JOHNNY STACCATO: THE NAKED TRUTH {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere in this series of private detective dramas about Johnny Staccato, a jazz pianist who supplements his income by working as a private detective in New York City, often meeting clients and jamming with other musicians at Waldo's, a Greenwich Village club. In this episode, Johnny is hired to help a young singer, Freddie Tate, who is being blackmailed by the publisher of a scandal magazine. As the program opens, Staccato is playing the piano at Waldo's, jamming with such noted jazz artists as Pete Candoli, Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell, Red Norvo and Johnny Williams. Staccato receives a phone call from Tate's lawyer and learns that a scandal magazine known as the Naked Truth is threatening to publish the truth about Tate's sordid past. Tate, who has turned his life around, is worried that the story will destroy all of the work he has done to help juvenile delinquents. Staccato confronts the magazine's publisher, A.J. Templar, causing terrible results for Tate. Templar orders his thugs to take care of Staccato, but the private investigator remains determined to bring Templar down. Commercials deleted. (This series also aired on ABC in 1960.)
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: September 10, 1959 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:53
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T85:0937
- GENRE: Drama, police/private detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/private detective
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1959-1960
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- William Frye … Executive Producer
- Joseph Pevney … Director
- Richard Berg … Writer
- Elmer Bernstein … Music by
- Pete Candoli … Instrumentalist, Trumpet player
- Barney Kessel … Instrumentalist, Guitar player
- Shelly Manne … Instrumentalist, Drums
- Red Mitchel … Instrumentalist, Bass
- Red Norvo … Instrumentalist, Vibes
- Johnny Williams … Instrumentalist, Piano
- John Cassavetes … Cast, Johnny Staccato
- Eduardo Ciannelli … Cast, Waldo
- Chick Chandler … Cast, Phil Kovac
- Michael Landon … Cast, Freddie Tate
- Stacy Harris … Cast, A.J. Templar
- Nick Cravat … Cast, Lotsie
- Ruta Lee … Cast, Dee Dee
- Robert H. Harris … Cast, Senator Bly
- Frank Sully … Cast, Night Watchman