S01/E27: BREAKOUT

An older man impersonating a priest and holding a Bible is led by a prison guard to the cell of convicted robber, Joe Taber, who also participated in the killing of a guard during the payroll heist of an armored car. Once inside the cell, the fake priest opens the Bible’s front cover, revealing that the book is hollow and contains a revolver. Taber quickly takes the gun and the fake priest grabs a metal drinking cup on the sink to rap onto the cell’s bars, letting the prison guard know that he’s ready to leave. (The priest was in that cell for only 23 seconds, yet the guard that left him there and returned for him didn’t seem a bit surprised about the extremely short amount of time that had passed.)  A short time later, Joe Taber swipes the same metal cup against the cell’s bars and the guard returns once again. Taber points a gun at the guard, forcing him to use a key to open the cell. (There is no dialogue whatsoever in this pre-title opening sequence, giving the impression that everyone is mute. However, no-dialogue scenes in episode openings were common for the Peter Gunn series.) The guard is led into the cell by Taber, who then strikes him in the back of the head (or neck) with the gun, causing the guard to fall unconscious. Taber then begins to remove the guard’s uniform from his body.




T
aber, now wearing the uniform (meaning he left the guard he knocked unconscious nearly naked back in the jail cell) approaches a gate where another guard is seated on the other side reading a newspaper. Taber points his gun and the guard hands him a large key ring with a single long key. Taber then strikes that guard on the back of the head causing him to fall unconscious. He opens the gate and flees as prison sirens signaling an escape begin wailing. (Who set off the sirens? There was nobody else there.)

Peter Gunn arrives at an apartment where he was called to meet with a man in a wheelchair and whose head and face is completely wrapped in bandages. There are openings in the bandages for just his eyes and mouth. What Gunn doesn’t know (and viewers don’t know at this point) is that the man is the prison escapee, Joe Taber. Taber says he was in a car wreck on the interstate last weekend. He tells Gunn he needs his brother located; that they had lost contact with each other “a few years ago.” Taber gives his brother’s name as Frank Norbert (who is not a brother; he was Taber’s partner in the armored car heist and had kept all the money after Taber was arrested. We later learn that Taber suspects Norbert of having double-crossed him and “ratted” him out to authorities in order to keep all of the stolen loot). Joe Taber pulls out a wad of cash from an envelope and asks Gunn if it will be enough to cover his fee. Gunn says $2000 is a lot of money for just finding an address. (How was Gunn able to count all the loose bills held in Taber’s hand as exactly $2000? Also, the man never gave his name to Gunn and Gunn never asked; that seems very unusual.)




Gunn arrives at the police station where Sergeant Rainey appears to be in charge while Jacoby is in the Captain’s office. The Captain is very upset over the “prison break”. Gunn asks Rainey if he had the information he’d asked about regarding a bad car wreck on the interstate. Rainey says State Highway Patrol informed him there were no collisions on the interstate last weekend. Peter Gunn then hands over the envelope containing $2000 to Rainey and tells him to give it to Jacoby, saying if his “hunch is right” that Jacoby will wind up confiscating it anyway. Obviously, Gunn suspects the money was obtained by his client illegally. Gunn then asks Rainey what he knows about a Frank Norbert. Rainey tells Gunn that Norbert has a good lawyer (making him difficult to prosecute) and owns a barber shop, but it’s a front for illegal activity, however, he’s not sure what the activity is.



Gunn enters the barber shop where a barber is standing in front of a mirror shaving himself. In a very raspy voice, he tells Gunn they are closed; it’s after 6:00PM. When Gunn asks for Frank Norbert, the barber appears to get angry and holds his shaving blade to Gunn’s neck. A hood behind Gunn asks if he’s through asking questions, a hint for Gunn to leave.



At Mother’s, Gunn takes a seat at a table and Mother walks over to greet him. Gunn asks Mother about Frank Norbert. She tells him that word around town is that Norbert has gone underground for the winter, but she’ll make some calls and let him know what she finds out. Edie then takes the stage and sings a song called “How About You?” Afterward, Edie and Gunn meet on the boat deck in back of the club for some intimate kissing and Edie complaining about how he doesn’t come around (or stay around) often enough. Mother then appears at the door, interrupting Gunn and Edie. They try to ignore her as they continue smooching, but Mother tells Gunn she has information on Frank Norbert. Mother tells Gunn that Norbert has a father who owns a deli in town.





Outside Mother’s, Gunn spots a hood seated in the driver’s seat of a car parked behind his. He ignores it and is about to get in his car when another hood inside points a gun at him, removes Gunn’s revolver, and then forces him into the other car.


Gunn is taken back to the barber shop where Frank Norbert is waiting. Norbert wants to know why Gunn was looking for him and Gunn explains that a client wants to know his location. (At this point, why doesn’t Gunn simply say that Norbert’s brother is the client?) When Norbert asks who the client is, Gunn says he doesn’t want to be identified. Norbert says it must be Joe Taber. When Gunn refuses to agree, he gets punched in the gut and back of neck by one of the hoods still holding a revolver at him. Finally, Gunn says Joe Taber wants his share of the $300,000 take (even though Taber never discussed that with Gunn). Norbert wants Gunn to take him to Taber, but Gunn says it’s best if he just gives him the money and he’ll take it to Taber. As they get ready to lead Gunn out the door, he quickly flips the hood with the revolver to the ground, causing the other hood behind him to also fall over. Gunn then takes cover behind a barber’s chair. Norbert pulls out a pistol and takes shots at Gunn, but misses and strikes the mirror. Gunn tosses a barber’s item from the counter at the lamp above, causing the shop to go dark. Gunn then finds a container of talcum powder and tosses it into Norbert’s face as he approached with the pistol, blinding him. Gunn then runs out the front door.



