GUNN (1967)

Wedged between a trio of epic productions (two with runaway budgets, and one of those a career altering fiasco), Blake Edwards came out with a quick pair of inexpensive projects.  This unheralded expansion of his popular PETER GUNN tv series (with composer Henry Mancini’s earworm theme), followed by his largely one-set Jacques Tati homage, THE PARTY/’68.*  Both films ignored at the time, the latter, with Peter Sellers’ tour de force/politically incorrect Indian actor, long rediscovered/reevaluated, but this very ‘60s, slow-to-boil detective yarn still little seen, underappreciated.  The rare Edwards film not shot in some WideScreen process, it’s only slightly embellished from the tv model which works nicely for steady development of the case as Craig Stevens’ Gunn investigates a mob ‘rub-out’ on a yacht and finds likely suspects in another mob hoping to move on their territory.  The main fun comes from Gunn methodically hitting likely spots in a fast changing L.A. waterfront scene (river rats, brothels & strumming folkies on the way out/hard core gangsters, arcades & free-love hippies on the way in).  Some of the interiors are pretty dire, gaudy as a high priced Reno motel suite, but the casting is on-the-nose, young Ed Asner excellent as a top police dick, even former Wagnerian Helen Traubel showing up as a beloved club owner.  And if some of the twittering sex-babes are now period embarrassments, its fun to see how much Cary Grant Edwards is able to pull out of Craig Stevens and his charcoal gray suit.  Strikingly so at times under Philip Lathrop’s lensing (lots of succinct connect-the-info panning shots, plus a mini-LADY FROM SHANGHAI mirror shootout and a pre-title James Bond action sequence before some very Bond-like opening credits).  Neat modest fun, with a couple of twists you won’t see coming as things heat up toward the end.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *Look quick to see Mancini at the piano.

DOUBLE-BILL: As mentioned above, THE PARTY.  THE GREAT RACE and WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY? were the large-scale pics just before and DARLING LILI right after.  The last two, like GUNN, co-written by William Peter Blatty of EXORCIST fame.  (Edwards half-heartedly tried reviving PETER GUNN in 1998 on tv with Peter Strauss.)