TV ON DVD

Feeling of film noir raises Peter Gunn’s cool quotient

Peter Gunn, The Complete Series
Peter Gunn, The Complete Series

— What is it? Peter Gunn, The Complete Series, 114 half-hour episodes on 12 discs from Timeless Media Group

When? Now

How much? $99.99

Who is Peter Gunn? Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens) is a detective - tough but charming. And he’s not the sort of detective you usually find running around in dark alleys or tailing shady bad guys through the bad part of town.

This isn’t your stereotypically rumpled, down-on-his-luck private eye. He’s a sophisticated man with expensive tastes, a sleek car and a nice apartment.

Primarily, he works out of Mother’s, a jazz club where his girlfriend Edie Hart (Lola Albright) is the singer, though she eventually has a place of her own. “Mother” (Hope Emerson in Season 1 and Minerva Urecal afterward) is a pretty tough customer herself.

Along with his grumpy police friend Lieutenant Jacoby(Herschel Bernardi), Gunn finds missing people, foils hitmen, follows cheating spouses and ferrets out murderers. He also finds the time to romance Edie, while fending off her attempts to establish a more solid commitment.

What’s it like? The best word for it is “cool.” There’s no beating this show, created by filmmaker Blake Edwards, for style.

Gunn is smart, suave and determined, possessing a dry sense of humor and a sharp wit. He doesn’t shy away from fisticuffs or gunplay either, when the situation calls for it.

This is a series that’s full of smoky rooms, dark alleys and cluttered rooftops, and in which everything happens to the beat of a modern jazz score.

It’s dark - literally. All the episodes I sampled were set entirely at night.

If you’re a fan of film noir, you’ll likely feel right at home.

Don’t think it’s all grim and serious, though. There’s a good bit of humor (of the gallows variety in many cases), and some episodes are lighter than others - for instance, an episode in which Edie finds a body in her shower.

The mysteries can suffer a bit from the half-hour format. The time crunch means the stories can feel rushed, with little opportunity to flesh out characters or plot. Of course, some people may find the bare-bones approach appealing.

The series ran from 1958-61, so for people who are used to big special effects, constant action and quick cuts, the pace could feel slow, and the approach might be a bit too low-key. It takes a bit of adjustment, but it is, undeniably, cool.

Are there extras? None on the DVDs, but you do get a CD of the series’ music, including the memorable Henry Mancini score.

Brief episode descriptions would have been nice. As it is, the titles written on each disc are the only indications of content.

New this week: Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution, Season 2.

Next week: Justified, Season 3; Being Human, Season 2; Trial & Retribution, Set 6.

Style, Pages 50 on 12/23/2012

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