‘PETER GUNN’ IS ON THE (DVD) CASE

With its sophisticated, snappy dialogue and film noir sensibility, “Peter Gunn” was something new for television when it premiered on NBC in 1958. Created and produced by Blake Edwards (“Pink Panther”), who also wrote and directed some episodes, “Peter Gunn” was one of the first detective series to feature a suave, womanizing private eye (Craig Stevens). Herschel Bernardi played his acerbic friend Lt. Jacoby; Hope Emerson (in the first season) and Minerva Urecal (the last two) owned the nightclub Mother’s, where Gunn’s girlfriend Edie (Lola Albright) sang. But perhaps the biggest star was composer Henry Mancini, whose smoky, influential jazz score hit the charts, winning an Emmy and two Grammys. On Tuesday, Timeless Media Group releases the three-season series on DVD.