Mannix is Coming! (All things Mannix w/spoilers) (2 Viewers)

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 12 - Missing: Sun and Sky

Gene Raymond, Anita Louise, Alex Dreier, Richard Davalos, Harry Carey, Jr.

Sun and Sky, the horse favored to win the Kentucky Derby and possibly the Triple Crown, is being shipped to Kentucky to participate in the upcoming race. During the flight, however, all four members of the cargo plane's crew are overcome by some kind of drug, though the pilot manages to radio a distress call before losing consciousness. Mannix is hired by the insurance company holding the policy on the missing horse to investigate what happened. His search turns up the missing plane, and all four unconscious men, but no Sun and Sky.

This was a sub par episode for me. A horse-napping, really. It had to be obvious that someone on board was responsible. i was not engaged until Mannix met the "convincing" thugs. So funny to see that Mannix had been rescued by the would be horsenappers who just happen to be stoned out of their mind hippies. Such a very sixties thing to do. Far out!!!

Not much of a recommendation for this one.

 

[benbess]

Just finished watching the episode What Happened to Sunday? It's the 15th episode of the 4th season. An interesting memory loss episode. Very early 1970s TV film noir crime drama, with the added benefit for me of nostalgic images of the Southern California of my youth. British actress Katherine Woodville, who a few years earlier was in the Star Trek episode And the World is Hollow, is one of the guest stars on this one.

 

[Jeff*H]

Just finished watching the episode What Happened to Sunday? It's the 15th episode of the 4th season. An interesting memory loss episode. Very early 1970s TV film noir crime drama, with the added benefit for me of nostalgic images of the Southern California of my youth. British actress Katherine Woodville, who a few years earlier was in the Star Trek episode And the World is Hollow, is one of the guest stars on this one.

This episode has one of the series’ best pre-title opening sequences, with Mannix inexplicably being chased on foot by a car through a residential neighborhood. One of my favorites!

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 13 - Tooth of the Serpent

Percy Rodrigues (Benson), Bert Freed (Invaders From Mars), Lynn Hamilton (Sanford and Son), Harrison Page (SledgeHammer), Barney Philips (Twilight Zone)

Peggy has an old friend named Eve Chancellor, whose husband Jim started on the police force at the same time as Peggy's late husband. Eve is concerned about her son Cap, who has dropped out of school and spends much of his time away from home without accounting for his activities. When he brings a gun home one day, Eve hires Mannix to find Cap and to learn what he is involved in, hoping to help Cap avoid straying into a life of crime.

Father's and sons. Always good for drama. Interesting in that a Detectives wife hires a Private Investigator to research a problem in her own home. Nice set up. Always knew that Mannix and the cop would have to work together to solve the issue and save the day. Enjoyable outing. Percy Rodrigues is another one of those guests that I just enjoy visiting a series.

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 14 - Medal For A Hero

Frank Marth, Jack Ging, Terry Carter, Bobby Troup (Emergency!)

Police uncover evidence they believe indicate that Peggy's late husband was on the take. This devastates Peggy's son, Toby. Joe Mannix, claiming Toby as his client, undertakes an investigation to clear the name of Peggy's husband. Mannix butts heads with an investigator for the department's internal affairs section, who vows to get the detective's license.

Excellent episode. I like the stories that involve Peggy and Toby. Great set up and execution of this one. Kudos to Mark Stewart for his portrayal of Toby. Breaks my heart when he questions his father's actions. I liked how he was defending his father at school. Great story.

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 15 - Walk With A Dead Man

Peter Mark Richman (Longstreet), Dane Clark, Parley Baer, Marian McCargo

Mannix is about to leave his office to meet a client one night when he receives a telephone call suggesting that he spend the night at home instead. As he exits his office, a shot is fired at him. Mannix manages to meet the client anyway, a secretive executive who claims that a blackmailer is threatening to reveal embarrassing information about his wife. But as the case grows more involved, Mannix' client suddenly denies having hired him, or even knowing who he is.

Great teaser. Couldn't wait to see how this one played out. Always intrigued when Peter Mark Richman shows up, such an intriguing actor. Very complex episode with a nice ending.

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 16 - A Chance At the Roses

Sandy Kenyon, Scott Brady, Dewey Martin, Leslie Charleson (General Hospital), Ted de Corsia, Jan Merlin

Against his better judgment, Mannix agrees to look into the case of a young man who twice robbed the same pharmacy seeking drugs. The second time, he shot one of the employees, but even though the police had the pharmacy staked out, he managed to escape. The accused man's wife hires Mannix, insisting that her husband was incapable of committing such a crime. Mannix initially finds little to encourage him, but as he delves into the background of the man who was shot, he finds that the police account of what supposedly happened doesn't add up.

A "Wrong Man" type of story. Interesting mystery involving the "mob" and crooked cops. Really liked this one and great eye candy.

 

[benbess]

In terms of dramas from the 1960s, where would fans of Mannix rate it? I rate it very highly, because the quality tends to be strong episode by episode. And the period details at this point are amazing and wonderful. This show is much better than Mad Men in that regard imho. Although I guess that's just saying the obvious.

Anyway, here are a few of my top shows....

1. (tie) The Twilight Zone/Star Trek
With all their flaws, still love both, and can't really pick between them.

2. The Virginian
My favorite Western by far, but since it's a 90-minute show, it takes patience to watch it.

3. Mannix
What a great film noir/detective show for TV.

4. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
I still like this show a lot too.

