‘Pete Kelly’s Blues’ Blu-Ray Review – Murder & Music Flow Through This Crime Drama

Jack Webb stars as a Kansas City jazz cornetist, and when he takes on a vicious ganglord (Edmond O’Brien), the only thing faster than his famed deadpan delivery is the rapid-fire action. And the only thing more dynamic than film’s Dixieland – and blues-infused musical sore is its stellar cast. Janet Leigh is a gin-swilling heiress who moves in on Kelly’s heart. Lee Marvin and Martin Milner as Pete’s hot-headed sidemen keep the tempo torrid. Andy Devine goes dramatic as an ice-cold cop. Ella Fitzgerald brings her inimitable jazz alchemy to “Hard Hearted Hannah” and “Pete Kelly’s Blues”. And Peggy Lee proves as masterful acting the blues as singing them, earning a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of a boozy songbird.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive brought Pete Kelly’s Blues to Blu-Ray with a formidable 1080p master transfer in 2.55:1 when it was released in 2014 remastered from its CinemaScope origins. Even at the onset of their Blu-Ray output, Warner Archive worked well with Cinemascope elements. The film is not as flashy when it comes to color as some outings, but there is a lot of nuance to be found in the costumes and production design that saturate the screen. Highlights are steady during the runtime and black levels are deep without crush. 

The natural film grain has been preserved well which brings out the nuances of the picture. Any brief instances of softness appear to be source-related rather than anything wrong with the transfer itself. With this disc, you are treated to great detail and clarity. The film is practically free of blemishes with no serious instances of damage or dirt detected here. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues similarly do not arise as an issue in this transfer. Warner Archive was showing strength from the early days.  

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that is faithfully realized. Music is a pivotal part of this narrative, and the band numbers hold up with firm fidelity even in the higher registers. There is no exceptional age-related wear and tear to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. The preservation team made sure this was free of damage. Dialogue and background noises remain in harmony alongside the music. Exchanges come through crisp and clear with no elements stealing focus. The more active moments are handled well and give the track a bit of texture. The surround speakers expand things out well enough mostly in the musical elements. Warner Archive has provided a disc that impresses in all of the right ways. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Gadgets Galore: An 11-minute acerbic short film about the history of the automobile. 

• The Hole Idea: A seven-minute Looney Tunes cartoon that explores the invention of a portable hole and the perils of it falling into the wrong hands. 

• Theatrical Trailer Version #1 (3:45)

• Theatrical Trailer Version #2 (5:22)

Final Thoughts

Pete Kelly’s Blues is a pretty decent mixture of music and crime film that consistently holds your attention. Jack Webb probably should have focused on directing and found a different lead to give the film the necessary gravitas, but he does a decent job in the role. The women steal the show with Janet Leigh providing the heart and Peggy Lee twisting the knife on your emotions. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a fine smattering of special features. This is worth seeking out if it intrigues you in the slightest. Recommended 

Pete Kelly’s Blues can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.