Johnny Staccato [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

"Why did I leave the Village that night? Because I put my musicians union card in mothballs five years ago. When it dawned on me that my talent was an octave lower than my ambition. So while my heart is still on the bandstand, I pay for the groceries away from the piano. And when I get a business call these days, even at two in the morning, I answer it..."

Staccato - or Johnny Staccato as it became slightly better known through reruns - may only have lasted a single season in 1959, but it cast a pretty big shadow for those who saw it. Starring John Cassavettes as a former jazz musician turned private eye, it was a genuinely hip take on the genre with a voice-over riddled with jazz slang and some initially surprising production values that made many episodes look like a classy film noir in miniature and sound like nothing else on TV thanks to a superb Elmer Bernstein score that ranks alongside his classic Man with the Golden Arm. It didn't hurt that each episode included regular musicians like Shelley Mane, Red Norvo and Johnny Williams (later John Williams of Star Wars and Jaws) both on the soundtrack and sometimes on screen in the jazz joint that doubled as Johnny's office, while the lineup of directors wasn't too shabby either, John Brahm, Boris Sagal and Paul Henreid among them, with Cassavettes himself directing five episodes. The plots often didn't stand up to too much scrutiny, with neat hooks like scandal mags-cum-blackmail rackets, heroin addicted musicians and black market babies all wrapped up a little too neatly by the bad guys getting stupid before the 25 minute running time was up, and there was the odd bit of overacting from a hypercaffeinated Cassavettes, but the attitude and gritty location feel of the show gave it a real freshness that still endures. Rather than being stuck on the studio or backlot, enough of it really was shot on the streets of New York in a style that straddled classic noir and early cinema verite to give it a unique flavour even if some of the episodes were rather too obviously trying to weave stock location scenes with soundstage work away from the big city.

There were interesting guest stars too - Charles McGraw, Elisha Cook Jr, Dean Stockwell, Martin Landau, Elizabeth Montgomery, Mary Tyler Moore, Jack Weston, Cloris Leachman, Harry Guardino, Michael Landon, Sig Ruman, Norman Fell, John Marley and Alexander Scourby (excellent as a mercenary revivalist preacher) among them. He even found himself on a plane with real-life wife Gena Rowlands and a bomb in one episode while the pilot included Burt Lancaster's regular sidekick Nick Cravat in a rare speaking role, which is almost like hearing Harpo Marx speak in the novelty stakes! It may not be the greatest private eye series, but it's just enough off he beaten track to carve out a unique niche for itself and, if you're in the right mood in the wee small hours of the morning it hits just the spot.

Timeless Media's three disc set is extras free but does offer decent transfers of all 27 episodes (albeit with a some of minor instances of music replacement for contractual reasons) and is well worth picking up - but you might as well order Elmer Bernstein's fantastic soundtrack album at the same time, because after you see the show you'll probably want that as well.

Oh they really don't make 'em like this anymore-this has got to be the coolest detective show i have ever seen-never heard of it b4-it was shown on NBC & ABC in 1959 & 1960-not sure if it was ever shown in the UK-filmed in New York City it stars John Cassavetes as jazz pianist Staccato who is also a PI. Each episode is like a mini film noir,a lot of the action takes place in the jazz club 'Waldos'in Greenwich Village-27 episodes full of violence,guns,cheap broads,booze,jazz,smoking-what more do u want to relax to? -great quality prints.

I remembered this show as a kid on Australian TV around 1960-61 and along with PETER GUNN I guess it was my first introduction to jazz - Henry Mancini on the latter and on JOHNNY STACCATO music by Elmer Bernstein (themes) in jazz mode, and what was basically Shelley Manne and His Men, with John (then Johnny) Williams on piano in the scenes at Waldo's, where Johnny S. plays a little piano and takes his calls for his rather odd PI jobs. Over 50 years later, JOHNNY STACCATO looks and sounds great - with each episode containing almost wall-to-wall music for its 25 minute running time, a very noirish feel to its settings and shootings and the plus of quite a lot of on location shooting (clearly done on the run and without permits) which gives us a great look at NYC and Greenwich Village - when it was really cool. Cassavettes is terrific, and directed a few episodes himself. The Timeless transfers are actually pretty good overall. That we have this available to us at all is something of a wonder. Grab it while it's still available, it's a must for fans of 60s US crime TV and especially the jazz of the period.