Good show by all, well written, surprise outcome, and enlightening to see faces in among the characters portrayed, i.e. Ross Martin and Frank Gerstle. The prologue was all too familiar but it worked again with this series prompting the search for the actual perpetrators by our PI. Leads were from the moves made by the actual criminals, not by the number one suspect. The actions by those committing the crime leads up to the final confrontation. Watch and learn it is not always the principal suspect guilty of the crimes, but a surprise power play by not so obvious characters. I liked the episode because the usual intrigue was ever present, the regulars as well as guest stars helped make the story.
4 Reviews
Peter Gunn vs The Mob
gordonl5613 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Peter Gunn – THE FUSE – 1959 P.I. Peter Gunn, played by Craig Stevens, gets into a case involving a mob boss and a union reformer.
When the leader of the local stevedore's union, Gil Frye, gets himself blown up by a car bomb. Stevens is hired by the union to find out who did the deed. The number one suspect is mobster, Frank Grestle.
Grestle says he had nothing to do with the hit. He then offers Stevens five grand to clear him and find the real killer. Money is money, so Stevens pockets the cash.
P.I. Stevens roots around the docks looking for clues etc. He is soon joined by, union organizer, Ross Martin. Martin has heard that Stevens is now also working for Grestle. Exactly whose team is he playing for, Martin asks Stevens.
Suddenly, a pair of large thugs, played by, Jack Perkins and John Day jump Martin and Stevens. Fists start flying and a major dust-up ensues. Perkins and Day end up on the losing end of the exchange.
A little bit of "vigorous" questioning reveals that, Jay Lawrence, another union bigwig, was behind the hit. Lawrence had wanted to move up in the union. He figured, correctly, that mobster Grestle would get blamed for the hit.
Stevens' Police buddy, Herschal Bernardi, is called in and the proper people taken into custody.
Stevens pays a visit to mobster, Grestle, whom he informs is now cleared with the Police. He also tells Grestle to stay away from the union. Martin is the new union leader and wants nothing to do with the mob.
Also in the cast are, Hope Emerson, Lola Albright and Maxine Cooper. Cooper of course played Velda, in KISS ME DEADLY.
The director was David Orrick McDearmon. The story was by Blake Edwards.
A good way to kill half an hour. (b/w)
When the leader of the local stevedore's union, Gil Frye, gets himself blown up by a car bomb. Stevens is hired by the union to find out who did the deed. The number one suspect is mobster, Frank Grestle.
Grestle says he had nothing to do with the hit. He then offers Stevens five grand to clear him and find the real killer. Money is money, so Stevens pockets the cash.
P.I. Stevens roots around the docks looking for clues etc. He is soon joined by, union organizer, Ross Martin. Martin has heard that Stevens is now also working for Grestle. Exactly whose team is he playing for, Martin asks Stevens.
Suddenly, a pair of large thugs, played by, Jack Perkins and John Day jump Martin and Stevens. Fists start flying and a major dust-up ensues. Perkins and Day end up on the losing end of the exchange.
A little bit of "vigorous" questioning reveals that, Jay Lawrence, another union bigwig, was behind the hit. Lawrence had wanted to move up in the union. He figured, correctly, that mobster Grestle would get blamed for the hit.
Stevens' Police buddy, Herschal Bernardi, is called in and the proper people taken into custody.
Stevens pays a visit to mobster, Grestle, whom he informs is now cleared with the Police. He also tells Grestle to stay away from the union. Martin is the new union leader and wants nothing to do with the mob.
Also in the cast are, Hope Emerson, Lola Albright and Maxine Cooper. Cooper of course played Velda, in KISS ME DEADLY.
The director was David Orrick McDearmon. The story was by Blake Edwards.
A good way to kill half an hour. (b/w)
On the waterfront
Fluke_Skywalker24 July 2023
The Mob. Union politics. Classic staples of the noir genre. Of course, not everything is as it seems here, otherwise, it would be a pretty dull story. In the crossfire of all of this is the ever suave Peter Gunn.
Watching this episode gave me a full appreciation for the three elements that really help this show to cook. 1.) The performance by Craig Stevens. He has an effortless cool that is aided by 2.) The witty dialog. The writing on series television in this era was often ham-fisted and lacking wit. Not so here. The dialog in "Peter Gunn" is snappy and clever, and the main cast--particularly Stevens and the impossibly beautiful Lola Albright--really make it sing. And helping to give these two elements their mojo is 3.) The score. Mancini's cool modern jazz soundtrack sets the mood perfectly.
This is a tight episode, with really solid performances from the guest stars; particularly Ross Martin.
Watching this episode gave me a full appreciation for the three elements that really help this show to cook. 1.) The performance by Craig Stevens. He has an effortless cool that is aided by 2.) The witty dialog. The writing on series television in this era was often ham-fisted and lacking wit. Not so here. The dialog in "Peter Gunn" is snappy and clever, and the main cast--particularly Stevens and the impossibly beautiful Lola Albright--really make it sing. And helping to give these two elements their mojo is 3.) The score. Mancini's cool modern jazz soundtrack sets the mood perfectly.
This is a tight episode, with really solid performances from the guest stars; particularly Ross Martin.
A Good Mix
dougdoepke1 May 2017
Great double hook that surprised me. Overall, it's an excellent entry with just the right mix of Pete, Edie, Jacoby, and baddies. And that's along with noir lighting and grabber camera angles. I could of used more of gender-bending Mother (Emerson), however. Seems racketeer Lynch (Gerstle) is trying to take over waterfront union from honest Matzi brothers. When one of the brothers is killed, Pete's strangely hired to clear racketeer Lynch, of all people! So what's going on. Ross Martin turns in spirited performance as one of the Matzi's. Catch his many apt facial expressions. Also, Pete shows how to handle big empty boxes in dramatic way. And how about Edie's unsubtle seduction scene that pushes bounds of the time. All in all, it's the kind of series benchmark that helped define 1960's TV.
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