For a change of pace, we’re going to shift from big screen to little in order to check out the way film noir style made its way into in late 50’s and early 60’s American television (via both film and radio, I should add). We’ll see the familiar hard-boiled dicks, mobsters, and scaled-down versions of the femme fatale, played out against urban landscapes of both splendor and savagery. Because a series needs to keep its hero alive, the shows may pull a few punches, but there’s plenty of action.
Here’s a guide to the four episodes we’ll watch from among the half-hour noirsque shows you might see on your set from ’58-’60, with emphasis (after the first show) on one-season wonders:
Series: Peter Gunn
Season/Episode: (1.1, 1958) “The Kill”
Protagonist: Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn
Occupation: private investigator and sophisticate
Setting: Nameless fictional riverfront city
Sidekicks/Sweethearts: Herschel Bernardi as Lt. Jacoby; Lola Albright as singer/girlfriend Edie Hart
Longevity: 1958-1961 (114 episodes)
Series: Johnny Staccato
Season/Episode: (1.1, 1959) “The Naked Truth” (apologies for subtitles)
Protagonist: John Cassavetes as Johnny Staccato (also directed 5 episodes)
Occupation: Jazz pianist and private detective
Setting: New York City
Longevity: 1959-60 (27 episodes)
Series: Dante
Season/Episode: (1.8, 1960) “The Bavarian Barbarians”
Protagonist: Howard Duff as Willie Dante
Occupation: Nightclub owner and former gambler
Setting: San Francisco
Sidekicks/Sweethearts: Alan Mowbray as Stewart Styles (maitre d’); Tom D’Andrea as Biff (right hand man); Mort Mills as Lt. Bob Malone
Longevity: 1960-61 (26 episodes)
Series: Man with a Camera
Season/Episode: (2.10, 1960) “The Picture War”
Protagonist: Charles Bronson as Mike Kovac
Occupation: risk-taking photographer for hire
Setting: New York City
Longevity: 1958-59; 1959-60 (26 episodes)
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Join us Sunday, 3/15 at 9pm EST for #BNoirDetour TV Noir!
Link for the full four-show line-up: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHLMAFgpSdqiwdAdeDmMFbvwjlvKodnmX
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