Gunn is a 1967 American neo noirmystery film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Craig Stevens, based on the 1958-1961 television series Peter Gunn. Stevens was the only regular cast member from the original series to appear in the film; the characters of Gunn's singing girlfriend Edie Hart, club owner "Mother", and police lieutenant Jacoby were all recast for the film. The movie was intended to be the first in a projected series of Peter Gunn feature films, but no sequels followed.
A gangster named Scarlotti once saved private detective Peter Gunn's life, but now Scarlotti's been killed, and Fusco intends to take over the town's crime syndicate. Gunn and Lt. Jacoby are convinced that Fusco himself must be behind it.
Gunn makes a visit to Mother's, the nightclub, and talks to Mother. Afterward, he has a romantic interlude with Edie but is interrupted to pay a visit to Daisy Jane, owner of The Ark floating brothel. She hires Gunn to find out who the killer is. When Gunn returns to his apartment, much to his consternation he finds Samantha "Sam" who tries to seduce him. Even worse, Edie and a hitman appear at the same time.
Gunn contacts his informants, and after more killings, he and Jacoby descend upon Fusco who seems obviously guilty. Fusco denies it in front of the two, and in a later beating of Gunn, he denies it again, giving a deadline to Gunn—to solve the murder or end up dead himself.
William Friedkin recalled that he met Blake Edwards in September 1966. Edwards told him he was considering a return of the Peter Gunn television show but would begin by making a Peter Gunn feature film. Edwards told Friedkin that Charles Bludhorn, the new head of Paramount thought Lola Albright "too old" to resume her former role and instead wanted an Austrian actress who Edwards rejected. Edwards wanted Friedkin to direct the film but Friedkin thought William Peter Blatty's script was awful, explaining the script was like some of the old television episodes cobbled together rather than something new and exciting.[1][2] Edwards directed the film himself. Blatty was impressed by Friedkin's honesty and asked him to direct The Exorcist (1973). Edwards' film was originally titled[3]—but then only advertised as—Gunn...Number One!; no sequels followed.
As for Friedkin's comment that the script was like some of the old television episodes cobbled together, the film borrows heavily from the series pilot - season 1 episode 1, "The Kill" (mobster's death by fake Coast Guard vs fake police, burial, romantic interlude, meeting at racquetball court, bombing at Mother's) - and lifts sequences from three other episodes: season 2 episode 12, "The Briefcase" (girl in Gunn's apartment); season 2 episode 22, "Hollywood Calling" (chase through the boatyard); and season 3 episode 34, "Death Is a Four Letter Word" (talking to an informant).
In a 2016 interview, Sherry Jackson told how she was hired for the movie. "A friend took me to lunch in the noisy Paramount commissary while I was wearing the costume from the Star Trek episode, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?". I'm terribly near-sighted and when we walked in, it got quieter and quieter, so I asked what was happening. Turns out, they were all looking at me. All the seats were full, so we got a table in the director's room where Blake Edwards happened to be sitting. My friend told me he began pointing to me and giving hand signals to Craig Stevens in another part of the room and yelling to him 'Sam! Sam!' That turned out to be a character in Edwards' next film, 'Gunn,' and I was offered the part."[4]Herbert F. Solow, Paramount executive, recalled that the friend who led Jackson into the commissary was Star Trek actor William Shatner.[5]
Jackson continued: "But Paramount knew it was not going to be a big hit, so they wanted to use me to promote it. They got Playboy involved and offered me $25,000 to appear in the magazine." When Jackson declined, she says Paramount threatened to release some of the risqué still photos from the movie. According to Jackson, the studio said if she did the Playboy shoot, tame by today’s standards, she would have control over which images were published. "I was incensed, but accepted on the condition I wouldn’t take any money for it," she explained.[4] Jackson was filmed in a nude scene[6] that appeared only in the international version, not the U.S. release.[7] Stills of the nude scene appeared in the August 1967 issue of Playboy magazine, in a pictorial entitled "Make Room For Sherry".[4]
Although the complete Peter Gunn television series is available on VHS and DVD, the film version of Gunn has never been issued on home video in any format.[citation needed]
Trivia
In the TV series, Peter Gunn drives Chrysler Corp. convertibles. In this movie, he drives a 1967 Ford Thunderbird hardtop.
Playing the part of Daisy Jane in this movie, Marion Marshall was a veteran of the Peter Gunn t.v. show, having been in the season 1 episode, "The Chinese Hangman," playing the part of Joanna Lund.
Reprising his role as a well-spoken though tipsy informant, J. Pat O'Malley guest-stars as Tinker; he played the essentially same character in the Peter Gunn series' season 2 episode, "The Price is Murder", as Pithias, and in the season 3 episode, "Death Is a Four Letter Word", as Luther.
The only movie songs that originated in the t.v. series are "Peter Gunn" and "Dreamsville".
Julie Andrews mentions in her book, Home Work, that her husband, Blake Edwards, had collaborated with William Peter Blatty in writing several films, including Gunn.[8]
Music
Director Blake Edwards said, "As I entered the first scoring session of our new "Gunn" film, I was delighted to see that the band contained most of the familiar faces that had done the original TV show."
"Hank (Henry Mancini) and I had discussed the music for the "Gunn" film thoroughly, and he confessed to me that this was to be one of his most difficult assignments. The six years that had passed since the TV 'Peter Gunn' went off the air had seen sweeping changes, not only in jazz, but in all phases of the pop music spectrum."