In terms of drama, there's no much else that comes to mind, although I give honorable mention to Gunsmoke and Bonanza. There are lots of funny comedies from the 1960s, but in terms of the dramas maybe not as many....? But probably I'm just forgetting them, or just haven't watched them. Having been born in 1964, there are a lot of TV shows that passed me by from that decade.

And, I realize that there were more Mannix episodes made in the 1970s than in the 1960s....

 

[Harry-N]

I too rate MANNIX very highly. I don't like to pigeonhole things into lists, but would include MANNIX in with my other favorite shows like STAR TREK, THE FUGITIVE, THE OUTER LIMITS, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, THE INVADERS, and sentimental favorite, THE TIME TUNNEL.

 

[Jeff*H]

MANNIX is easily my favorite detective series, while HAWAII FIVE-O is my favorite cop show, and both are in my top 5 favorite series of all time, for any number of reasons, but largely due to the clever writing and the casts and their music scores.

 

[bmasters9]

And, I realize that there were more Mannix episodes made in the 1970s than in the 1960s....

I think the same was true of O-R Jack Lord Five-O.

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 17 - Blind Mirror

Robert Lansing (Star Trek, The Equalizer, Kung Fu:The Legend Continues), Dianne McBain, Linda Marsh, Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H)

In a story reminiscent of "Rashomon," Mannix is hired by publishing executive George Diamond to locate Diamond's secretary, Winifred Hill. Hill may -- or may not -- have seen Diamond attempt to push his estranged wife, Stella, into the ocean near his beach house. In a panic, Hill goes into hiding.

Nice and intriguing way to structure the story. I like how every person has a different point of view. A very well done story. Robert Lansing and Mike Farrell playing against type, good episode.

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 18 - Harlequin's Gold

Don Knight (Manimal), Karen Steele, Peter Whitney, Robert Reed (The Defenders, The Brady Bunch)

Mannix is hired by a bank to search for Paul Gantry, an Australian sailor who stands to inherit a sizable sum of money. To find him, Mannix goes under cover at the waterfront posing as a sailor looking for any of his "shipmates" from a recently sunken freighter, the Harlequin, on which Gantry served as one of the crew.

Mannix as a drunken bum, great way to start the episode. Enjoy watching Peter Whitney wherever he shows up. Nice story, but the "twist" was obvious from a mile away.

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 19 - Who Is Sylvia?

Robert Colbert (The Time Tunnel), Jessica Walter (Play Misty for Me, Arrested Developement), Larry Linville (M*A*S*H)

Joe Mannix is invited to a party at the home of Phil Graves, with whom he served in the Army during the Korean War. Now Phil is a bank executive married to a wealthy socialite named Kathy. She confides in Joe that there have been three recent attempts on her life, including one that day when someone apparently tampered with the brakes of her car. Joe agrees to look into why someone would have tried to kill her, and pursues the identity of a mysterious "Sylvia," when he finds an expensive locket engraved with that name in Kathy Graves' car.

Mannix goes to a party at the Brady's. Psycho Jessica Walter from Play Misty has a stalker. As Mannix investigates, the answer to the title becomes very clear. This story is well played and features on of my favorite 60's stars - Robert Colbert (I really liked Time Tunnel). I even liked the "happy" ending.

 

[Doug Wallen]

S. 3 Ep. 20 - Only One Death to a Customer

Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H), Bing Russell (Elvis), Ward Wood

Three attempts are made on Mannix' life within a short period of time, and the killers were each offered a substantial sum of money to do the job. Mannix concludes that the only man who hated him enough to put out these contracts on his life was Frank Bauer, whom he captured and helped put in jail for a murder and robbery in Nevada. The only problem: Bauer, who had recently broken out of prison, was killed during his escape. Mannix decides to go to Nevada to find out whether Bauer's brother may be behind the attempts on his life -- and perhaps to find the more than $200,000 still missing from the robbery.

After a great first act, this episode self destructs. Great actors just can't elevate this one.

 

[Harry-N]

CBS SUNDAY MORNING always does a "people we lost" segment at the end of the year. They did so today - and they did NOT include Mike Connors.

Mr. Connors died in a group of three back in January: Mary Tyler Moore and Barbara Hale were the other two - and they both got mentioned.

 

[benbess]

I've been watching and enjoying a few episodes of Mannix over the past few days, including "With Intent to Kill" (4.17) and "The Crime that Wasn't" (4.18). Both were quite enjoyable imho, but they weren't quite to the level of excellent or especially memorable. But they were solidly done. There are few duds when it comes to Mannix....

 

[bmasters9]

CBS SUNDAY MORNING always does a "people we lost" segment at the end of the year. They did so today - and they did NOT include Mike Connors.

Mr. Connors died in a group of three back in January: Mary Tyler Moore and Barbara Hale were the other two - and they both got mentioned.

Why did they not bring up Mike Connors?! After all, he was the linchpin of one of CBS' great series of the past (that being Mannix), and as such, he deserved to be brought up, just as Barbara Hale and MTM were brought up.

 

[benbess]

"A Gathering of Ghosts" (4.19) was a weak episode imho. The plot didn't make much sense, and the setting—a very obviously fake Hollywood Western "ghost town" that was supposed to be a real one—was jarring throughout. Still had some good action, but otherwise this was not one of the stronger ones from Mannix.

 

[benbess]

4.20 A Day Filled with Shadows

"When you hire me you hire my conscience!"-Mannix, in this episode.

Now I think this was a good episode! Interesting organized crime story, with father-son dimensions. Nice action at the LA docks for the finale. I like how the stunt doubles are done well so that you can almost never tell. And sometimes it's the man himself doing his own stunts.