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Wagon Train: The Stagecoach Story (1959)
Fastest Stagecoach in the West!
Lots of action paired with a very fast stagecoach! Sam Francisco to St. Louis by way of Tucson is roughly 2300 miles (not counting a side trip to the Mexican border). In this episode, Flint, Major Adams, Charlie, and Bill cover the distance in 22 1/2 days. Phew!
If you don't worry too much about the time factor, it's an entertaining episode, with lots of action and some breathtaking stunt work.
There are a few plot holes. I've always wondered why experienced trail bosses, wagon masters, and military veterans know all about the hidden dangers of the frontier, but can't spot a man in drag sitting three feet from them!
Some solid performances in this one as well. Debra Paget is particularly good. If you notice a resemblance between her and Lisa Gaye, there is an easy answer. They are sisters.
Henry Darrow has what amounts to a cameo, eight years before High Chapparal, and you get to see Clu Gulager portray a good guy for once!
On a historical note, I found it ironic the revolutionaries were fighting for Porfirio Diaz. The rebels fighting for freedom and self-determination are supporting a man who ended democracy in Mexico for 40 years. Diaz was no friend to the poor and downtrodden. The insurgents could have found someone better suited for their cause.
Mannix: Coffin for a Clown (1967)
Bowery Boys to Brady Bunch
"A Coffin for a Clown" is a strong outing. The plot starts out rather simple (most do), and then come the plot twists. As the story unfolds, it's a child custody case, more or less, but soon there's multiple dangers about.
It's a bit confusing at times, but our man Mannix gets it all straightened out in the end.
On the way we meet an interesting cast: "Bowery Boys" plus "Hazel" plus "The Brady Bunch". Also the great Norman Fell, same year he appeared in "The Graduate", and a decade before "Three's Company".
Joe speaks Armenian for the first time and we get another reference to Mannix the former mercenary.
There's also a humorous scene when Wickersham thinks Joe is shacked up with a dame on company time.
Two fights.
Mannix smokes two cigarettes and kills two men.
Yet another amazing pistol shot.
Wickersham: "Any idea who killed him?"
Mannix: "Yeah. I did."
Body count of three. The third is the result of a suicide. Might be the first time a suicide was shown on network television.
An uncredited Carey Loftin portrays a henchman. Loftin was one of the greatest stunt drivers and stunt coordinators in the history of film. Check out his IMDb credits.
One dune buggy really gets around with three different drivers.
Harvey Parry (Ed Regan), another legendary stuntman, has a small role in the episode. Check out his IMDb credits, among them doubling for Harold Lloyd in "Safety Last!"
And finally, a possible homage to a classic film, "Arsenic and Old Lace". Mortimer Brewster convinced his aunts to commit themselves to Happy Dale Sanitarium. Mannix pays a visit to the Happydayle Convalescent Home.
When all is said and done, there's one loose end. The best part is, Mannix knows it, and assures Wickersham he will take care of it.
Mannix: The Many Deaths of Saint Christopher (1967)
The Hunters and the Hunted
Mannix is assigned to find a missing scientist who has developed a secret formula for a large European company. The client is lying (shock and surprise).
The real assignment is to track down a Nazi official responsible for the slaughter of a Serbian village. War criminals were still being actively hunted in the 1960s, and not just a few.
The script is well-crafted, the topic is relevant, and the episode holds the attention of the viewer. The character of Mannix begins to take shape as Joe struggles with having to deceive the daughter of the "missing scientist" by playing with her emotions and affection. He does some soul-searching and is clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Mike Connors was a great fit to portray the tough, extremely talented, highly principled, never-say-die, private investigator Joe Mannix. It's easy to see why the show ran for eight action-packed seasons.
Speaking of talents, Mannix shows himself to be an expert in karate. If you're looking for Mannix, just find the cigarette smoke. In this episode, he smokes four cigarettes, including one at a gas station of all places!
And Joe isn't shy around alcohol. In this outing, he has two adult beverages, one a martini. As per usual, Mannix gets KO'd from behind, and uses his car phone.
Joe likes his coffee (black of course) and has a cup of Java during both of his visits to "The Bad Scene", where Neil Diamond plays three songs, including "Solitary Man", which could easily be the personal theme song of Joe Mannix.
Overall, one of the better episodes of the first season, with some interesting plot twists along the way to keep you thinking.
