Peter Gunn (TV Series) The Kill (1958) User Reviews

Mr. Cool

[gordonl56 · 9/10 · 3 April 2007]

PETER GUNN "The Kill" 1958

It is late at night and a police car is parked in a dark alley. It's occupants are watching a limousine drive by. They pull out and follow. On go their lights as they pull over the car. The two cops walk up to the vehicle and ask for the driver's i.d. The man responds with." What do you guy's want? Do you know whose car this is?" The cops smile, pull their guns, and then empty them into the car's passengers. It is a mob hit on the local boss by an up and coming gangster.

A couple of weeks later after the dust has settled, the new boss decides to expand his empire and gobble up the local bar's and clubs. One of these clubs is a little jazz place called "MOTHER'S" , managed by Hope Emerson. One of the establishments regulars is a smooth talking but hard as nails P.I. named Peter Gunn. The mob pays Emerson a visit to inform her of the new working arrangements. She tells them to hit the road.

Private Detective Gunn, played by Craig Stevens, is asked by Emerson if he might have a word with the new boss. Stevens has a less than friendly discussion with the said boss, played by Gavin MacLeod. MacLeod suggests Stevens should mind is own affairs and has a couple of goons show him out. A jab to the ribs, a hip toss and a non too gentle push down a flight of stairs takes care of the goons.

The mob then plants a bomb in "Mother's" to show they mean business. With Emerson in the hospital Stevens is now annoyed, really annoyed. He pulls one of MacLeod's lieutenants, Jack Weston, off the street for a small chat. With Gunn's pistol stuck in his eye he is more than happy to assist.

Stevens makes a call to MacLeod to arrange a meet. MacLeod agrees to the meet but sends his fake cops to give Stevens a little extra ventilation. With the help of Herschel Bernardi, the local police Lt., the fake cops fare poorly in a gun duel with the real thing. MacLeod and his boys are rounded up and "Mother's" is safe.

This has everything going for it, great characters, sharp dialogue, superb acting, outstanding photography and wonderful music.

A great intro...which doesn't seem to have a lot to do with the rest of the show.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 28 November 2013]

This show begins with an introduction very reminiscent of the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. A mobster and his entourage in a car are stopped by cops. However, these are not real policemen and they soon open fire--killing everyone in the vehicle.

Soon, a mobster (interestingly, played by Gavin MacLeod) is putting a lot of pressure on 'Mother'--a nightclub owner who is friends with Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens). And, since he likes Mother, Gunn agrees to take the case without pay. Now a weakness of the show is that there is no suspense--you KNOW the baddie is MacLeod and you know how he enforces his will. What isn't so apparent is that one of his henchman (Jack Weston) is a weak link in the organization. How will Gunn exploit this?

This is a pretty typical episode of "Peter Gunn"--it's stylish, with great music and a plethora of 1950s hipsters. Pretty exciting but a bit rushed because the show is only 30 minutes.

"INTRODUCING, Mr. PETER GUNN!" The Best Private "I" in the Annals of Television! Also, the Best Detecvtive Series, bar none! Sort of like having Carey Grant doing Sam Spade!

[redryan64 · 8/10 · 23 April 2008]

In kicking off any Television series, the producer has to bring to the Networks a fine and interesting "Pilot" episode. This initial offering has to be at once an exciting and intelligent of a story in order to generate and maintain interest in what is most usually an unknown commodity. Furthermore, while having no more running time to play with, other than that 30 or 60 minutes, which is normally allotted to a potential series opener; a good "Pilot" will cram a lot of extras into its running time.

In PETER GUNN: "The Kill", which brought gave the whole wide World its first glimpse of the ultra-cool, cultured, street-smart and smooth talking Private Detective. Not surprisingly. We see a Gunn that we most often get only a slight glimpse of. His relationships seem cool; as they are yet to be fully explored.

The main characters are all introduced and their borders are drawn; we are familiarized with their function in this and all coming stories. We have co-starring characters: Singer, Edie Hart (Lola Albright), 'Mother', owner of 'Mother's' Night Club (Hope Emerson), Lieutenant Jacoby (Herschel Bernardi) and former Rival Dog Food Spokesperson "Fleabag" as Gunn's faithful Dog, 'Yukon Spot'. (I just made that last on up, Schultz!)

