ABC SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIE: PETER GUNN (TV)
Summary
This made for television production is an updating of the classic television show, now set in the late ‘60s, about the cases of private detective Peter Gunn. The program begins as a masked assassin watches as mobster Julius Katoulas takes a swim in his pool. A live wire is dropped in the water and Julius is electrocuted. That night in a club, singer Edie Hart croons “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good”) as Peter enters and exchanges pleasantries with club owner “Mother.” She tells Peter that two of gangster Tony Amatti’s men are looking for him. Later, Edie meets Peter on the rooftop and she asks why he hasn’t called. They’re interrupted by Tony’s goons, who force him to go see their boss. In a restaurant across town, Peter meets with Tony and his beautiful new girlfriend, Sheila Shaw. Tony wants to hire Peter to find out who killed his rival, Julius. He’s afraid that Spiro, Julius’s brother, will think Tony is responsible for the murder. As they’re talking, two of Spiros’s men enter the restaurant with Tommy guns and shoot up the joint. Lt. Herschel Jacoby, Peter’s partner from his old days on the police force, arrives to start an investigation, though all feign to have seen nothing. Afterward, Peter accepts Tony’s offer. In his lair, Spiros is angered to hear that Tony wasn’t killed, and that he was meeting with Peter. Heading to his office, Peter meets dim-witted Maggie Duggan, who is substituting for secretary Bernice. However, Maggie doesn’t realize who Peter is, and initially tries to stop him from getting to his desk.
Spiros’s henchmen enter the office and take Peter to their leader. During Peter’s meeting with Spiros, the gangster admits that the death of Julius gives him an excuse to kill Tony. Then, an assassin takes aim at the group and kills one of Spiros’s men. Peter goes to see Herschel, who says that the police commissioner doesn’t want Peter working for Tony. Peter speculates to Herschel that the assassin is trying to start a mob war. Peter goes to see Speck, one of his snoops, at a pool hall. Speck says that rumors are floating around town that the shooters are cops. Returning to his apartment, Peter finds a terrified Maggie tied to his bed. She says two masked men overpowered her. Edie then stops by and spies Maggie trying to compose herself. Edie subsequently leaves in a huff. Back at Spiros’s apartment, two assassins fire through a window at his poker game. He then sends his men to kill Tony. Peter takes Maggie home, and is trailed. As he gets Maggie to her apartment, she tells him that she’s going to quit. Later, Peter finds a drunk Edie in a bar and tries to explain what happened with Maggie, to little avail.
Peter returns to his apartment and finds an undressed Sheila in his bed with a bottle of champagne. They flirt until the doorbell rings; Maggie enters, insisting on telling Peter that she’ll keep the job until Bernice returns. Edie subsequently arrives and questions Maggie about her secretarial position. Maggie and Edie soon see Sheila in a state of undress. Maggie then opens the closet and the bodies of Rusty and Slick, two of Spiros’s men, fall out. Just then, Lt. Russo and Lt. Holstead stop by, having heard a report of gunshots. Herschel quickly follows, keeping everyone from leaving the apartment. Peter tells Herschel that the killer was trying to frame Tony. As the men sort through the case, they’re watched by assassins. Meanwhile, Sheila reports back to Tony as they discuss their plan for her to seduce Peter and get information. In the hospital, Spiros complains to his injured henchman about Tony. When Spiros leaves, the henchman is killed by the assassin. Maggie arrives at Peter’s apartment, saying that Speck called with a tip. Once with Speck, Peter is taken to see another stool pigeon, Willy, who says he saw cops fire into a limo and murder its occupants. Before Willy reveals the cops’ names, shots are fired at Gunn and Willy, who is killed. Elsewhere, three of Tony’s men are found dead in a limo. As Herschel questions if cops are truly the culprits, he sees an angry Spiros brought into the police station.
