Johnny Staccato to DVD Oct 12, 2010

[Nathan Dodge]

Okay fellow crime jazz aficionados! The 1959-60 TV show Johnny Staccato, is due out on DVD October 12! John Cassavetes starred as the private eye who moonlighted as a Jazz pianist--or was that the other way around? Anyway, this is a big deal to me and I can't wait! I do hope they change the box art, however...

 

[Katzenjammer]

Good news. I saw a couple episodes of the show in the 1990s at a local rep house (not sure how they got hold of them), and it knocked my socks off.

I like Cassavetes as a director (some features more than others), but he's such a fun actor to watch.

 

[dhermann1]

I remember that show from when it first came out. Great show! Very noire!

 

[Wally_Hood]

Very cool show. Saw several episodes on directv, before there was a falling out between DTV and the channel carrying the show. I will definitely put this in my queue.

 

[The Good]

I'd like to see this show, so this is good news. I find the jazz and crime themes appealing, and I even have the show's theme on my iPod, although it's most likely a cover...

 

[Nathan Dodge]

My favorite episodes:

"Solomon"- Directed by John Cassavetes. As arty and as Noir as this show ever got. It's easy to see how Cassavetes was influenced by European directors...or maybe vice versa. Cloris Leachman and Elisha Cook, Jr. are both great in this.

"Night of Jeopardy"- Cool plot twist in this story about some missing counterfeit plates; the term "T-Men" gets bandied about a lot.

"A Piece of Paradise"- Man, is this one downbeat and tragic. A brilliant episode. This is as about as dark in content as network TV got in 1959. A jockey is accused of murder, or was it that tough cop (Bert Freed) who hassles Johnny all the time?

While some aspects of the show are entertainingly dated, I'm impressed at how the best shows have a timelessness to them. Film school students should watch these to see how B&W photography is done. Cassavetes is always brilliant. He even breaks into "Victor Franko" mode on occasion!

Supporting cast: Eduardo Ciannelli as Waldo is a delightful father figure to Johnny Staccato; Garry "Quincy, M.E." Walberg and several fine guest stars. Martin Landau and John Cassavetes in the same room? They look like brothers!

Cassavates' voiceover is another notable aspect of the program, too. A must for Noirheads!

Other than a few instances of music replacement: in the episode "The Man in the Pit", where the opening number is overdubbed by some generic big band piece, and two vocal numbers that sound too contemporary but not as jarring as the instrumental overdub in "Pit."

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Man, this place is just lousy with Staccato fans! Perhaps I should've titled this thread "Johnny Depp Staccato."