''Pete Kelly's Blues'' is a 1955 musical crime film based on the 1951

radio series A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

. It was directed by and starred

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...

in the title role of a bandleader and musician. Janet Leigh is featured as party girl Ivy Conrad, and Edmond O'Brien as a gangster who applies pressure to Kelly.

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

portrays alcoholic jazz singer Rose Hopkins (a performance for which she received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role).

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

makes a cameo as singer Maggie Jackson (a character played by a white actress in the radio series). Lee Marvin, Martin Milner, and Jayne Mansfield also make early career appearances. Much of the dialogue was written by writers who wrote the radio series '' Pat Novak for Hire'' (1946–1949), and the radio version of ''Pete Kelly's Blues'' (1951), both of which Webb starred in for a time before creating '' Dragnet''.

Plot

Jazz

cornetist The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopra ...

Pete Kelly (Jack Webb) and his Big Seven are the house band at the 17 Club, a speakeasy in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

in 1927 during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. Crime boss Fran McCarg ( Edmond O'Brien) is moving in on the local music scene and wants a percentage of the band's meager earnings. When the band resists, Kelly decides to decline the strongarm and see what happens. After the night's last set, Rudy, the club manager, orders Kelly and the band to the mansion of Ivy Conrad ( Janet Leigh), a wealthy

flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...

with a reputation for hosting rowdy parties . Reluctantly, Kelly arrives at the party and leaves a message for McCarg to call him there. When the call comes through Kelly is busy fending off Ivy's advances; instead, it is intercepted by Kelly's drunk, hot-tempered drummer, Joey Firestone (Martin Milner), who abusively turns McCarg down. Kelly and his band are run off the road by unknown assailants as they drive back to town and Firestone is thrown out of the car over its hood. The following night, Firestone roughs up Guy Bettenhauser, McCarg's top hired gun. Kelly desperately tries to patch things up, but to no avail. As the band finishes its last number, two gunmen burst through the front door of the club. Kelly tries to save Firestone by sending him out the back, but Firestone is shot to death in the alleyway. Tired and frustrated by his drummer's murder, and the subsequent departure of his long-time friend and clarinetist, Al (Lee Marvin), Kelly returns to his apartment to find Ivy asleep in his bed. Although he initially tries to throw her out, then resists her advances, the two strike up a relationship that turns with the passing months into an engagement. Later, all the local band leaders meet secretly to decide how to respond to McCarg's pressure. When Kelly reaffirms that he will put up no resistance, the rest cave in. Detective George Tennel ( Andy Devine), who is trying to take McCarg down, tries to enlist Kelly's help but is refused. McCarg again tries to befriend Kelly, telling him that Bettenhauser acted alone in Firestone's murder. He also presses his moll, Rose Hopkins (Peggy Lee), a one-time talented songbird gone to the bottle, on the band. Her singing rapidly improves, but not her drinking. One night, soused, she cannot bring herself to overcome an unruly crowd and quits mid-song. An enraged McCarg chases her to her dressing room and beats her senseless, causing her to tumble down a flight of stairs in a heap. Kelly then turns to Tennel, who informs him that Bettenhauser has skipped town. Al drops in to see Kelly. The two come to blows over Kelly's capitulations, but patch things up, and Al rejoins the band. In a burst of spine, Kelly tries to buy his way out, but McCarg intimidates him into continuing. Meanwhile, Ivy, feeling left out by Kelly's dedication to his music, decides to go her own way. Kelly gets a message to meet someone who turns out to be Bettenhauser. He tells Kelly it was McCarg who ordered Firestone's death, but if Kelly can come up with $1,200 by daybreak, he will help him take down McCarg. Kelly agrees. Bettenhauser then tells Kelly he can find incriminating bank checks and papers in McCarg's office at the Everglade Ballroom. Back at the club, Kelly arms himself, but is waylaid by a clueless Ivy, who wants a last dance with him. He insists he does not have the time. Kelly rifles a desk in McCarg's office, but before he can get what he needs the ballroom's riotous

orchestrion Orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll and less commonly book music. The sound is us ...

begins to blare; Ivy is there, insisting on her dance. Kelly fretfully agrees, but soon finds himself surrounded by McCarg and two of his torpedoes. One of them is Bettenhauser, who had set him up. A wild shootout ensues. Kelly barricades himself behind wooden tables. Bettenhauser climbs into the rafters to get a better angle, but gets plugged. McCarg's other man tries to shoot Kelly, but Kelly throws a chair at him, causing him to hit and mortally wound McCarg instead. Seeing this, the gunman gives up, saying he has nothing left to gain risking his life. Back at the 17 Club, it is business as usual – the band lively playing, Ivy and Pete back together, and Rudy finding ways to cut more corners.

Cast

as Pete Kelly * Janet Leigh as Ivy Conrad * Edmond O'Brien as Fran McCarg *

as Rose Hopkins * Andy Devine as George Tenell * Lee Marvin as Al Gannaway *

as Maggie Jackson * Martin Milner as Joey Firestone *

Than Wyenn Than Wyenn (May 2, 1919January 30, 2015) was an American character actor. His acting career spanned more than forty years with more than 150 credits in film and television. He may be best known for his role in the 1960 '' Twilight Zone'' episode ...

as Rudy Shulak *

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010), known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, and raised ...

as Bedido * John Dennis as Guy Bettenhouser * Jayne Mansfield as Cigarette Girl * Mort Marshall as Cootie Jacobs * Moe Schneider as Band member (Big 7) * George Van Eps as Guitarist (Big 7) * Ray Sherman as Band member (Big 7) * Matty Matlock as Band member (Big 7) * Eddie Miller as Band member (Big 7) *

Nick Fatool Nick Fatool (January 2, 1915 – September 26, 2000) was an American jazz drummer. Music career He was born in Millbury, Massachusetts, United States. Fatool first played professionally in Providence, Rhode Island, which he followed with time i ...

as Drummer (Big 7) * Jud De Naut as Bassist (Big 7)

References

External links

* * * *
Senses of Cinema: ''Pete Kelly's Blues'' by John Flaus

Movie trailer featuring Jack Webb with behind-the-scenes comments about the ''Pete Kelly's Blues'' movie
{{Ella Fitzgerald 1955 films 1955 crime drama films American crime drama films American musical drama films American romantic drama films Films about prohibition in the United States Films based on radio series Films set in 1915 Films set in 1919 Films set in 1927 Films set in Jersey City, New Jersey Films set in Kansas City, Missouri Films set in New Orleans Jazz films Mark VII Limited films Warner Bros. films Films directed by Jack Webb CinemaScope films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links