The cast was exceptionally large for Series Television and included Gavin MacLeod and Jack Wesson.

The story is rich in plotting and characterization. It introduces the typical PETER GUNN opening grabber; you know, a seemingly quiet scene slowly building to a crescendo of sudden shock and action, with the sudden violent act, usually that of murder. That of course was followed up with the now all too familiar "Peter Gunn Theme" by Henry Mancini; accompanied by an abstract and pulsating visual, all done in glorious black & white. (This is a most ingeniously conceived and presented use of the marriage of the Theme (Sound) and the Titles (Sight).

The Tele-play included some of the types of the elements that we would only expect from a Feature Film. We saw a Gangland Hit done by some Uniformed "Cops" in full battle regalia (Uniforms) and driving a 'Prowler"(a marked Police 'Squad Car'); all as part of the opening. We were treated to a Gangland Funeral, with all of its Pomp, Circumstance & overdone gaudiness. The greatest portion of the remaining screen time involve Peter Gunn's sole entry and exploration of the Underworld in order to ascertain the Who, What, Where, Why and When of the whole miserable messy situation.

"The Kill" was hittin' on all cylinders what with this great opener. As an added bonus, Creator-Writer-Director, Mr. Julie Andrews, Blake Edwards gave us veteran character and veteran of the SUPERMAN TV Show, Mr. Billy Nelson as the opening scene's Chauffeur.

POODLE SCHNITZ!!

Lots To Like In This Old TV Show

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 20 December 2009]

It's always fun to go back and look at these Peter Gunn television shows. It brings back great memories. My dad loved this show, and usually if he liked something, I did, too. Years later, after learning all about film noir and collecting it on VHS and DVD, I appreciate this 50-year-old TV series even more. It's pure film noir; except it's in 25-minute stories.

What better than looking and listening to Lola Albright ("Edie") crooning at a smoky café called "Mother's?" What better than following the aloof and always-cool Craig Stevens as "Peter Gunn" as he battles the underworld (and sometimes cops)? What better than the great black-and-white photography and the jazzy notes of Henry Mancini? The soundtrack to these shows is fantastic!

In this opening show, we see all the above and gangsters have eliminated a boss of their own and replaced him with the captain of the Love Boat! Yes, Gavin MacLeod, who also gained fame later as "Murray" on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," is "Fallon," the new head punk in town.

Jack Weston, another well-known and often-seen TV actor, does a great job of portraying one of the gang members, "Dave Green." Weston, more than MacLeod is the real guest star here.

The crooks get Gunn really ticked off one night when they plant a bomb underneath the floor and nearly kill the nightclub owner. Pete's very close to "Mother," so he's on the rampage. This is about as brutal and rough as Gunn ever got. Great stuff! I only wish all of these episodes were available on DVD.

Attempted Change of Control

[biorngm · 28 September 2017]

Prologue: Gangland vice-lord is murdered along with his two henchmen while being pulled over by two cops in a bogus patrol car. Film noir funeral gravesite includes self-appointed new mob boss, Fallon, new henchmen Green and Ives, greeting PI Peter Gunn, telling him the new leadership will be making changes, that includes Mr. Gunn. Lieutenant Jacobi is at the same funeral indicating all attending can be considered no good. Extortion is in season at Mother's as the owner tells Pete Fallon's men have approached her for a 50% cut of the action and she wants Pete to assist with the rectification of this matter. Pete visits the health club of Fallon requesting he back off, with Fallon refusing to cooperate. Unintentional humor seeing a thin twenty-seven old bald Gavin MacLeod playing handball as Pete visits the club and is told no to his request. A good episode overall but Gavin MacLeod as the heavy! Gavin was near perfect as Murray and Cpt. Steubing, even as Happy, but the man doesn't cut it as a up and coming crime vice-lord. Jacobi informs Pete a certain tailor reported missing by his wife had $10,000 deposited in his bank account recently. Now both men make it that fake cops killed the former kingpin Fusary and his men the other night in a bogus cop car. Mother's is dynamited as Pete and Edie are just out back of the club with the owner hospitalized with a 50/50 chance of survival prompting Pete to work ahead of the police escorting henchman Green at gunpoint back to the club. Green is Jack Weston, an actor acceptable for the part, and a formidable thespian in his right. Sniveling Green bends to Gunn's intimidation of the crimes committed, as Pete extracts a confession about fake cops, past and soon to be present. The shootings are inevitable when Green steps out of Mother's after knocking Pete's pistol away. Jacobi and the real police mop up the rest of the gang through guns and arrests. Pete narrates during the closing scene at Mother's, with the owner counting the till, Barney's behind the bar bandaged and serving, Edie singing, and fade out. The initial episode sets the overall series' tone with starring cast members and recurring players portraying their roles in excellent fashion, along with the night, the music with smoke filled rooms and gunfire.

