Johnny Staccato

Johnny Staccato is an American private detective television series starring John Cassavetes that ran on NBC from September 10, 1959, through March 24, 1960. The program was initially titled Staccato.

Synopsis

Titular character Johnny Staccato, played by John Cassavetes, is a jazz pianist and private detective. The setting for many episodes is a Greenwich Village jazz club belonging to his friend, Waldo, played by Eduardo Ciannelli.
The show featured many musicians, such as Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell, Red Norvo, and Johnny Williams. Elmer Bernstein composed both of the main theme tunes, and Stanley Wilson was music supervisor. Cassavetes also directed five episodes.
After its initial airing on NBC, ABC presented reruns of the series from March 27 to September 25, 1960.
On October 12, 2010, the series was released on Region 1 DVD by Timeless Media Group.
Episodes have aired on stations specializing in nostalgia programming, such as GetTV.

Johnny Staccato replaced The Lawless Years, broadcast on Thursdays from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Bristol-Myers and Salem cigarettes were alternate sponsors. William Frye was the executive producer, and Everett Chambers was the producer. Elmer Bernstein composed the music.

released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 on October 12, 2010.

The show was later parodied on SCTV as Vic Arpeggio, a saxophonist/private investigator whose cases were usually solved by accident. Arpeggio claimed to have been “framed” for drug possession, and that the detective gig was merely a sideline until he got his solo career back on track.
John Munch credits Staccato as his inspiration to become a detective in the Homicide: Life on the Street episode 'Kaddish'.
Thomas Pynchon references Johnny Staccato in his 2009 novel Inherent Vice, set in late 1960s Los Angeles. Pynchon's main character, private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello, praises Staccato as "the shamus of shamuses," ranking him with past greats Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade.
The theme, performed by Elmer Bernstein, received little attention in the US, but went to #4 in Britain.
Legendary artist Harvey Kurtzman parodied the show in his classic Jungle Book as "Thelonius Violence"
The Colts Drum and Bugle Corps' 2015 show was called "...and a Shot Rings Out: A Johnny Staccato Murder Mystery", which was a reference to the TV show.
The IDM group Meat Beat Manifesto sampled episode 11, The Poet, in the song “Radio Mellotron.”
The show was referenced in 2024's "Music by John Williams" documentary, with a brief clip of Williams taking over for show star John Cassavetes on piano in a jazz combo.