KU alum ‘Peter Gunn’ dies

By The Associated Press     May 13, 2000

? Craig Stevens, the actor who played the suave private eye “Peter Gunn” in the 1950s TV series created by Blake Edwards, has died of cancer. He was 81.

Stevens died Wednesday.

With its film noir style, deadpan humor and jazzy theme song by Henry Mancini, “Peter Gunn” debuted in 1958 and ushered in an era of slick, lady-killer TV investigators.

“I have vivid recollection of Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn,” said Chuck Berg, a Kansas University professor of theater and film.

The show was groundbreaking, he said. It pioneered the use of jazz on television; it also brought all the elements of a film-noir detective film to prime-time television and Stevens was a big part of it.

With its film noir style, deadpan humor and jazzy theme song by Henry Mancini, “Peter Gunn” debuted in 1958 and ushered in an era of slick, lady-killer TV investigators.

“He just brought kind of a gravity and restrained machoness to the role that gave it credibility,” Berg said. “Craig Stevens really deserves a big salute for his part in the success of Peter Gunn.”

Born Gail Shikles Jr. in Liberty, Mo., Stevens was planning a career in dentistry when he began acting at KU.

He moved to California and was signed in 1941 at Warner Bros., where he met his future wife, actress Alexis Smith. Smith died of cancer in 1993 at the age of 72.

Stevens played many second lead roles throughout the 1940s and 1950s in such films as “Humoresque,” “Since You Went Away” and “Night Unto Night.”

He then moved into TV as Gunn and later appeared as a regular guest on various shows such as “Dallas” and “Man of the World.”

His last role in a major film was in Blake Edwards’ Hollywood satire “S.O.B.” in 1981.

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163KU alum ‘Peter Gunn’ dies