Jack Webb actually knew how to play the cornet. He loved jazz music and, as a boy, was given a cornet by a musician who lived near his home. While he never truly mastered the instrument, he knew it well enough that his handling and fingering of the cornet in this movie is accurate.

Did Jack Webb play an instrument?

He had a collection of more than 6,000 jazz recordings. Webb's own recordings reached cult status, including his deadpan delivery of "Try A Little Tenderness". His lifelong interest in the cornet allowed him to move easily in the jazz culture, where he met singer and actress Julie London.

Who played the cornet in Pete Kelly's Blues?

Dick Cathcart, the jazz trumpeter behind actor Jack Webb's portrayal of the legendary Pete Kelly in the 1955 film “Pete Kelly's Blues,” has died.