User Reviews

The first three episodes of season four of "Cannon" were simply terrible with nothing to commend them. Bad writing and plot holes abound in all three. Even though the fourth episode is not great, it's very good and helps to get the series back on track.

A guy approaches Cannon. He wants to hire him to surreptitiously follow his wife as she is a courier. Now exactly WHY he is worried about her is really ill-defined, but Cannon takes the case anyway. However, he loses the woman because it's all a case of misdirection. Why they would hire Cannon and what is really going on, you'll have to see for yourself.

The show is decent...not great. David Soul is one of the guests and his accent comes and goes...and his makeup a bit silly. But otherwise, the show is original and reasonably interesting.

As the series progressed, CANNON became a cult show. I credit everyone behind the scenes who were a bunch of big kids at heart. This is a good example.

The next super villain to menace Cannon is tall and rugged Steve Forrest, playing Arthur, king of the cons, and very clever at what he does... I would nominate him as one of the slickest villains to appear in the series. Arthur is connected to a fortune in stolen bonds and, yes, killing is a most doable option with him to get what he wants. Of all his roles, Steve Forrest is best remembered as heroic Hondo on the adventure tv series, SWAT.

This is the only episode written by Max Hodge, a AAA writer in television. Max did everything to perfection, and if you are old enough, you may remember his classic Xmas tv film, A DREAM FOR CHRISTMAS, starring Beah Richards, which he wrote before this episode. Max also did many dramatic stories for MARCUS WELBY, and yes, wrote for BATMAN and produced the GIRL FROM UNCLE. Cult status assured.

David Soul (who passed recently) makes a return appearance, this time playing Udo Green, another guy you can't trust, and with a short fuse. I think due to the popularity of his last appearance, David earned a return engagement. No cop show would be complete without an appearance from veteran villain Robert Emhardt (a regular on ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS), a sort of poor man's Sidney Greenstreet, and in this case with his own hitman slash bodyguard. His exchanges with Cannon are fun, especially concerning FOOD.

Former child actor Marcia Mae Jones makes a second appearance, always dressed to impress, this time as a Malibu Beach dweller. You can tell she is having a blast talking to Cannon. Marcia's mother was a Hollywood movie extra for decades.

Complimenting Steve Forrest is lovely Larraine Stevens (who always reminded me of Anne Francis). Here she plays no-account Evelyn, a perfect match for Arthur. These two deserve each other.

BEST gag scene, obviously inspired by MANNIX. Cannon opens his front door and gets punched right in the face by Soul. That is a first. I wonder if Max Hodge was thinking BATMAN? There are many prize out-takes from the series, very similar to this, where the crew was in stitches. Cannon could have actually been a successful comedy, albeit dark at times. Bill Conrad later paid tribute to it all in JAKE AND THE FATMAN in the 80s.

Recommended late night rough housing from SEASON 4, EPISODE 4 remastered CBS color dvd box set 2016. Six dvd set.