The story is powerful, a stark and emotional reminder of the millions of innocent people who were systematically slaughtered by the Third Reich and its collaborators. Never forget.
Mannix: Nothing Ever Works Twice (1967)
Nice Rebound
"Nothing Ever Works Twice" is the first episode with a storyline featuring someone from Joe's past. In this case, a former flame looking for help in her efforts to obtain a divorce.
Some familiar tropes of the series begin appearing.
A client lies to Mannix.
Joe gets hit from behind and KO'd.
There's a car chase. This one involves a 1967 Mercury Colony Park, damaged by Mannix, but drivable.
Joe also goes off-roading in a four-door sedan.
Mannix uses a car phone (though not his).
There's a fist fight.
Joe lights up two cigarettes.
Body count of three.
Someone shows up in the end to help "clean up". In Season One it's usually Wickersham (Joe Campanella), in later seasons it's usually one of several police lieutenants.
As for the story itself, it's well-written enough to keep viewers interested. The only downside is by the time of the denouement, the killer is the only suspect left, there's no twist or surprise in the reveal.
Speaking of reveal, the George Barris customized 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado makes its first appearance in the series. A really sweet ride. Beats the heck out of those Mercury Comets.
Overall it's a strong episode, good action sequences, you get a glance into the past of Joe Mannix, and the Barris Toronado definitely raises the "cool factor" of our hero.
Mannix: Skid Marks on a Dry Run (1967)
From the penthouse to the ....
After a great start to the series by Bruce Geller, John Meredyth Lucas writes a script which makes no sense whatsoever and leaves the viewer wondering how this story got the green light. Obviously the director (Lucas) thought it was great.
A gubernatorial candidate hires Intertect to dig up whatever dirt they can find on him to ease the mind of his wife. The client is lying (shock and surprise).
As Mannix says, "no one sets out bear traps unless there are bears around". The story features very little suspense mixed with four killings, two which make no sense.
Mannix has one cup of coffee. Black of course.
Smokes one cigarette and shows he's an accomplished pocket billiards player.
No car chases.
Two fights.
Mannix knocks one female cold.
Gene Rutherford is chilling as a sociopathic button man.
Vincent Gardenia is also very good in a minor role.
Mannix drives a 1967 Mercury Comet Cyclone ragtop (yawn).
Joe is offered a brandy or scotch. Takes a brandy.
Houndstooth coat courtesy of Petrocelli Clothes.
Four points for Rutherford as the smiling assassin. Three points for Mannix for the KO of the trigger happy female. Two points for Vincent Gardenia. Minus four points for an asinine script.
Mannix: The Name Is Mannix (1967)
Excellent pilot for an entertaining action series
Richard Levinson and William Link began writing together as teenagers. Years later, they created several television series, Columbo, Ellery Queen, Murder She Wrote, and Mannix. As many viewers know, Mannix was given a major overhaul after Season One by someone who truly understood the medium of television, Lucille Ball.
With that in mind, the pilot episode gets the series off to a rousing start. A "former syndicate figure" (Lloyd Bacon) hires a high-tech detective and security agency, Intertect Ltd to find his kidnapped daughter, and the head honcho (Joseph Campanella) sends his best man Mannix to get the job done.
It wouldn't be a proper detective show without double crosses, plot twists, and duplicity, and this episode supplies plenty thanks to the writing of Bruce Geller.
In retrospect, the Intertect angle feels a bit stilted and gimmicky. If Mannix is such a poor fit for corporate security, why he would even want to work there? The juxtaposition of the classic detective archetype with a company which dictates how much paperwork can be on a desk might appear to be fertile writing material, but it seems a bit forced.
Also, some very odd choices made by DP Gene Polito towards the end of the episode (soft-focus). That was a head scratcher.
Mannix handles three cigarettes and smokes two. One hot cup of coffee. Doesn't have an adult beverage, probably because no one offered. A client lies. Two fist fights. Mannix doesn't get knocked cold, just knocked silly.
Mannix drives a 1966 Mercury Comet Caliente ragtop (yawn). First of many amazingly accurate pistol shots fired by Mannix during the series run. Body count of three. No cars are totaled, just one less whirlybird in the sky.
Great score by Lalo Schifrin. Nice location shoot at the Palm Springs Tramway and Mt. San Jacinto, with some sharp editing by Paul Krasny. Good supporting performances by Kim Hunter, John Colicos, and Barbara Anderson. Nice houndstooth jacket worn by our hero.