Es geschah in einer Nacht

A returning army vet travels to 1920's Kansas City and sets up a jazz band, only to fall prey to nightclub gangsters.

Rather tedious film except for the blues offerings which are too few to make up for the slow pace and a dour Webb in the lead role. He's in about every scene, which means there's no escaping his non-acting.

Actually, Webb's an interesting Hollywood figure. Dragnet (1951-1959) came along at just the right time for him. The Cold War meant authority was put in the best possible light, and Webb's Sgt. Friday embodied that no-nonsense professional. Plus, as director, Webb knew when to let human interest take charge, resulting in some of the best dramas of the day. Trouble is that, as an actor, Webb was a one-trick-pony. What worked so well in early Dragnet did not adapt to other scenarios, as is the case here. In fact, his romantic scenes with Leigh are almost painful. Plus, Dragnet's half-hour format enforced a pacing discipline that's not evident in this slow moving 90-minutes.

Nonetheless, Warner's backed up production with colorful sets and eye-catching photography. So when the pace slows, the visuals don't. Then too, the supporting cast is just that, good support. Too bad, though, that Lee Marvin doesn't get more screen time. His upbeat tough guy amounts to a needed animated presence. I kept hoping he and Webb would have a snarling face-off— now that would be a real heavyweight treat. But I'm still wondering how they got a name performer like Janet Leigh to make do with such an incidental role.

Anyway, the movie's mainly for fans of blues and vintage 20's styles. But it also looks like Webb learned a valuable lesson. Except for the misbegotten Last Time I Saw Archie (1961), his screen time would stick to either the authority figures or the voice-overs he was so good at.

This film is musically great with a couple of numbers by Ella Fitzgerald. However, this is not anything close to a musical. Rather it is a 20's gangster tale that involves Pete Kelly (Jack Webb) and his band. For those of you who remember Dragnet, Webb's narration might have you thinking of Dragnet just a little too much. Webb also directed this film, and he did a great job of giving it a real 20's feel. You don't feel like you're looking at a bunch of people from the 50's dressed up for a 20's costume party.

The only thing bad I can say about it is I had a hard time figuring out Pete Kelly's motivation. A person close to him is killed, and he is ready to give in to the gangster responsible and forget the whole thing ever happened. He finds out another person he barely knows has been killed by the same gangster and he's ready for war. He tosses an eager and beautiful Janet Leigh out of his room in one scene, and in the next scene he's overjoyed to see her to the point of wanting to marry her. The clinical acting style that worked so well for Webb in Dragnet just left me a little confused here. Still, overall, I would recommend it.

"Pete Kelly's Blues" is, in my humble opinion, like a lot of Jack Webb's work, an underrated movie. Even as a teenager, I realized in 1955 that the movie had a dark plot but at the same time was highlighted by great musical performances. Jack got an academy award performance from Peggy Lee and outstanding performances from Ella Fitzgerald, Edmund O'Brien and Martin Milner, to say nothing of Janet Leigh, whose performance was good. Jack was not liked by a lot of people in Hollywood who panned his work. With the exception of "Dragnet", the TV show and the movies, "Pete Kelly's Blues" was Jack's most important work, if not the most appreciated. It's a shame when personalities interfere with an appraisal of someone's work.

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.

By 1927, jazzy cornet player Jack Webb (as Pete Kelly) and his seven-piece combo are the house band at a speakeasy in Kansas City, Missouri. All seems well until gangster Edmond O'Brien (as Fran McCarg) demands Mr. Webb hand over 25 percent of the band's earnings in return for his marginal managerial skills. Webb is also required to make Mr. McCarg's attractive girlfriend Peggy Lee (as Rose Hopkins) his instrumental group's lead singer. Webb must pay up or see his band members roughed up and/or gunned down. After some debate, the band is persuaded to play it safe. Then, Webb changes his tune and decides to fight...

"Dragnet" radio and TV star Webb directs his cast and crew very well. He does not waste an inch of the "CinemaScope" screen. When space is used, it's for dramatic effect. What this story needed was better exposition and some more time given Mr. O'Brien's character. Strangely, Webb gets fine performances from all except his leading man. He varies his stiff stance by repositioning his hands, but Webb seems to have his mind on directing and his character never really forms. Trying to romance Webb in her scenes, beautiful Janet Leigh (as Ivy Conrad) is fighting a lost cause. There are no sparks flying between the two...

Given the juiciest part, as an alcoholic singer, Ms. Lee is excellent; she won Film Daily's annual "Supporting Actress" award. Andy Devine, Lee Marvin and Martin Milner are impressive, in featured roles. Webb used Mr. Milner when he produced "Adam-12" as a younger, hipper "Dragnet" for the 1960s (and 1970s). It's amusing to watch Webb punch any male member of the cast who gets in his way. He repeatedly knocks out Mr. Marvin, a much bigger man, with surprising ease. And, you can't go wrong when Ella Fitzgerald appears as a lounge singer. The music, cast and wide screen visuals made this one worth watching.

******* Pete Kelly's Blues (7/27/55) Jack Webb ~ Jack Webb ~ Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Peggy Lee, Edmond O'Brien