Peter Gunn enters his apartment looking worn out from the battle at the barber shop. His phone was ringing as he entered. Sergeant Rainey tells Gunn that Jacoby wanted to talk to him. Gunn tells Rainey what transpired at the barber shop and that he’s on his way to a café owned by Frank Norbert’s father. Rainey says Jacoby will likely want to meet him there.



Gunn parks his car near a place called Jan’s Café, but before going inside he spots someone on the corner of the block (or spotted a shadow, since the person was behind a wall). He walks over and finds Jacoby. Gunn and Jacoby enter Jan’s Café where they meet a kindly old man with a European accent. The owner becomes troubled when Gunn says he knows him to be Frank Norbert’s father. The old man says he had a boy named Frank “once” (as if the son is now dead). Jacoby tells the old man that Frank is wanted on suspicion of a robbery and a man was killed. The old man appears more upset that Frank is using the last name Norbert instead of Norbinski like him and his father before him. Jan Norbinski tells Jacoby that he doesn’t see Frank much unless “something is wrong”, then stays there at the café in a back room (set up like a bedroom). Norbinski shows Jacoby and Gunn the room. Norbinski says Frank was there during the afternoon and had said he would return “tonight”. Jan Norbinsky also says that all Frank ever has with him is a small steel box. Jacoby says the payroll heist money must be in that box. Gunn warns Norbinski that a man will come by the café looking for Frank Norbert and he shouldn’t try to stop him.






Peter Gunn calls Joe Taber and gives him the address for Frank Norbert; the café address. (Joe Taber and Frank Norbert were partners, yet Taber knows nothing of Frank Norbert’s father and the café?)

Lt. Jacoby and Peter Gunn, along with some uniformed cops in an unmarked car, stake out Jan’s Café. Two other detectives in suits also arrive. Soon after, Joe Taber arrives accompanied by his henchman, the man who impersonated a minister at the start of episode (and is listed in credits as “Minister”). They enter the café.

In the back room, Frank Norbert removes his tie and begins to get comfortable when Taber and Minister walk in. Taber points a gun at Norbert and demands his share of the “payroll job”. Norbert says he’d always intended to give it to him, but Taber got “nabbed”. Taber implies that he got nabbed “too quick”, as if someone had tipped off the cops. Taber says he wants his 150 grand. Norbert says sure and retrieves a small metal box. (That box is much smaller than an average sized shoe box, yet he has $300,000 in cash stashed in there? Impossible. Even if they were all 1000 bills, it is doubtful that Taber’s share, $150,000, would fit in there.) Norbert opens the box. (We can now see that it contains stacks of $500 bills and $100 bills; definitely a goof-up here. And the money appears fake!) Joe Taber becomes engrossed at the sight of the money and lowers his gun hand. Frank Norbert reaches for a gun hidden under the pillow and shoots Taber. Jacoby and Gunn dash into the room as Norbert escapes out a window with the cash box in his hand.



Outside, two officers chase Norbert. Gunn is at a second floor window and takes a shot at Norbert running away down the block, but misses. (Would Gunn really shoot someone in the back?) Norbert then turns to shoot, but it was lower to the ground, possibly at the cops chasing him.  (Once again an actor who appears to be doing a ballet dance while shooting; the hip movement was an absolutely ridiculous-looking sight.) The two detectives and the two uniformed cops take shots at Norbert and finally Norbert goes down. The money box opens and bills splatter all over the ground and blows all over the place with the breeze.


Mr. Jan Norbinski dashes out of the café. Joe Taber, nursing a non-fatal bullet injury to his upper body, and Minister are led out of the café by Jacoby and handed over to police officers. Mr. Norbinski kneels down beside his dead son and while crying says, “Norbinsky; Francis Norbinsky.” He then gets up and quietly walks down the sidewalk back toward the café, looking completely dejected.  


 

QUOTES:

When Gunn arrives at a barber shop that’s closed and the barber wants him to leave…

Gunn: “I’m not looking for a haircut.”

Barber: “You came to the right place.” (In other words: you’re not getting a haircut here, so leave.)

 

At Mother’s where Gunn tells Mother he’s looking for Frank Norbert…

Gunn: “I dropped by his barber shop.” (Where the barber held a shaving blade close to Gunn’s neck.)

Mother: “Oh, don’t get shaved there.”

Gunn: “I almost did.”

 

NOTES:

Film/editing goof-up: When Edie completes singing a song on stage at Mother’s, many patrons are seen seated at tables. Applause is heard from throughout the club, but NOBODY is clapping their hands!

Film/editing goof-up: At the barber shop where Gunn gets into a battle with Frank Norbert and some hoods; Norbert is seen removing a pistol from his waist and pointing it at Gunn. In the next scene the pistol is back on his waist and he removes it a second time to point it at Gunn and take some shots.

Lola Albright sings “How About You?” a song composed by Burton Lane, with lyrics by Ralph Freed. It was first heard in the 1941 movie Babes on Broadway when sung by Judy Garland, with Mickey Rooney joining in for some of the lyrics. One difference between the song sung by Judy Garland and that of Lola Albright was how Garland had used the name “Frank Roosevelt” (who was president at the time) in the song and Lola Albright named “Eisenhower”, who was president when this episode of Peter Gunn first aired. How about you? was also sung by Frank Sinatra and it appears on his 1956 album “Songs for Swingin' Lovers”.

 

See Lola Albright sing “How About You?”

 

DECEASED: An armored car guard killed by Frank Norbert and/or Joe Taber in an event that transpired before start of episode. Frank Norbert shot by police while trying to escape. 

Total Gunn Kills: 0 - Series Total: 7

 

Comment below your thoughts on this episode and this blog

 

NEXT BLOG: S01/E28: “PAY NOW, KILL LATER”

 

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