IanRayonline

There are so many movies popping up these days and most of them ride well-worn paths to fairly predictable endings. But every now and then you come across an indie like this that you've heard nothing about - and a simple line of dialog grabs you - and you have that "Hey - you just don't hear things THAT honest in movies" moment! Wow. This is such a film. "DEAR SIDEWALK" (an appropriately original title!) is one of those ever so rare pieces of original fiction that delivers on its own terms. You have not met these characters before! And their relationships are about to unfold honestly, without being burdened by the usual cliches. A terrific film experience, laced with unexpected humor, pathos, irony, and pretty much everything else that makes for a fine film experience.

I don't think some of those reviewing this show understand that TV was in the process of being born in the late 1940s and early 1950s. You have to take into account that this was the first experiment in kids' TV programming - the very first attempt to do a show that would entertain kids. Radio people, being the only "broadcasters" around, were basically trying to do their thing - but with cameras suddenly on them. Buffalo Bob Smith invented the Howdy Doody character on radio - the puppet we usually see as Howdy was the second version, the first one having been horribly crude. Budgets were next to nothing. When Buffalo Bob asked NBC to add a clown to the show, they turned him down. He hired Bob Keeshan (who later played Captain Kangaroo on his own program) to play Clarabelle the clown and paid him $5 a week out of his own pocket. To appreciate the impact of this show you need to close your eyes and listen to the content. Doodyville is an imperfect world with many surprises. Phineas T. Bluster is the mayor and the authority figure. He frequently does thoughtless things but often comes to see the error of his ways. Watch practically any episode of the hit show NORTHERN EXPOSURE and see the same character interactions! Contrary to several internet posts, Smith was not a ventriloquist. He simply voiced the puppet, Howdy Doody, when he himself was off-camera. At some point, actor Allen Swift took over the voicing of Howdy to facilitate more live interaction between Bob and Howdy. Those who know the reality of the early days of TV recognize Bob Smith as one of TV's founding geniuses for his insight into children's entertainment.

How many TV themes from 1958 can be instantly recalled and hummed by today's teenagers? This is the only one I know of. Not only is Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn Theme a jazz masterpiece, his (hot, cool, and sometimes even ethereal) jazz scores for the show are still as gripping as they were when they were composed and recorded - over half a century ago. Combine that with producer/creator Blake Edwards at his up-and-coming very best, big-screen quality cinematography, routinely spectacular stunt work, and just the right cast - and you've got an enduring treasure of a TV series. Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn is several notches smoother than James Bond - but also willing to tangle with anyone and also willing to take his licks. Pete wins some and he loses some. But he's always ready to slug it out with the best of them. Stevens is as athletic as any actor around and, supported by the best brawling stunt men you've ever seen, the fights are as real as you're ever going to get. And on this show violence doesn't just appear - it EXPLODES out of nowhere! With some classics of this era, people still debate whether they're truly "noir" or not. There's no debate here - Edwards gives us noir of a purity seldom seen anywhere else. Quirky character portrayals bring dark urban sets to life - alluring temptresses linger everywhere - and without any inclination to hide their sensuality. Pete, the tenacious, hard-nosed denizen of this dark urban world of low-lifes and gangsters - is a suave, lusty, gentleman playboy with the ladies. Oh, but for Pete, nightclub singer Edie Hart is special. He may earn his living competing in the testosterone driven world of the big-city private detective ... but it's a whole different scene when he slips into "Mother's" place where Edie sings every night. There he's welcomed by "Mother" herself and - wow - "Mother" has no problem with what Pete and Edie are up to! Pete moves effortlessly from the macho world of the mean streets to the gentie, warm, female environment of "Mother's" place. The dynamic is classic and the transition palpable. The technical quality is always superb. You'll not only see close, intense, intimate scenes - you'll see large scale exterior sets that would normally take half a day for a top cinematographer to light so exquisitely. Yet even with the extra limitations of shooting for the limited contrast range of black and white television, these amazing setups have been created somehow at TV production pace, on a TV budget. The atmosphere is delicious - the sensuality omnipresent - the action stunning. This show was way ahead of its time and, as you might guess, the outcries of "too hot for TV" were loud and many. But fortunately "PETER GUNN" delivers several seasons of stunning, delicious, unforgettable period noir drama we can treasure forever.