This week’s mystery production has been the TV series “Johnny Staccato,” starring John Cassavetes, which aired 27 episodes on NBC in the 1959-1960 season. The mystery episode was “Fly Baby, Fly,” featuring Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands (his wife), Howard Freeman, Dort Clark, Nesdon Booth, Ingrid Goude, Jan Brooks, Mike Steele and Dennis Sallas. It was directed by Robert B. Sinclair, written by Philip S. Goodman, with music by Elmer Bernstein and photography by Ray Cory. The series was produced by Everett Chambers and the executive producer was William Frye.
Other episodes feature such familiar faces famous character actors as Ted de Corsia, Elisha Cook Jr., Lloyd Corrigan and, according to IMDB, Snub Pollard.
Writing in the Los Angeles Times (Sept. 10, 1959), Cecil Smith said Johnny Staccato “is almost a carbon copy of of Peter Gunn. The jazz blares, the liquor flows, the girls wait breathlessly for the slightest gesture of affection from Johnny Staccato.” Smith called Cassavetes “one of the best actors in television” and praised the show’s “great jazz music scored by Elmer Bernstein and played by such marvels as Red Norvo, Barney Kessel, Shelley Mann, etc.” (Note: Smith also disliked “Tightrope,” but praised Mike Connors.)
The TV series was made about the same time that Cassavetes was directing “Shadows,” which began as an improvised acting exercise and grew into a film shot over 12 weeks in New York.
Cassavetes told Charles Champlin (Aug. 27, 1984): “When I started making films, that was exactly what I wanted to do, make Frank Capra pictures. But I’ve never been able to make anything except these crazy, tough pictures. It’s not intentional. You just are what you are.”
“Johnny Staccato” is available on DVD from Amazon and random episodes are on DailyMotion.com.
For Monday, we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is Ingrid Goude.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery gent.
Update: This is Howard Freeman.
And for Wednesday, another mystery gent.
Update: This is Dort Clark.
Brain Trust roll call: B.J. Merholz (Tuesday’s mystery guest), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery production and mystery guests), Don Danard (Tuesday’s mystery guest) and Mike Hawks (mystery production and mystery guests).
And for Thursday, we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is a very young Gena Rowlands, who had previously appeared on Broadway in “Middle of the Night” (1956-57) with Edward G. Robinson, directed by Joshua Logan with a script by Paddy Chayefsky.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery production and mystery guests), Roget-L.A. (Wednesday’s mystery guest) and Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guest).
For Friday we have the mystery leading man.
Update: This is the intense John Cassavetes.
Brain Trust roll call: David Inman (Thursday’s mystery woman/wrong production), Jenny M. (Thursday’s mystery woman), Beachgal (Thursday’s mystery woman), Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery woman), Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery woman), Roget-L.A. (mystery production and Thursday’s mystery woman), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery woman) and Benito (Thursday’s mystery woman).
ladailymirror.com 
Sally Kellerman?
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Interesting guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
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May Britt?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Dolores Dorn?
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Interesting guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Diane Mcbain?
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An especially interesting guess. But alas, no.
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John Mills today?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Howard Freeman
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Monday: Ingrid Goude from TV show “Johnny Staccato” (1959). Epiosode: “Fly Baby, Fly”
Today: Howard Freeman
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I think today’s Mystery Man is Howard Freeman.
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Joanna Moore on Monday?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Ingrid Goude and Howard Freeman from episode Fly Baby, Fly of JOHNNY STACCATO 1959.
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Gaby Rodgers on Monday?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Cliff Norton on Tuesday?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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The “Fly Baby Fly” episode of “Johnny Staccato.” Ingrid Goude Monday, Howard Freeman yesterday, and Dort Clark today.
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Wednesday’s mystery gent is Dort Clark
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Dort Clark.
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Gena Rowlands today? Is this “The High Cost of Loving”?
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Gena Rowlands
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Thurs is Jena Rowlands I think.
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Gena Rowlands. I decided to click on the Mystery Title because I didn’t see a new + sign, and saw that a new photo had been added.
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Thursday … Gena Rowlands?
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Thursday’s mystery woman looks like Gena Rowlands. If so, then these images are probably from an episode of the series Johnny Staccato, which currently plays on Get TV.
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Merry Anders on Thursday.
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Gena Rowlands.
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Gena Rowlands today, on a plane, in a train…
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John Cassavetes.
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Mr. Rowlands, John Cassavettes, today.
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John Cassavetes as Johnny Staccato?
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Friday’s mystery leading man is John Cassavetes.
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Thursday’s lady is Gena Rowlands, and Friday’s gentleman is her real-life husband John Cassavetes.
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Fri is John Cassavetes
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