User Reviews

I never realized that the annoying character, Dodie*, from "My Three Sons" was played by Leif Garrett's sister. I guess not knowing this isn't surprising, as her stage name is Dawn Lyn (they both didn't use their real last name, Nervik, which isn't really surprising). Still, this is an unusual chance to see the pair of actors acting together as siblings! Truly a case of art imitating life.

A millionaire offers Cannon a case--one that sounds way too simple. He's to surreptitiously accompany his daughter and her kids on a train ride and just keep an eye on them! Odd--especially since the guy gives no indication that the family was at risk! During the train ride, Cannon uses an interesting tactic--instead of observing them covertly, he ingratiates himself to the children and becomes a sort of family friend. All goes well and the trip is complete. However, as an added part of the job, he checks up on them after the trip--and finds the woman dead and the kids gone!! The only clue he has are some fake bonds that she had passes on to him in a present--a way to try to get help--which ended up being too late. What gives?! Who is responsible for the murders and where are the kids?

"Death is a Double-Cross" is a show that shows a softer side of Cannon--something I enjoyed very much. You like the kids and it hits you like a brick when they are abducted--and you can see that he, too, really likes them and wants to help. But it also has a very nifty plot, a satisfying ending and it's a case where guest starring some kids does NOT slow down the plot (this sometimes happens when you have cute kids on shows). Well worth seeing--and among the better shows of season one.

By the way, I really liked the 'How do you figure on lifting me' scene--and I was impressed by Conrad's fighting skills (he did a great job for such a rotund guy). You have to see it to appreciate it! * I don't wish Miss Nervik any ill. Dodie was a poorly written character and you can't blame a kid for this (she was getting well paid for playing this regular character but the show clearly jumped the shark with her character)! She probably is a very nice person and I wish her well.

The story, which was adapted from a 1953 novel by crime writer Thomas B. Dewey, has a lot going for it and probably could have been expanded into a two-parter.

William Conrad gets to demonstrate his range as tough cop-turned-investigator Frank Cannon, who just so happens to have a softer side. There are some charming scenes where he accompanies a woman named Cynthia Swanson (Marianne McAndrew) and her two young children Roger & Amy (real-life siblings Leif Garrett & Dawn Lyn) on a train from Chicago to Los Angeles. He bonds quickly with the trio and even becomes friendly with the kids' father when Carl Swanson (Ken Scott) joins them for part of the trip to Albuquerque. Initially Frank is unaware that Carl Swanson is a crook. It seems Carl won't give his wife a divorce unless she transports some counterfeit bonds for him to L. A.

I enjoyed how relaxing the scenes on the train seemed with some nice scenery whizzing by in the background. Frank and Cynthia have several thoughtful exchanges, and the dialogue seemed realistic and sincerely played. One thing that occurred to me as I watched the episode, especially when I learned Cynthia's fate midway through the story, was just how important Frank's kindness and friendship must have been to her. Imagine making a doomed woman's last days meaningful in that way, then later helping to facilitate her kids' reunion with their long-lost grandfather (Simon Scott).

Of course part of the irony is that if Frank Cannon had known more about Andy Carver's involvement in the stolen certificates, he wouldn't have revealed to him the whereabouts of Mrs. Swanson and her kids, which led to her murder and the kids being kidnapped. So in an interesting set of developments, Frank is the one who inadvertently sets the stage for tragedy but also has the power to make things right at the end.

Probably my favorite scene in the episode is the one where Frank is getting off the train with the Swansons at L. A. Union Station and is hugged by the kids. The shot of them having a group hug with the little girl's Snoopy doll is very precious and endearing. Frank Cannon is a decent and honorable guy who plays a special role in this particular family.

On another note, actor Ed Nelson does an admirable job playing Andy the villain, though I think if the story had been expanded into a two-parter we would have understood his character's motivation better. Why did he think he was entitled to his boss's wife (Charlene Polite) and why did he think he could get away with the scam he had been perpetrating with Carl Swanson? Also, it would have been interesting to see how he actually harmed Cynthia Swanson at the motel and managed to whisk Roger & Amy to his place without others hearing the commotion.

Furthermore, if we had seen Andy push the kids' father to his death out a hotel window a bit later on, we might have observed a much more chilling type of man becoming more and more desperate to get away with his crimes. That would have made the scene near the end where Frank kills him on the dock that much more powerful and just.

I haven't read Dewey's novel, but I am guessing Cynthia Swanson is killed in the book and that is why the scriptwriters allowed this development to occur on screen. But I don't think her death was altogether necessary. She could have lapsed into a coma, with the kids still having been kidnapped.

But after Frank rescues the children and they are united with their grandfather, we could have cut to a scene a short time later where Cynthia has come out of the coma, learned the children are safe because of Frank, learned her husband had died and the culprit was dead too...and then she reconciled with her estranged father as Frank looked on. That would have been a much more fitting and happy ending. I don't think the kids had to become orphaned. The original story would have worked fine without them losing their mother.

I remember enjoying this series when I watched it with my Dad during its first run. I recently started watching it again on DVD. William Conrad does a fine job, but this episode very much rubbed me the wrong way. I really disliked it, and here's why: (SPOILER ALERT):

Catching a train in the Midwest to protect a young Mom and her two nice kids, Cannon shows a lot of charm, plus his toughness in wiping the floor (literally) with a knife-wielding thug in a restroom. OK, good episode so far. Then it falls apart in terms of entertainment: around halfway through, the Mom gets killed! Then the Dad (jerk though he is) also gets killed! Wow, what a bleak, depressing plot! I felt so badly for the now orphaned kids. At that point, I stayed with it just because I don't like to quit on an episode before the end. It seemed absurd to show Cannon and the kids' grandpa grinning when the kids are rescued from kidnappers. Happy ending? Not to me, since the parents have been murdered. Any more stories like this, I'm skipping.