Jazz In Film

Pete Kelly’s Blues: This 1955 film was directed by and starred Jack Webb with co-stars Janet Leigh, Edmond O’Brien and Lee Marvin. In 1927 Kansas City Pete Kelly and his jazz band play nightly at a speakeasy. A local gangster starts to move in on them and when their drummer is killed Kelly gives in, even though this also means taking the thug’s alcoholic girl as a singer. Kelly soon realizes he has made a big mistake selling out in this way and that rich girl Ivy is now the only decent thing in his life.

The film included roles portrayed by jazz legends Peggy Lee as Rose Hopkins, Ella Fitzgerald as Maggie Jackson and Herb Ellis as Bedido. Pianist Don Abney, bassist Joe Mondragon and drummer Larry Bunker back the vocalists.

Matty Matlock who also sits in the clarinet chair also did the jazz arrangements. The band was comprised of Teddy Buckner on cornet, George Van Epps and Moe Schneider on trombone, Eddie Miller on tenor saxophone, Ray Sherman, piano; Jud de Naut, bass; Nick Fatool on drums, and trumpeters Joe Venuti, Thomas Jefferson, Harper Goff, Perry Bodkin and Dick Cathcart, with the latter dubbing the for Jack Webb.

Musical Numbers: Pete Kelly’s Blues, Sing Me A Rainbow, He Needs ME, Oh Didn’t He Ramble, I Never Knew, Hard-Hearted Hannah, Sugar, Bye Bye Blackbird and Somebody Loves Me.

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