"Peter Gunn" The Vicious Dog (1958)

Director:

David Orrick McDearmon

Writers:

Blake Edwards (creator)
Blake Edwards (written by)

TV Series:

"Peter Gunn" (1958)

Original Air Date:

6 October 1958 (Season 1, Episode 3)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Crime | Drama

Plot:

When newspaper editor George Walker is viciously attacked by a German shepherd, he calls on Peter Gunn to find out why...

Plot Keywords:

Private Detective | Detective | Famous Opening Theme | Jazz | Neo Noir

Cast

Craig Stevens	...	Peter Gunn
Lola Albright	...	Edie Hart
Hope Emerson	...	Mother
Herschel Bernardi	...	Lieutenant Jacoby
Virginia Christine	...	Nancy Davis
Paul Dubov	...	Carl Kane
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Homer Tweed
Tyler McVey	...	George Walker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Byron Kane	...	Barney (uncredited)
Mathew McCue	...	Hobo Listening to Poetry (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Hobo Listening to Poetry (uncredited)

Directed by
David Orrick McDearmon		(as David O. McDearmon)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Blake Edwards		creator
Blake Edwards		written by

Produced by
Blake Edwards	....	producer
Gordon Oliver	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
Arthur E. Arling		(as Arthur Arling)

Film Editing by
Patrick McCormack

Art Direction by
Philip Barber		(as Phil Barber)
Alexander Golitzen		(as Alex Golitzen)

Set Decoration by
H. Web Arrowsmith		(as Webb Arrowsmith)
Russell A. Gausman

Makeup Department
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack McEdward	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Holland	....	assistant director (as Bill Holland)

Sound Department
Leslie I. Carey	....	sound
Corson Jowett	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sydney LaVine	....	wardrobe coordinator
Don Richards	....	wardrobe: Mr. Stevens

Music Department
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Rolly Bundock	....	musician: bass (uncredited)
Gene Cipriano	....	musician: flute (uncredited)
Bones Howe	....	music recording engineer (uncredited)
Ronnie Lang	....	musician: saxophone (uncredited)
Richard Nash	....	musician: trombone (uncredited)
Ted Nash	....	musician: alto saxaphone (uncredited)
Jack Sperling	....	musician: drums (uncredited)

Other crew
Byron Kane	....	assistant to producer

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Blake Edwards		creator

Sound Department
Jim Bullock	....	supervising sound editor

Production Companies

• Spartan Productions

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1958) (USA) (TV)
• Timeless Media Group (2012) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Emerson's  wardrobe: Miss Albright (as Emeson's)

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Spartan Productions

Soundtrack:

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

In This Case, The Bite Was Worse Than The Bark

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

A very scary opening scene highlights this particular episode. It was a bit shocking 50 years ago, and it still is such. A man comes home from work, opens his garage door and then shuts it. Suddenly, while he's still next to his car, the door re-opens quickly and a big German Shepherd comes racing into the garage and savagely attacks the man.

Another man, controlling all this with a whistle, has the door open back up and the dog come back to him. They disappear while the victim staggers down his driveway and collapses. Wow......pretty dramatic stuff for TV back then.

It turns out the victim is a newspaper writer "George Walker," who has been writing things that a mobster "Carl Kane" isn't happy about, and Kane warned the write to back off....or face the consequences.

He just did.

Now lying in the hospital in serious condition, the newsman puts a friend of his, Peter Gunn, on the case. Actually, Pete volunteers to do it for free......but almost lives to regret that.

This is a tense episode involving numerous threats and the dog, who comes back, of course, at the end. In the middle, we get a respite with a classic tune from the beautiful Lola Albright ("Edie Hart").