Peter Gunn 1958

[williammaceri · 10/10 · 22 January 2024]

I was 3 years old in 1958, too young to watch the show, but my folks loved it and I do remember the music, who doesn't. I watch it now on MeTv. I love the music, the stories, the actors and the late 50s "Forward Look" Chrysler Corporation cars. My favorite character; Lt Jacobi played by Hershal Bernardi. He's great! I'm watching right now. A 1958 light colored Chrysler Imperial, two door hardtop pulls up. I think based on the roofline it's a Southampton. What a beautiful car, I remember riding in those huge Imperials. The interiors were big and luxurious and the dashboards were magnificently space age like all of Chryslers back then. If you haven't watched, I highly recommend you do. Other than the film quality itself, black and white, and poor sound, it's a great show, it's easy to forgive the poor quality.

One cool cat

[Fluke_Skywalker · 7/10 · 7 July 2023]

When you think of Private Eyes from this era, it likely evokes images of rough men in rumpled suits who look like they haven't slept in two days. Enter: Peter Gunn.

Gunn is the antithesis of these stereotypes, with his tailored suits and too cool for the room attitude. He's less pulp and more posh. He saunters around backed by a jazzy soundtrack in a world that's not nearly as black and white as the color palette he inhabits.

This first episode doesn't exactly do much heavy lifting when it comes to setting up characters or world building. We're just sorta dropped off on the doorstep of a nameless city and have to play catch up as we go. Said city is very atmospheric and the whole atmosphere is classic noir.

Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn is great. He's effortlessly cool and yet his polish never betrays the fact that he's a man who can get his hands dirty when he needs to.

A few characters who I assume will be regulars appear, and chief among these is Lola Albright's Edie. Looking and sounding as if she was created by some sort of noir A. I. machine, Albright absolutely owns every second that she's on screen.

Some of the classic first episode kinks are here, but far more works than doesn't, and I'm willing to bank that it only gets better from here.

Excellent start to the series

[grantss · 9/10 · 30 July 2022]

An excellent start to the series. Great film noir feel to proceedings, all that was missing was Humphrey Bogart. Very interesting and stylish: for a 26-minute episode it sure does pack in a lot of plot development.

Can't wait to watch Episode 2.

No "Gunn" control here

[kapelusznik18 · 6/10 · 15 July 2014]

***SPOILERS*** In the first episode of the series "Peter Gunn" Peter Gunn, Craig Stevens, is off and running with him involved in trying to solve the murder of mob kingpin "Big Al" Fusary, Sam Scar, by a couple of rouge or phony cops who stopped him, even though he wasn't behind the wheel, for driving without a license! Attending the big man's, Fusary, funeral Gunn meets the person who had him whacked the up and coming just out of his diapers George Fallon, Gavin MacLoad, who tells Gunn he plans to run his good friend "Mother's", Hope Emerson, high class night club out of business and turn it into a sleazy combination gambling den and bordello. Amoug the other things that are going on in "Mother's" club is its star attraction the pretty and smoldering blond singer Edie Hart, Lola Albright, Gunn's personal squeeze who would end up, together with "Mother", losing her job if she refuses to work for Fallon:Just get a load of Edie's cool and sexy rendition of the song "Day In Day Out" which has to be the highlight of this inaugural "Peter Gunn" episode.

