Sisters of the Friendless

An oddity for the series. It's not surprising that the unusual storyline came early in the series before it settled into an urban cool format. Here, most of the time is spent at a rural Catholic convent, about as far from Pete's usual milieu as possible. Seems only the sisters can exonerate a young man accused of a murder he didn't commit. Trouble is rules forbid the sisters from leaving the convent, which they would have to do in order to testify to the lad's innocence in a court of law. And, as Pete and Jacoby find out, there are no exceptions, not even for a boy's life. Instead the sisters believe the Lord will provide. Still, Pete and the lad need something less metaphysical. At the same time, according to court rules, testimony is only acceptable if presented in court. Affidavits won't do. Looks like certain leading institutions are bad news for the kid. Strikes me that, whatever else, the story's really about bureaucracies and rules, whether those of churches or courts. The personalities may be pleasing, but I think underneath a darkish subtext remains. Anyhow, don't look for Edie or Mother or the city, in what amounts to a rather cynical teleplay despite the upbeat ending.

Quite an interesting episode, and coincidentally, the mother superior tells Peter that he is jumping the gun. Ten years later John Lennon wrote the song Happiness is a warm gun, in which there is the line, "Mother superior jumped the gun'. A coincidence, or did Peter Gunn inspire Lennon?

It opens with some hoodlums trying to mow down a drifter walking on the road at night. Sandy Martin manages to evade them and ends up collapsing injured in a convent.

Sandy had just been released from Reform school. A young man with a criminal record, he stands no chance when he is charged with murder.

It seems the guy who sent Sandy there, wanted him out of the way.

Peter Gunn is hired to test the veracity of Sandy's alibi. The nun confirm that he was at the convent when the murder occurred elsewhere.

The nuns cannot leave the convent to testify in court to help Sandy from going down for a crime he did not commit.

The kernel of the story is, if the mountain won't go to Mohammed.... You would think the nuns would do their civic duty to save a man's life.