I have "Commie" in quotes because the word "Commie" is used about 100 times in the first episode of the series dealing with the title character seeking out murderers of a jazz musician who is considered a "Commie" by the small town townies who killed the musician, and thus they think that "Stacatto" is also a "Commie" as he bugs them into giving up some information. This show is fun to watch, has some great noir elements, but is as dated as can be.
Despite Cassavetes' sometimes intense acting style (or maybe because of it), "JOHNNY STACCATO" was easily one of my favorite TV shows of the late 50s, early 60s. It had a dark-haired, bedroom-eyed, brooding hero and it had jazz - really GOOD jazz, sometimes even great jazz by big names like Pete Condoli and Ray Brown and Mel Lewis (the latter two would later form one-half of the MJQ).
This short-lived (one season, 1959/60) television detective series is without a doubt, the definitive example of what can now be termed TV Noir, riding high atop a list including such programs as Peter Gunn and 77 Sunset Strip. But JOHNNY STACCATO had much more going for it than those other shows, mainly the presence of the mighty John Cassavetes who starred as the jazz pianist turned Greenwich Village private detective.
JOHNNY STACCATO: Produced by Revue Productions/Universal Television and ran for just one season on NBC-TV from 1959-1960. In all 27 episodes were produced all in black and white.
Okay, fine; this ain't a review, see. What it is, it's a confession.
