Most memorable of all was the show's opening (and closing) "Peter Gunn Theme", composed by Henry Mancini. The theme is based on a boogie-woogie piano bass line in the key of F minor, using the 1, 2, ?3, and 4 intervals, the first four notes of almost all minor scales. The use of the minor third, combined with the exclusion of the major third, gives the theme its minor tonality which creates a mood of suspense and foreboding. Unlike a traditional boogie-woogie, there are no chord changes. The theme remains on the F minor chord, with melodic interest created by using jazzy horn riffs. The song became an instant hit for Mancini, earning him an Emmy Award and two Grammys, and became as associated with crime fiction as Monty Norman's theme to the James Bond films is associated with espionage. The soundtrack album by Henry Mancini reached #1 in Billboard's Pop LP Charts. Ray Anthony achieved #8 on Billboard's Hot 100 with his 45 of the title theme. Mancini's single made the Variet! y magazine Top 25 retail chart, selling well in the Boston area. Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator (and also writer and director on occasion) was Blake Edwards. Also directed by Boris Sagal, Robert Gist, Alan Crosland, Jr., Lamont Johnson and one espisode by Robert Altman and several others, a total of 114 thirty-minute episodes were produced by Spartan Productions. It was filmed at ...
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