"As the score unfolded, everyone on that scoring stage agreed that Hank had done what was needed -- he had brought 'Peter Gunn' up to date without sacrificing the feel and excitement of the original. I think you will agree."[9]
In 1967, RCA Victor released, “Gunn ...Number One!", Music from the Motion Picture Score Composed and Conducted by Henry Mancini. It was recorded at RCA Victor's "Music Center of the World" studios in Hollywood, California.
The soundtrack CD, "Gunn ...Number One!", was released by RCA/BMG Music Spain, S.A. in 1999.
Listed on the credits, the featured soloists are: Pete Carroll, trumpet; Dick Nash, trombone; Plas Johnson, Selmer varitone electric sax; Vincent De Rosa, French horn; Ted Nash, alto and baritone sax, flute; Bud Shank, baritone sax; Bob Bain, guitar; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Ray Brown, bass; Shelly Manne, drums; and Larry Bunker, vibes.[10]
Below are the movie song title, durations, and the credited soloists:[11]
Song titles
"Peter Gunn" – 2:05—Plas Johnson
"A Quiet Happening" – 3:05—Ted Nash, Bud Shank, Ray Brown
"Dreamsville" – 3:46—Larry Bunker, Vincent De Rosa
"Sky Watch" – 3:22—Larry Bunker, Jimmy Rowles, Pete Candoli, Ted Nash
"A Bluish Bag" – 2:53
"Theme for Sam" – 3:10—Jimmy Rowles
"The Monkey Farm" – 2:23—Bob Bain, Ted Nash, Plas Johnson
"A Lovely Sound" – 3:32—Dick Nash
"I Like the Look" – 2:39—Ray Brown, Shelly Manne
"Silver Tears" – 3:31—Larry Bunker, Bob Bain
"Sweet!" – 3:06—Larry Bunker, Pete Candoli, Dick Nash
Henry Mancini was an Italian-American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and twenty Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
The Ninth Configuration is a 1980 American psychological drama film written, produced, and directed by William Peter Blatty, in his directorial debut. It is the second installment in Blatty's "Trilogy of Faith" after The Exorcist (1973), and followed by The Exorcist III (1990). The film is based on Blatty's 1978 novel The Ninth Configuration, which was itself a reworking of his 1966 novel Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane! The initial 1966 publication of the novel featured an exclamation mark at the end of the title, while all subsequent publications saw it removed.
William David Friedkin was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in the early 1960s, he is best known for his crime thriller film The French Connection (1971), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and the horror film The Exorcist (1973), which earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and by ABC in 1960–1961. The series was created by Blake Edwards, who, on occasion, was also writer and director.
William Peter Blatty was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel, The Exorcist, and for his 1973 screenplay for the film adaptation of the same name. Blatty won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Exorcist, and was nominated for Best Picture as its producer. The film also earned Blatty a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama as producer.
The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair, and follows the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests.
Secondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials. He also recorded with Supersax, a Charlie Parker tribute band that consisted of a saxophone quintet, the rhythm section, and either a trumpet or trombone.
Pete Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton and worked in the studios of the recording and television industries.
The Music from Peter Gunn is a soundtrack album to the TV series Peter Gunn, composed and conducted by Henry Mancini, and released in January 1959 on RCA Victor. It was the first album ever to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1959. The album was followed by More Music from Peter Gunn, released on RCA Victor in July 1959. In 1998 the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"The Pink Panther Theme" is a jazz composition by Henry Mancini written as the theme for the 1963 film The Pink Panther and subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 37th Academy Awards but lost to the Sherman Brothers for Mary Poppins. The eponymous cartoon character created for the film's opening credits by David DePatie and Friz Freleng was animated in time to the tune. The tenor saxophone solo was played by Plas Johnson.
Darling Lili is a 1970 American romantic-musical spy film, written by William Peter Blatty and Blake Edwards, the latter also directing the film. It stars Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and Jeremy Kemp, with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This was the last full musical to have song lyrics written by Mercer.
Mr. Lucky is a CBS adventure/drama television series that aired from 1959 to 1960. The title character, played by John Vivyan, was an honest professional gambler who used his plush floating casino, the ship Fortuna, as his base of operations. His good friend Andamo helped him run the casino.
Peter Gunn is a 1989 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Blake Edwards. It was intended as a pilot to relaunch the Peter Gunn franchise starring Peter Strauss in the role of private detective Peter Gunn.
Richard Taylor Nash is an American jazz trombonist most associated with the swing and big band genres.
Lawrence Benjamin Bunker was an American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist. A member of the Bill Evans Trio in the mid-1960s, he also played timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.
Breakfast at Tiffany's: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack from the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn. The tracks were re-arranged parts of the film music composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. At the 1962 Academy Awards, Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer won Oscars for Best Original Song for "Moon River", while Mancini picked up a second statue for Best Original Score. The album also stayed on Billboard's album charts for over ninety weeks.
The Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural horror film written for the screen and directed by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1983 novel Legion. It is the third installment in The Exorcist film series, and the final installment in Blatty's "Trilogy of Faith" after The Ninth Configuration (1980). The film stars George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Nicol Williamson, and Brad Dourif.
The Exorcist is an American horror media franchise that originated with William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel of the same name and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adaptation of the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.
Peter Gunn is an album by saxophonist/conductor Ted Nash, led by Nash and arranged and produced by Maxwell Davis that was recorded in 1959 and released on the Crown label. The album is not Henry Mancini's popular score of the TV series Peter Gunn, which featured Nash playing "Dreamsville" on the original soundtrack, but a reinterpretation of the compositions issued to take advantage of the popularity of the series and theme.
The Pink Panther: Music from the Film Score Composed and Conducted by Henry Mancini is a soundtrack album from the 1963 movie The Pink Panther starring David Niven and Peter Sellers. The music was composed and conducted by Henry Mancini.
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