Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)

Director:

Jack Webb

Writer:

Richard L. Breen

Release Date:

31 July 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Music

Tagline:

A jazz-man of the wide-open '20s - caught in the crossfire of its blazing .38s!

Plot:

In 1927 Kansas City Pete Kelly and his jazz band play nightly at a speakeasy. A local gangster starts...

Plot Keywords:

Speakeasy | Kansas City | Gangster | Jazz Band | Flapper

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

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)
Ray Sherman	...	Band member (Big 7)
Matty Matlock	...	Band member (Big 7)
Eddie Miller	...	Band member (Big 7)
Nick Fatool	...	Drummer (Big 7)
Jud De Naut	...	Bassist (Big 7)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Abney	...	Piano Player (uncredited)
Perry Bodkin	...	Tuxedo Band Member (uncredited)
Nesdon Booth	...	Squat Henchman (uncredited)
Teddy Buckner	...	Cornet Soloist (uncredited)
Dick Cathcart	...	Trumpet Player / Webb's Cornet Double (uncredited)
Harper Goff	...	Tuxedo Band Banjo Player (uncredited)
Jester Hairston	...	Mourner, Pre-Credit Sequence (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Drunk in Speakeasy (uncredited)
William Lazeras	...	Dako (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Argumentative Husband in Speakeasy (uncredited)
Harry Morgan	...	(uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Herman S. Saunders	...	Pianist at Jazz Club (uncredited)
Joe Venuti	...	Tuxedo Band Member (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Webb

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Richard L. Breen

Produced by
Jack Webb	....	producer

Original Music by
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
Ray Heindorf		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Harold Rosson		(as Hal Rosson)

Film Editing by
Robert M. Leeds

Production Design by
Harper Goff

Art Direction by
Feild M. Gray		(as Feild Gray)

Set Decoration by
John Sturtevant

Costume Design by
Howard Shoup

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup artist
Stanley E. Campbell	....	makeup artist (as Stanley Campbell)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harry D'Arcy	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Leslie G. Hewitt	....	sound
Dolph Thomas	....	sound

Stunts
Helen Thurston	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
James Potevin	....	chief set electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gene Martin	....	wardrober

Music Department
Matty Matlock	....	music arranger: Pete Kelly's Big 7
Teddy Buckner	....	musician: cornet (uncredited)
Frank Comstock	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Harry B. Friedman	....	publicist (uncredited)
William Guthrie	....	location chief (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Mark VII Ltd.

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1983) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) | Mono (RCA Sound Recording) (optical prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Fleming Plantation, Lafitte, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Mark VII Ltd.

Trivia:

"Pete Kelly's Blues" was originally a radio series created by Richard L. Breen and starring Jack Webb. It ran on NBC as a summer replacement series from July 4 to September 19, 1951. "Pete Kelly's Blues" (1959) later became a short-lived TV show, produced by Jack Webb.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Colgate Comedy Hour: Episode #5.33" (1955)

Soundtrack:

Somebody Loves Me

The hole in the donut

This was Jack Webb's labor of love and his big shot at big screen stardom. Humphrey Bogart was aging, (and soon to die), and perhaps Webb saw himself as an heir to his thrown. He certainly was a lover of everything about the 1920's into which he was born and of the jazz of the time in particular. He was a competent actor, (quite good in 1950's "The Men", opposite Marlon Brando) but ultimately lacked the presence and ability necessary for stardom. he we see him completely outacted by two who did, Edmund O'Brien and Lee Marvin, (who would have been a fabulous choice to play Pete Kelly). Webb seems trapped in his Joe Friday characterization. Particularly poor his the scene where he first confronts O'Brien, as gangster McClarg, in anger. Kelly, (Webb), knocks out McClarg's henchmen. McClarg then breaks a bottle on the bar and offers Kelly a chance to beat him to it. Kelly then shrinks into intimidation and sulks out. The scene is preposterous to begin with: why would Kelly be intimidated by McClarg when he's just kayoed hi body guard? But Webb clearly has no idea how to play it. He just stars blankly at O'Brien, then turns around and, hunched over and with his arms dangling lifelessly at his side, he marches out stage left while the music swells up to convey Kelly's humiliation to us much more effectively than Webb does.

Where Webb really excelled was as a director. He opens this with a shot of a New Orleans jazz funeral. Period detail is exquisite throughout. The dialog is snappy and authentic. The music, of course is great if jazz is to your taste. Any film with both Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald singing in it is work a listen. This one is worth a look, as well. There are great camera shots, particularly when one of Kelly's associates gets gunned down in an alley. The final confrontation is exciting and well-staged. As noted below, it was clearly influential to modern directors. The cast of the film is uniformly excellent except for Webb himself. Peggy Lee is great and one wonders why a significant acting career didn't follow. O'Brien, in a rare villain role, is forceful without the overacting he's often guilty of. Marvin dominates every scene he's in and Martin Milner, a much underrated actor, is excellent in an early role as well. Andy Devine is a revelation as a tough cop. You've got to see it to believe it. Janet Leigh appears as Kelly's girlfriend. She's essentially window dressing but very attractive window dressing. But it's hard to tell what attracted her to Kelly. Webb is so stiff an uncomfortable in their romantic scenes that their relationship is hardly credible.

This film would probably be regarded as a classic today if Webb had not insisted on playing the lead, but who can blame him? It was his big chance on the big screen. He created an exquisite donut to star in. But this donut had a hole in it and he was that hole.