Peter goes to see Tony and Sheila, telling them that he thinks that cops are the culprits. When Sheila leaves the restaurant, Peter follows her to a roadside diner. There, she meets with Sgt. Holstead and Sgt. Russo. She exchanges kisses with Sgt. Russo. Peter goes into an apartment above the eatery, which is owned by Sgt. Holstead. Sgt. Holstead follows with a gun and they fight, with Peter getting the better of him until Sgt. Russo arrives. Sgt. Russo explains that they’ve been working for Tony, and wanted to get out of his employ. Thus, Sgt. Russo killed Julius to start a mob war, which would get Tony killed. He also states that the whole concept was Sheila’s idea. The two corrupt cops escort Peter from the apartment, but Herschel is waiting for them outside, having found Sgt. Russo’s fingerprints on an incriminating rifle. When violence threatens to erupt, Herschel shoots and kills Sgt. Holstead, who has left Herschel wounded. Sgt. Russo declines to kill Herschel, but a handcuffed Peter manages to take down Sgt. Russo with a well-placed bullet. Trying to flee her apartment, Sheila is arrested. Peter interrupts a meeting between Tony and Spiros, both of whom are gleeful to have found out that cops were behind the bloodshed. Peter gives back Tony’s money before heading to Mother’s club in time to hear Evie singing “Dreamsville.” Sitting at a table with Maggie, Peter tells her that Herschel will recover from his wounds. Maggie reveals that Bernice isn’t returning to the job and that she’d like to be Peter’s permanent secretary. Finally, Peter reunites with Evie. Includes commercials. Also includes an “ABC News Brief” with Tom Jarriel.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: April 23, 1989 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:55:35
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:16853
- GENRE: Drama, private detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, private detective
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1989
- COMMERCIALS:
- 'TV - Commercials - Tylenol pain relief
- TV - Commercials - AllerAct allergies medication
- TV - Commercials - Carnation Instant Breakfast meal
- TV - Commercials - First Interstate Bank banking
- TV - Commercials - MasterCard credit card
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Midas mufflers, brakes
- TV - Commercials - Oldsmobile automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Parkay butter substitute
- TV - Commercials - Revlon Clean & Clear conditioner
- TV - Commercials - Subaru automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Volkswagen automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Woolite fabric wash
- TV - Commercials - Wrigley's gum
- TV - Promos - "ABC Monday Night Movie: Gideon Oliver"
- TV - Promos - "Coach"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "Growing Pains"
- TV - Promos - "Have Faith"
- TV - Promos - "MacGyver"
- TV - Promos - "Over the Edge"
- TV - Promos - "Roseanne"
- TV - Promos - "The Robert Guillaume Show"
- TV - Promos - "The Wonder Years"
- TV - Promos - "Who's the Boss?"
- TV - Promos - "World News Tonight With Peter Jennings"
CREDITS
- Tony Adams … Executive Producer
- Blake Edwards … Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Based on characters created by
- Olivier De Courson … Supervising Producer
- Phillip Herman … Supervising Producer
- James Krug … Supervising Producer
- Trish Caroselli Rintels … Associate Producer
- Henry Mancini … Music by
- Peter Strauss … Cast, Peter Gunn
- Peter Jurasik … Cast, Lt. Herschel Jacoby
- Jennifer Edwards … Cast, Maggie Duggan
- Barbara Williams … Cast, Edie Hart
- Charles Cioffi … Cast, Tony Amatti
- Richard Portnow … Cast, Spiros Katoulas
- Debra Sandlund … Cast, Sheila Shaw
- Leo Rossi … Cast, Lt. Paul Russo
- Tony Longo … Cast, Sgt. Holstead
- Pearl Bailey … Cast, Mother
- David Rappaport … Cast, Speck
- Andre "Rosey" Brown … Cast, Bouncer
- Jeffrey Allan Chandler … Cast, Abe Greenspan
- Vito D'Ambrosio … Cast, Futsy Modine
- Willy Garson … Cast, Rusty
- Mary Pat Gleason … Cast, Nurse
- Robin Greer … Cast, Hooker
- James N. Hamilton … Cast, Henry
- J.J. Johnston … Cast, Barney
- Israel Juarre … Cast, Angel
- Roseanne Katon … Cast, Waitress
- Arthur Mallet … Cast, Willie
- Chazz Palminteri … Cast, Soldier
- Gus Polizos … Cast, Gus
- Jeremy Roberts … Cast, Slick Spelling
- Charles Walker … Cast, Detective
- Eddie Zammit … Cast, Johnny Stefano
- for "ABC News Brief"
- Tom Jarriel … Anchor