medjuck Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 I've been listening to a lot of old radio shows recently. I especially find the detective ones entertaining though they really don't compare to movies or books of the period. I just came across Pete Kelly's Blues, 13 episodes of which were broadcast during the summer of 1951. It appear that there are only 7 of the episodes still extant and i've heard 6 of them. They're definitely a rung above other radio dramas of the period. It's set in Kansas City in the early 20's. Wikipedia describes it as follows: "Pete Kelly was a musician, a cornet player who headed his own jazz combo, "Pete Kelly's Big Seven." They worked at 417 Cherry Street, a speakeasy run by George Lupo, often mentioned but never heard. Kelly, narrating the series, described Lupo as a "fat, friendly little guy." The plots typically centered around Kelly's reluctant involvement with gangsters, gun molls, FBI agents, and people trying to save their own skins. The endings were often downbeat. The supporting cast was minimal; apart from the off-mike character Lupo and occasional speaking parts by the band members (notably Red the bass player, played by Jack Kruschen), the only other regular role of note was Maggie Jackson, the torch singer at another club (Fat Annie's, "across the river on the Kansas side"), played by blues singer Meredith Howard. In one episode, Bessie Smith is mentioned as the singer at Fat Annie's instead of Maggie Jackson. Boozy ex-bootlegger Barney Ricketts would show up occasionally, an informant not unlike the character Jocko Madigan on Webb and Breen's Pat Novak for Hire. The episodic roles were filled by William Conrad (as various mob bosses), Vic Perrin, and Roy Glenn, amongst others. The music dominated the series. In addition to one song by Maggie Jackson, each episode boasted two jazz numbers by the "Big Seven." The group was actually led by Dick Cathcart, the cornet player who was Pete Kelly's musical stand-in. The other members of the group, all well known jazz musicians, included Matty Matlock on clarinet, Moe Schneider on trombone, piano player Ray Sherman, bass player Morty Corb, guitarist Bill Newman, and drummer Nick Fatool. The show's announcer was another frequent Webb collaborator, George Fenneman, who would open each show with "This one's about Pete Kelly." " Most crime radio shows are full of pseudo Chandleresque metaphors and snappy dialogue but this is the only one I've heard that actually pulls it off. The music is good too. Highly recommended. Apparently there was a tv series a few years later and an easily seen film that features Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks for the tip, Joe. I'm very familiar with Pat Novak for Hire, but I've never gotten around to Pete Kelly's Blues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Bobby Darin does a great version of that song on Atlantic; it's always been a big inspiration for me. The film was by Jack Webb, and, according to Floyd Levin, he based it on the life of his friend, the trumpeter Pete Daily who, IMHO, is one of the under-recognized greats of old time trumpet playing (and who also witnessed the same mysterious event that got Frank Melrose killed, and left town in a hurry, for a long time). I like the whole concept of the non-blues blue song; there's a piece on our new project called Pete Dailey's Blues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted August 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 You can download 5 episodes here: http://archive.org/details/PeteKellysBlues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks Joe! I see how to stream them, but I don't see how to download. Did you mean stream, or am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Peggy Lee should have won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. I can't understand why she never acted again in a major role. Did Hollywood think that Doris Day was the only blond singer that could act? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 too many schicksas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Why bring religion/ethnicity into this discussion? I find it really small minded and tiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 ok; just enough Schicksas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted August 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thanks Joe! I see how to stream them, but I don't see how to download. Did you mean stream, or am I missing something? Left hand side margin where it says mp3 zip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thanks Joe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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