Gunn with the help of his policeman friend Let. Jacoby, Herschel "The Bird" Bernardi,try to prevent Fallon and his hoods from doing any harm or damage to "Mother" or her nightclub but they beat them to it by blowing the place up with a bomb set by Fallon's explosive expert Dave Green Jack Weston, that levels the place, while Gunn and Edie were in it, and put "Mother" on life support at a local hospital! Now having a personal stake in the matter Gunn takes the law into his own hands and after kidnapping and getting Green to confess his role in bombing "Mother's" joint has him thrown to the wolves, or the Fallon Mob, in them thinking that he ratted them out to the police.

***SPOILERS*** It' now up to the police lead by Let.Jacoby and Gunn to put an end to Fallon's totally incompetent and Mickey Mouse crime organization which completely fell apart after the murder, by Fallon's hoods, of mob boss "Big Al" Fusary who successfully ran the crime organization for over thirty years! While given the chance the babyish hot shot and snot nose Fallon couldn't even run it for more then a week!

"The Kill" was quite an exciting first ep of "Peter Gunn"

[tonyvmonte-54973 · 9/10 · 4 May 2024]

After seeing the final ep of this show, I rushed to the very first ep I recorded from MeTV. A gangster head gets killed, a new one takes it's place, the place the title character frequently attends is a target for a takeover, and there also some fake cops involved. Oh, and there's a beautiful singer the lead detective is crazy about and vice versa. Craig Stevens is that title character, Herschel Bernardi is Lt. Jacoby who often cooperates with him, and Lola Albright is the stunning Edie Hart especially when she's warbling. Of the guest stars in this initial ep, I recognized Jack Weston as one of the henchmen but after looking at the closing credits, I had to watch some of the ep again to then also recognize Gavin MacLeod as the new gangster. Be that as it may, this was a fine first ep written and directed by creator Blake Edwards and scored by his frequent composer Henry Mancini. Very exciting, that's for sure! Oh, and I especially loved the exchange between Stevens and Albright on that rooftop!

The Kill

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 11 July 2020]

Peter Gunn the classic detective show with the killer theme tune.

So what's it all about? After watching the first episode, I have no idea despite it having a voice over!

Wikipedia tells me that Peter Gunn is a well dressed sophisticated private investigator who loves jazz. Maybe the first episode could had filled in the background more.

It starts off with two guys dressed as cops who kill some big time gangsters. An execution carried by the orders of George Fallon who has now taken over the crime operation.

Then the jazz club run by Mother is being extorted by Fallon's henchmen. Gunn makes a plea on her behalf to Fallon but it just leads to a bomb going off.

Gunn decides to bluff one of Fallon's men to bring Fallon out to the open and the waiting cops.

It is a zippy and an underwhelming half hour show. It is not what I expect from an opening of a new series. Maybe the broadcaster just switched the order of the episodes.

Weaker Entry in a Groundbreaking Series

[dougdoepke · 28 February 2016]

Hallmarks of the groundbreaking series are present in this initial entry—the bang-up hook, the cool jazz scene at Mother's, clever banter with Edie and Jacoby, plus noirish light and shadow, and last but not least, exotic characters like gender-bending Mother. The episode itself is spottier than usual with gaps in the narrative as though editing was looser than usual. For example, head gangster, Fallon (a top-billed Mac Leod), hardly appears at all. (Did he drop out of production for some reason. That might explain problems with continuity.) Nonetheless, that explosion had me under the chair. It's the entry's centerpiece and a real lulu. Anyway, an old- time racketeer is gunned down and his successor is squeezing Mother for money. Naturally, Pete takes a dim view of this and goes after the big guy through one of his nervous underlings (Weston). All in all, it's a sub-standard episode but with the clear promise of better things to come.

I guess this was good at the time?

[cherold · 5/10 · 30 April 2024]

I heard this was an old noir-ish tv series so I thought I'd take a look. It's an oddly paced show. It's only a half hour long, and in the user reviews someone said that was a problem because they didn't have the time to develop a story, but the show spends an endless amount of time on a rather dull conversation with Gunn's hot girlfriend so in a way it seems they had more time than they knew what to do with.

The half hour was a weird mix of overlong scenes, short scenes that didn't really go anywhere, and continuity skips that just hopped to the next place in the story. The story itself barely qualified as a story.

The acting is decent, it's got a couple of good lines, and it does have a noir-ish look. For 1958 television it might have been great. Watching it in 2024 for the first time though, it doesn't come off that well.