Okay, fine; this ain't a review, see. What it is, it's a confession. See, I remember this opening performance of John Cassavetes, and it's a great one. Only thing is; well, it's like this... What I remember, and what is true can be completely conflicted in reality, so, I put off finishing out my Perry Mason collection until later, and bought into this program from Amazon this month. Next month's Amazon budget is spoken for, so I know it's a gamble, but what the hey?

One of the best TV detective shows. Cool, if improbable. The gritty NYC location shots compare favorably with other great programs of the era like NAKED CITY, but are somewhat more moody. The beatnik characters are less goofy than the patronizing look at the Beats that Peter Gunn features. It's just an altogether hip show.EPISODE LIST http://epguides.com/JohnnyStaccato/ Season 11. 1- 1 12901 10 Sep 59 The Naked Truth2. 1- 2 12906 17 Sep 59 Murder for Credit3. 1- 3 12912 24 Sep 59 Parents4. 1- 4 12904 8 Oct 59 Shop of the Four Winds5. 1- 5 12914 15 Oct 59 The Nature of the Night6. 1- 6 12916 22 Oct 59 Viva, Paco!7. 1- 7 12918 29 Oct 59 Evil8. 1- 8 12902 5 Nov 59 Murder in Hi-fi9. 1- 9 12915 12 Nov 59 Fly, Baby, Fly10. 1-10 12913 19 Nov 59 Tempted11. 1-11 12911 26 Nov 59 The Poet's Touch12. 1-12 12926 10 Dec 59 A Piece of Paradise13. 1-13 12923 17 Dec 59 The Return14. 1-14 12922 24 Dec 59 The Unwise Men15. 1-15 12921 31 Dec 59 Collector's Item16. 1-16 12907 7 Jan 60 Man in the Pit17. 1-17 12930 14 Jan 60 The Only Witness18. 1-18 12927 21 Jan 60 Night of Jeopardy19. 1-19 12931 28 Jan 60 Double Feature20. 1-20 12929 4 Feb 60 List of Death21. 1-21 12925 11 Feb 60 Solomon22. 1-22 12920 18 Feb 60 An Act of Terror23. 1-23 12903 25 Feb 60 An Angry Young Man24. 1-24 12939 3 Mar 60 The Mask of Jason25. 1-25 12935 10 Mar 60 A Nice Little Town26. 1-26 12919 17 Mar 60 Swinging Long Hair27. 1-27 12905 24 Mar 60 The Wild Reed

Despite Cassavetes' sometimes intense acting style (or maybe because of it), "JOHNNY STACCATO" was easily one of my favorite TV shows of the late 50s, early 60s. It had a dark-haired, bedroom-eyed, brooding hero and it had jazz - really GOOD jazz, sometimes even great jazz by big names like Pete Condoli and Ray Brown and Mel Lewis (the latter two would later form one-half of the MJQ). East coast jazz mixed with private eyes was a popular theme in that black and white era (think "PETER GUNN" and "FIVE FINGER EXERCISE" with David Hedison and Luciana somebody as his OTT Italian girlfriend). STACCATO didn't last more than one year but it was well-written, beautifully shot, and certainly caught the zeitgeist in its web. There is even one episode that starred a young Mary Tyler Moore. Get a copy on CD or video and prepare to be impressed.

I got to see a handful of episodes one night in Northampton, Massachusetts. A friend of a friend was screening some 16 mm prints he had. I'm a huge fan of John Cassavetes. This series was a terrific showcase for his acting. He plays a jazz musician who sides as a P.I., surrounded by mobsters, hop heads, and femmes fatal. It's such a treat. If you should ever have an opportunity to catch the show I think you'll be glad you did.