Mannix: The First Season – DVD Review

Joe Mannix wasn’t made for a 21st century mystery series. He couldn’t deal with the “works well with others” attitude of the various CSI and Law and Order series. He punched the clock for Intertect, a private investigation corporation, but wasn’t a company man. The selling point of Intertect was a massive super-computer that gave them the edge on cases. Mannix didn’t care much for science. He operated with gut instinct and street knowledge. He was a tough guy, but he wasn’t haunted by a dark secret. He drank without being an alcoholic. He’d punch a woman if she swung at him. He brought the tough investigator out of the movie theater and onto the small screen. For all his rough edges, he was smooth with the ladies and passionate about helping innocent clients.

“The Name is Mannix” launched the character of Joe Mannix with a gut punch. A retired mob kingpin (Lloyd Nolan) gets a ransom demand for his kidnapped daughter (Mission: Impossible‘s Barbara Anderson). Nolan has Intertect send over their best guy to be the bagman. Naturally it’s Mannix. Nolan has his limo driver fight the P.I to test Mannix’s tough guy credentials. It’s a muddy battle, but what chance does a chauffeur have against Mannix? Instead of merely dumping the cash and collecting his check, Mannix devises a trap for the kidnapper’s pick up man (John Colicos, Baltar on the original Battlestar Galactica). There’s a great action scene with Mannix fighting an attacking helicopter that rivals the chase in From Russia With Love. Mannix raised the bar for stunts on TV shows. Parents who complained about black and white mayhem on The Untouchables, were shocked by the full color violence in every hour of Mannix.

“Skid Marks on a Dry Run” brings politics into the picture. A wealthy man wants Intertect to dig up dirt on himself so he can prepare to run for governor. He wants to get a jump on his potential rivals. Every time Mannix finds a slight smudge on the potential candidate, there’s a rub out. “The Many Deaths of Saint Christopher” gets good and twisted. Mannix is assigned to track down an AWOL scientist (Godfather‘s John Marley) by his employers. But he quickly discovers that this isn’t about corporate politics, but war crimes. Mannix seduces the AWOL scientist’s daughter to get a lead. Prepare to be excited by a nightclub performance from a very young Neil Diamond. The man of the shiny shirts breaks out “Solitary Man.” If you want to see someone really young, check out Tom Skerritt on “Warning: Live Blueberries.”

“Coffin For a Clown” seems simple enough as Mannix serves court papers on a father whose ex-wife wants custody of their son (Christopher Knight of My Fair Brady) with his mom. But things get complicated when gunmen come after the husband. Making things weird is Norman Fell (Three’s Company‘s Mr. Roper) as the uncle who wants to help his brother out. There’s a big bang at the end of this case. “Run, Sheep, Run” puts our trusty investigator in the middle of a crooked cop scandal. “Then the Drink Takes the Man” checks the show into rehab. Mannix fakes a drinking problem in order to figure out why a non-drinker would constantly dry up in a Mexican clinic. “Deadfall” is a two- part adventure that puts Mannix at odds with Lew Wickersham (Joseph Campanella), his Intertect boss. There’s rouge agents, stolen secrets and Lew finds himself drugged up. It’s up to Mannix to save his boss and company.

For those who enjoy the whole Intertect angle, don’t get attached to the punch cards. For the second season, the producers retooled the show to make Mannix a truly private investigator. He had his own office with Gail Fisher as his secretary for the next seven seasons. But such a radical departure doesn’t mean there was something wrong with this first season. Mannix looked natural giving the finger to the computer that wanted to take the human element out of sleuthing. The interaction between Mannix and his boss was superb. You can understand why he’d tolerate this maverick on his sophisticated staff. Mannix: The First Season establishes Mike Connors as one of the great TV private eyes.

The Episodes
“The Name Is Mannix,” “Skid Marks on a Dry Run,” “Nothing Ever Works Twice,” “The Many Deaths of Saint Christopher,” “Make Like It Never Happened,” “The Cost of a Vacation,” “Warning: Live Blueberries,” “Beyond the Shadow of a Dream,” “Huntdown,” “Coffin for a Clown,” “Catalogue of Sins,” “Turn Every Stone,” “Run, Sheep, Run,” “Then the Drink Takes the Man,” “The Falling Star,” “License to Kill—Limit Three People,” “Deadfall” (two-parter), “You Can Get Killed Out There,” “Another Final Exit (or, The Box),” “Eight to Five, Its a Miracle,” “Delayed Reaction,” “To Kill a Writer” and “The Girl in the Frame.”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are stellar. The colors pop as hard as Mannix’s fist. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The sound levels are good. You’ll hear plenty of bullets shooting around the room. “The Name is Mannix” has a commentary from creator William Link. Mike Connors and Joseph Campanella talk on “Another Final Exit.” They’re entertaining as they remember old times when they were more mobile.

Audio Intros for each episode by Mike Connors are short and sweet. Connors mentions any popular guest stars, but doesn’t give too much behind the scenes info.

Interview with Mike Connors and Joseph Campanella (19:39) is a recent two-part conversation with the first season stars. Even though Campanella didn’t come back for the second season, he’s not bitter since he leaped over to The Bold Ones.

CBS Fall Promo – 1967 (5:26) shows how the network introduced the viewing audience to Joe Mannix. They let us know that Mannix can beat up a limo driver.

Mike Connors on the Mike Douglas Show 4/22/69 (5:06) is not for the weak of stomach since Marty Allen is also a guest. Connors talks about pranks he used to play on the Mission: Impossible cast.


TV Land Promo (0:48) breaks the various injuries Mannix suffered during the show. How many times did he take a bullet in the arm?

Sales Presentation (1:50) is what Paramount sent out to stations to promote the syndicated cut of the series. It pushes the hard and soft edges of Joe Mannix.

Diagnosis Murder Clip (2:08) has Joe Mannix continue an old case from 1973 on Dick Van Dyke’s mystery show in 1997. Mike Connors does a good job on the audio intro setting up this special appearance. The full episode will be included whenever the fourth season of Diagnosis Murder comes out on DVD. This short segment shows that after all these years, Mannix can still take a bullet in the arm.

Photo Gallery (0:50) is a montage of various promotional pics from the show.

What makes Mannix: The First Season extra special is that these episodes weren’t in syndication because of the Intertect angle. For fans who’ve only watched the series in reruns, this is a whole new batch of shows. For fans of rough and tumble detectives, Mannix is the man.

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CBS DVD presents Mannix: The First Season. Starring: Mike Connors & Joseph Campanella. Box set Contents: 24 episodes on 6 discs. Originally Broadcasted: Sept. 16, 1967 – March 16, 1968. Released on DVD: June 3, 2008. Available at Amazon.com