Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)

the leading man is my tpye

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

Bandleader Pete Kelly (Jack Webb) struggles to get out from under the thumb of a gangster (Edmond O'Brien) in 1920s Kansas City. A departure for Dragnet star and creator Jack Webb, who was also a huge jazz fan. Like Dragnet, Pete Kelly's Blues was originally a radio show. It only lasted three months. I heard some of it on satellite radio a few years ago and actually enjoyed it. This idea was also turned into a short-lived TV series (again by Webb) a few years after this movie. So obviously this concept was a labor of love for Jack Webb.Actingwise, Webb is his usual stiff self here. It works better with Dragnet where he played a straight-laced character. Here he's a rough fit. I especially find it hard to swallow beautiful and flighty rich girl Janet Leigh would be so into him. Still, the Dragnet-style narration and rapid fire dialogue make the part fit Webb even if he doesn't fit the part. The rest of the cast is good. In addition to Leigh and O'Brien, there's Lee Marvin in a small part, Andy Devine as a detective (!), and Than Wyenn as the amusing owner of a club the band plays at. But the scene stealer is Peggy Lee as O'Brien's drunk moll that Webb is forced to take into the band as a singer. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance and it's well-deserved. The music, script, and direction are the movie's biggest strengths. It's definitely worth a look, particularly for Dragnet fans.

This could be my favorite movie of all time. Why? Because of Jack Webb's deadpan delivery and some of his "corny" (may I use that word?) acting? Could be, along with great jazz music, great performances by top name actors, and entertainers, 1920's setting, and interesting story line. Jayne Mansfield made her first screen appearance here very briefly as the cigarette girl. Janet Leigh and Lee Marvin show up along with Martin Milner of Route 66 fame, and Andy Devine in a surprise roll (anyone remember "Pluck your magic twanger, Froggy?"). Edmund O'Brien has a major role as a hard ass.Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald give great singing performances. I plan to buy the soundtrack with vocals. There apparently are two soundtracks; one with some vocals and the other only instrumental.I always thought of Jack Webb as just a Dragnet guy until I came across the VHS movie version about 10 years ago. What a great surprise and it finally hit DVD status the past year. This movie and the actors may not register with anyone under age 40 but I recommend you give it a try especially if you like jazz.

Pete Kelly's Blues was one of three radio shows that starred Jack Webb. In addition to Dragnet, there was also Pat Novak For Hire. It, and Pete Kelly's Blues, dripped with colorful similes, which Dragnet didn't.For those who, like me, listened to the radio show, the film is especially nice; for those who didn't, the story might drag a bit.The story's simple: during the Roaring 20s, Pete Kelly headed a band that a gangster wanted a cut of the profits from. He leaned on Kelly, and after killing one of his band members, gets the bandleader to sign up. Then, he forces Kelly to "hire" a lady vocalist, the gangster's girlfriend. Eventually, Kelly gets into a shootout showdown with the gangster.Kelly isn't a stereotypical hero: he talks tough, but usually folds when the chips are down.But the atmosphere's really nice, and the music is great. The Pete Kelly theme is a little overused, but it still sounds good.

Very little to say that this movie doesn't say oh so very well. Jack Webb is definitely the Man. Disregard what others say about him being too stiff--how the hell else is someone supposed to get by in this cutthroat business of gangsters and con-men? Webb's stoicism is very much in the tradition of Joe Friday, no doubt about it. But as Pete Kelly, we get to see the tender side that had already been killed off by the daily drudgery of police work in Dragnet. Dig: the sincerity on his face while watching Ella perform. Dig: the do-or-die determination that gets him out of (and into) so many dangerous situations. Webb's performance gives us a hero worth rooting for: sincere, tough, unsentimental, and totally honest: no fakery here, no razzle-dazzle. He just does what he has to do. Enough words. Go see the movie!