Peter Gunn
| Peter Gunn | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action Crime drama |
| Created by | Blake Edwards |
| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Composer | Henry Mancini |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 114 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Spartan Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | September 22, 1958 – September 18, 1961 |
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and by ABC in 1960–61. The series was created by Blake Edwards, who also wrote 39 episodes and directed nine.
According to Vincent Terrace, Peter Gunn was the first detective series whose character was created especially for television, instead of adapted from other media.
The series is probably best remembered today for its music by film and television composer Henry Mancini, including the iconic "Peter Gunn Theme", which was nominated for an Emmy Award and two Grammys for Mancini. Subsequently the theme has been performed and recorded by many jazz, rock and blues musicians. The progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded the song, adding synthesizers. The series was number 17 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1958–59 TV season and number 29 for the 1960–61 TV season.