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Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Richard L. Breen (writer)
Release Date:
31 July 1955 (USA)
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Tagline:
A jazz-man of the wide-open '20s - caught in the crossfire of its blazing .38s! more
Plot:
In 1927 Kansas City Pete Kelly and his jazz band play nightly at a speakeasy. A local gangster starts...
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
Another 1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Actress Janet Leigh Dies at 77
(From IMDb News. 4 October 2004)
Peggy Lee's Family's Oscar Fury
(From WENN. 5 April 2002)
(From IMDb News. 4 October 2004)
Peggy Lee's Family's Oscar Fury
(From WENN. 5 April 2002)
User Comments:
Music and gangsters collide in the roaring 20's.
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Jack Webb | ... | Pete Kelly |
 | Janet Leigh | ... | Ivy Conrad |
 | Edmond O'Brien | ... | Fran McCarg |
 | Peggy Lee | ... | Rose Hopkins |
 | Andy Devine | ... | George Tenell |
 | Lee Marvin | ... | Al Gannaway |
| Ella Fitzgerald | ... | Maggie Jackson |
| Martin Milner | ... | Joey Firestone |
| Than Wyenn | ... | Rudy Shulak |
| Herbert Ellis | ... | Bedido (as Herb Ellis) |
| John Dennis | ... | Guy Bettenhouser |
 | Jayne Mansfield | ... | Cigarette Girl |
| Mort Marshall | ... | Cootie Jacobs |
| Moe Schneider | ... | Band member (Big 7) |
| George Van Eps | ... | Guitarist (Big 7) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Warnercolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) |
Mono (RCA Sound Recording) (optical prints)
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
In August 1957, this film was being widely shown on a double bill with The Last Hunt (1956).
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Colgate Comedy Hour: (#5.33)" (1955)
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Soundtrack:
Bye Bye Blackbird
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (22 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Notes on PETE KELLY'S BLUES | JSlack3 |
| Ella's 90th birthday tribute on PBS | Briwilmen |
| He Needs Me | acshore86 |
| DVD et al. | RAS-1 |
| song in dance hall | craigb1946 |
| Song in Pete Kelly's Blues | parkerppi |
Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
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| Some Like It Hot | Three on a Match | Chicago | The Roaring Twenties | The Helen Morgan Story |
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| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
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"Pete Kelly's Blues" gave Jack Webb a chance to direct and star in this film that compliments his close, tight, factual emphasis on the characters and the story. It's a no-nonsense film that combines some good musical moments with the times of the roaring 20's, when the gangs were determined to make money in every venture, or cause the venture to cease to exist. Such is the situation for Pete Kelly and his jazz band.
Kelly, played by Webb, enjoys the fact that his band can pretty much come and go as they see fit, perform, collect their fees, and move on to other clubs, other towns. They are good at what they do, and a local gangster, played to the hilt by Edmond O'Brien, sees a chance to move in. He tells Kelly that the band must allow his new girl a chance to perform, plus give him a sizable cut of their appearance money. The singer, played by Peggy Lee, just wants to get a start in show business, and O'Brien wants to control her start on a career. The film moves to an eventual expected climax, but the ending for Peggy Lee is not a happy one.
The cast included Janet Leigh, Andy Devine, Lee Marvin (a good guy role), and Ella Fitzgerald, who contributed some moving tunes in her own special style. Peggy Lee did garner an Oscar for best supporting actress, and it was deserved.
A film piece that deserves more than one chance viewing.