby inside. Sal Matzi and Vince Cano come out of the waiting room and approach Gunn, wondering why police haven’t picked up Jake Lynch yet. Sal tells Gunn to get the proof needed to charge Lynch. Gunn then goes into the waiting area and tells a teary-eyed Maria Matzi that he’s sorry, repeating it twice. (All appear to be acting as though Carlo has already died). Lt. Jacoby appears again after speaking with the doctor and informs those in the lobby that Carlo has died. Vince Cano, who now becomes leader of the union, tells Lt. Jacoby that he (Jacoby) knows where Jake Lynch lives, implying that Lynch should be picked up and arrested. Jacoby says that this will take time; that proof is needed. 

Peter Gunn leaves the hospital and a hood forces him at gunpoint into a car. Sal Matzi (clinging to his distraught father who appears will fall over if not held up), Vince Cano, and Maria exit the hospital and observe Gunn getting into a car they recognize as belonging to Jake Lynch. 

Gunn enters a hot steam sauna room wrapped with just a towel around his waist and holding another over his shoulder. Jake Lynch is inside. Gunn tells Lynch that if he wanted to see him, he just needed to call. There was no need to send one of his hoods to muscle him into a meeting. Gunn accuses Lynch of Carlo Matzi’s death, but Lynch says he had nothing to do with it, saying he would have to be stupid to have killed Carlo knowing it would point back to him. He wants to hire Gunn to clear his name and tells Gunn to name his own price; “a thousand, two thousand…just find him.” He further states that if his name is not cleared, a lot of people are going to get hurt. Gunn appears convinced that Lynch may have not been involved in Carlo’s death, but he says he’ll take 5 thousand, now. (This would seem to go against Gunn’s moral ethics. He was already hired by the Matzi family to find Carlo’s killer, and now he’s accepting a payment from Jake Lynch for the same job).

Gunn arrives at Mother’s where Edie is on stage singing “Day In, Day Out.” (The same song she sung in Episode 1, “The Kill”). After greeting Mother at the bar, the bartender, Barney, serves him a drink (even though Gunn didn’t order anything). Edie completes her song and meets with Gunn at the bar where they engage in loving chit-chat. Edie wants to have a picnic and she tells Gunn that is how her mom trapped her father; that her mom had closed the lid of the food basket on his hand and wouldn’t release it until he proposed. Lt. Jacoby enters Mother’s and he’s furious with Gunn about working for Jake Lynch. Jacoby tells Gunn he’s putting his life in danger.

Gunn receives a call on the wall payphone at Mother’s from the Matzi family’s cousin, Benny Faccio, who also appears to be an acquaintance of Gunn. Faccio, calling from a phone booth, tells Gunn he’s “got something” and to meet with him in a building at the docks at the end of River Street. 

Outside Mother’s, Gunn runs into Sal Matzi, who is also upset about Gunn working for Jake Lynch. Sal threatens Gunn to “stay out of this thing.” 

Gunn arrives at the dock beside the river with warehouses alongside of it. Sal Matzi is seen following Gunn. Gunn enters the building where Benny had asked him to meet and he finds Benny dead on the floor. Two hoods suddenly appear and attack Gunn. As they begin to overpower Gunn, Sal Matzi jumps in to help Gunn and together they fight off the two hoods, with Gunn managing to disarm one of them holding a gun. Sal is distraught over the death of his cousin Benny. He picks up one of the hoods beaten up and laid out on the ground and makes him talk. Gunn had said that whoever hired them to kill Benny will be the same person who had Carlo killed. The hood confesses that Carlo’s widow Maria Matzi hired them. Sal says, “His own wife!” and now wants to kill her, but Gunn talks him out of it, saying “doesn’t figure she’s alone in this.” Gunn has a better plan. He hands Sal the hood’s gun and says to watch them until they are picked up by police or they’ll be on the phone to warn Maria.

Peter Gunn calls Maria Matzi from a payphone. (It appears at this point in the series that Gunn still doesn’t have a car phone). Gunn tells her he’s bought information that some papers in Carlo’s office will definitely finger who planted the bomb that killed Carlo. (This appears lame and ridiculous; what kind of papers left in Carlo’s office would indicate who had Carlo killed?) He tells her to bring the keys and meet him at Carlo’s office. Maria falls for the trap. Gunn hangs up and calls the police station and asks for Lt Jacoby.

Maria is seen waiting outside a building with a sign that reads “Matzi Bros. Warehouse.” Gunn shows up and she lets him in. When Maria isn’t looking he leaves a matchbook in the door jam to keep the door propped open. Jacoby is seen coming around the turn outside in his car. Inside, Gunn is about to go through a file cabinet when Vince Cano appears pointing a gun. He removes Gunn’s gun. He tells Gunn, “You got it figured, huh?” Gunn replies, “Doesn’t take a genius. Minus one Carlo equals you and the lady. Plus you and Carlo’s job.” Vince starts to walk Gunn out when Jacoby appears from behind some boxes and tells Vince to drop the gun. Vince makes a run for it and Gunn goes after him. Jacoby handcuffs Maria to a pipe. Gunn and Vince Cano play cat and mouse around the warehouse with Cano sometimes turning to shoot his gun. Vince Cano climbs up high on a stack of crates, possibly thinking he’ll get a better shot that way. Gunn realizes where Cano went and knocks over the crates, causing Cano to tumble to the ground, momentarily disabling him. (Cano had a clear shot of Gunn at the bottom of the stack of crates before he knocked them over, but never took the shot). Gunn disarms Cano and Jacoby comes over to help take him into custody. They then walk over to where Maria was handcuffed and Jacoby begins removing the cuffs.

Back at Peter Gunn’s apartment, he walks in to find a picnic blanket spread out on the living room floor with an opened picnic basket filled with foods and lots of other stuff on the blanket. Edie walks over from the kitchen holding some glasses and a bottle of wine and greets Gunn. Soft Jazz music is playing in the background. Gunn answers a phone call from Jake Lynch who brags about being clean. Gunn tells him he was “cleaned” (as in, this one time) and that Carlo’s brother Sal is taking over the union. Lynch says he’ll accept the good with the bad. After hanging up, Gunn sits on the blanket on the floor beside Edie and reaches into the basket saying he’s starving. Edie slams the basket lid on his hand. Gunn says “Isn’t that the way Mama trapped Papa?” They then kiss (but there’s no marriage proposal).

QUOTES:

When Peter Gunn enters a sauna room appearing bothered by the heat and heavy steam to meet with a mobster he despises, Jake Lynch… 

Lynch: “You’ll get used to it in a minute.”

Gunn: “The steam, maybe, not the company.”

NOTES:

This episode was the first of the series to air in 1959, airing on January 5.

Carlo Matzi’s wife Maria and friend Vincent Cano (who turned out to be Maria’s lover) must have known Carlo EXTREMELY well! And “extremely well” might be even be an understatement. Though both offered to pick up pizzas for the party in the opening sequence of this episode, they somehow knew that Carlo would insist on picking it up himself. How were they so sure that Carlo would insist on that?

Benny Faccio was killed by hoods hired by Maria Matzi, likely shot with a gun. Does it seem realistic that they would decide to engage in hand to hand combat with Peter Gunn when Gunn stumbles upon them instead of shooting him too?

DECEASED: Carlo Matzi in car explosion from bomb rigged by Vince Cano or Carlo’s wife Maria Matzi or by someone they hired. Benny Faccio killed by hoods hired by Maria Matzi (killing not shown, but he was likely shot). 

Total Gunn Kills: 0 - Series Total: 6.

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