Once again the best bet this week is the release of a
complete series on disc for a reasonable price and size that won’t fill your
shelf. This time around we return to the sixties and seventies with a private
eye that took the country by storm, breaking down at least one barrier of the
time and lasting 8 seasons, all collected here. The show and the main character
was named MANNIX.
Starring Mike Connors (who just passed away this last year)
as Joe Mannix, the show focused on a detective in the old school tradition. The
first season had Mannix working for a high tech computerized private detective
agency called Intertech. Run by Lew Wickersham (Joseph Campanella), the agency
used computers to siphon through data to find their man. Mannix instead chose
to follow his gut instinct, walk the streets and often take a beating in
pursuit of the truth. The only reason Wickersham keeps him on is that he gets
results, sometimes even when the computers think otherwise.
Viewers weren’t as keen on this format as was thought and
with the second season Mannix went into business for himself. One of the first
changes was to hire a girl Friday, someone to take calls and run the office.
This part was filled by Gail Fisher as Peggy Fair and a more loyal employee
would be hard to find. Most notable about this role was that Fisher was one of
the first black actresses to star in a major role in regular television at the
time. Several other recurring characters were added to assist Mannix, most
working for the police force.
The format of the show was usually the same, a situation
which required Mannix to mount his white steed and go forward into the fray to
save whoever was in need. He was not just a detective but a hero as well,
following his own personal strict code of honor in an attempt to discover the
truth. This also made the show different from most at the time. Rather than a
series that revolved around the story being told it was character driven, as
much about Mannix and those who hired him as it was the situation he was
handling.
Another thing that made the show different was that Mannix
wasn’t infallible. He often found himself on the wrong end of a physical
confrontation being beaten by the bad guys as often as he dished it out. During
the time the series was on the air Mannix was knocked unconscious dozens of
times and shot and wounded at least 10 times. He was cool, he was intelligent
and even though he could handle himself in a fight those fights were more
realistic than most on TV since he didn’t always win.
Running from 1967 through 1975 the series was not known for
being topical and yet it did touch on subjects in the news. A Korean War
veteran, Mannix dealt with repercussions from his time in the service. Topics
like handicapped characters who helped in spite of their disabilities, racism
and the effects of PTSD on returning Vietnam vets were included in various
episodes.
So now you know what the series was about if you weren’t
beforehand. Also note that it featured one of the best TV series theme songs
composed by the great Lalo Schifrin. But what’s in this box set? And why this
rather than the separate seasons already released?
To answer that last question the size. This box set will
take up far less room on the shelf. The price when compared to buying each
season separately is a savings worth taking advantage of. And the extras are
nice worth taking the time to enjoy. They include: Interviews with Mike Connors
and Joseph Campanella, Mike Connors on THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW, TV Land promos, a
DIAGNOSIS MURDER clip (his character returned for a part in an episode of that
series), audio commentary on the pilot by co-creator William Link, audio
commentary on “Another Final Exit” by Connors and Campanella, Mike Connors
audio introductions on the episodes and a photo gallery. If the name William
Link sounds familiar it should. In addition to creating this series with
co-creator Richard Levinson the duo created COLUMBO.
So here you have it, all 194 episodes contained on 48 discs,
163 hours and 44 minutes of pure Mannix. Fans of sixties TV will find this a
must have for their collection. If you don’t add it to yours hopefully you’ll
find someone who did to borrow it from. In going back and revisiting the series
I found that they were as enjoyable today as when first viewed long ago. Take a
trip back in time with MANNIX.
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