GREAT DETECTIVES & PEOPLE OF MYSTERY #61

PETER GUNN


Created by Blake Edwards, Peter Gunn was like nothing seen on TV before.  He was suave, sophisticated, hep to the jive, and groovin' to the oh-so-cool jazz beat.  Gunn hung out at Mother's, a swank jazz club on the waterfront of a big but never named city, wearing his Ivy league finest and with his best gal, singer Edie Hart.  Craig Stevens was Gunn, Lola Albright played Edie, Hope Emerson was Mother, and Herschel Bernardi was Lieutenant Jacoby, the long-suffering, sad-faced police pal of Gunn.  A highly innovative and influential show, it boasted a hit theme song by Henry Mancini and was the first private eye series created solely for television, that was not based upon any previous medium.  Edwards created Gunn from his earlier Richard Diamond radio and TV series.  It was the success of Diamond that prompted Edwards to revisit the concept as Peter Gunn.  Lola Albright said of her role as Edie, "My whole career had been sort of ordinary.  Peter Gunn changed all that."

TELEVISION

"Peter Gunn" ran for three seasons, the first two on NBC and the last on ABC.  114 total episodes were produced.  On NBC it appeared from September 22, 1958 through June 27, 1960.  On ABC it ran October 3, 1960 until September 18, 1961.  Blake Edwards attempted a reboot of the show in 1989 with Peter Strauss as Peter Gunn.  The pilot was broadcast on ABC on April 23, 1989, but nothing resulted from the airing.

COMICS & MERCHANDISE

A single issue of "Peter Gunn" was published by Dell as part of their Four Color series, #1087.  The issue had a photo cover from the TV show with artwork by Mike Sekowsky and Frank Giacoia.

A paperback original authored by Henry Kane was published by Dell with a photo cover from the show.  The Lowell Toy company produced a Peter Gunn board game in 1960.

FILM

"Gunn" Paramount, 1967.  Craig Stevens, Helen Traubel, Laura Devon, Ed Asner, Sherry Jackson.  Written and directed by Edwards.  A gangster who once saved Gunn's life has been killed, and a rival gangster (the number one suspect) tells Gunn to solve the murder or end up dead himself.

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