Cannon (1971-76)

[Little Garwood]

Thanks for the rundown. What about IRONSIDE?

Putting it mildly, I tend to dislike Raymond Burr, so no Ironside for me. Great Quincy Jones theme, though!

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Thanks for the rundown. What about IRONSIDE?

Putting it mildly, I tend to dislike Raymond Burr, so no Ironside for me. Great Quincy Jones theme, though!

Agreed. Very boring performance. I never got into PERRY MASON either, although I did enjoy the 80s and 90s Perry Mason TV movies, with a bearded Burr. Anyway I much preferred the courtroom antics of Ben Matlock. You just can't beat Andy Griffith!

[Pahonu]

Garwood, so now that you're watching CANNON what's your preference? CANNON or MANNIX? How would you rank those with other 70s hits like FIVE-O, STREETS OF SAN FRAN, COLUMBO, ROCKFORD?

Have you ever tried IRONSIDE? Raymond Burr is too much of a grouch/sour puss in that one. I also never understood his Emmy nominations on either PERRY MASON or IRONSIDE. He's just too one-note in his performances.

Haven’t watched enough Cannon to make that choice yet, Ivan. Cannon I only remember the odd moment here and there from when my grandparents watched it in late ‘80s syndication—they watched seemingly every detective series from the ‘70s and ‘80s—but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve seen of Cannon so far.

Mannix has a unique, poker-faced-but-batsh!t crazy element about it I’ve loved for years. I’ve yet to formulate my assesment of Cannon. I’m only watching an episode a week, so it’s still sinking in. Cannon has impressed as far as its lead actor, guest stars, musical underscore (and theme), as well as it having been filmed in the early-to-mid 1970s, which is one of my “cultural wheelhouses”; I like the Los Angeles-of-the-era backdrop. I need to reinvestigate other Quinn Martin productions, as it’s been decades since I’ve watched them.

Columbo, Rockford, and a whole slew of Universal productions (Kolchak, McMillan & Wife, et al.) are highly regarded here at the Garwood Estate.

I’ve just started DVRing McMillan and Wife recently and have enjoyed the first few episodes.

[Pahonu]

Anthony Zerbe is “must-see” TV for me! He’s a stalwart of 1965-75 television. He did multiple episodes of Desilu series Mission: Impossible and Mannix, but never Star Trek…that’s a huge missed opportunity!

Zerbe did 3 episodes of Cannon. I’m looking forward to seeing his 3 different characters there.

I don’t want to ruin anything for you so I’ll just say that his second role in Cannon is INTENSE.

[Little Garwood]

The first four episodes of Cannon I’ve given a 7/10. I was falling down a rabbit hole of reviewing each episode but never knew when to stop, so I’ll only review those epusodes which really stqnd out even though all have been highly entertaining. The series continues to impress with what a bad ass Frank Cannon is as well as the guest cast, which consists of TV stalwarts of the ‘65-‘75 era and future stars. I’m truly enjoying the show, which is right in my early-to-mid-‘70s “wheelhouse.”

[Little Garwood]

I don’t recall any “Quinn Martin Productions” after 1980. Barnaby Jones ended that year. Quinn Martin was only 65 when he died in 1987.

[Little Garwood]

Death Chain
Original Airdate: Sep 21, 1971

Hired to investigate a bank secretary’s murder, Cannon unearths a scheme involving blackmail and robbery.

Guest Stars: William Windom, Sorrell Booke, Don Gordon.

Trivia: William Conrad and Sorrell Booke died on the same day: February 11, 1994.

Not too much to report on this one, but early on Cannon appears to be consistently average. The show is keeping my interest, though. I only watch one episode a week. Cannon is “new” to me, so I wouldn’t want to binge watch a series with which I’m only vaguely familiar.

Joe (Don Gordon) is knocking off members of his heist gang. Gordon has fully embraced the hair helmet and mutton chop sideburns that went tragically mainstream by 1971.

Donna Woodward (Judith McConnell), secretary to Harry Kendrix (William Windom) looks quite alluring in her goldenrod outfit. She’s barely onscreen but makes a positive visual impression.

The weather looks oppressively hot in this episode; there must have been a serious heatwave in California at the time.

Cannon and the police appear to co-exist on generally good terms. Perhaps it’s because Cannon used to be a cop (not always a guarantee; e.g. Philip Marlowe), as he mentions in this episode.

Christopher Dark, who plays Sgt. Jack Rissmiller, died from a heart attack at age 51 less than a month after this episode aired. Dark was a prolific TV character actor, though not in much that I have seen. Cannon and Rissmiller have a pretty good rapport.

The “big danger scene” is when Cannon is set afire by a welding torch-bearing Don Gordon. Frank Cannon certainly has received his fair share of abuse early on in the series!

My Rating: 7/10

[Little Garwood]

Okay, so Magnum-Mania is not a Cannon—or any other non-Magnum stronghold—no surprise there—but I am impressed with the show’s first season…and that includes an episode with a young, pre-fame Leif Garrett (look him up, Magnum Maniacs):

I won’t bother with detailed reviews—no one cares—but I will list my S1 episode ratings (to date):

Season One (1971-72)

Pilot 8/10
The Salinas Jackpot 7/10
Death Chain 7/10
Call Unicorn 7/10
Country Blues 7/10

Scream of Silence 8/10
Fool’s Gold 9/10
Girl in the Electric Coffin 7/10
Dead Pigeon 9/10
A Lonely Place to Die 8/10

No Pockets in a Shroud 8/10
Stone, Cold Dead 10/10
Death is a Double-Cross 8/10

Cannon has proven to be an impressively, consistently-good TV series. It has guest stars second to none to any other show of that, or any other era.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Okay, so Magnum-Mania is not a Cannon—or any other non-Magnum stronghold—no surprise there—but I am impressed with the show’s first season…and that includes an episode with a young, pre-fame Leif Garrett (look him up, Magnum Maniacs):

I won’t bother with detailed reviews—no one cares—but I will list my S1 episode ratings (to date):

Season One (1971-72)

Pilot 8/10
The Salinas Jackpot 7/10
Death Chain 7/10
Call Unicorn 7/10
Country Blues 7/10

Scream of Silence 8/10
Fool’s Gold 9/10
Girl in the Electric Coffin 7/10
Dead Pigeon 9/10
A Lonely Place to Die 8/10

No Pockets in a Shroud 8/10
Stone, Cold Dead 10/10
Death is a Double-Cross 8/10

Cannon has proven to be an impressively, consistently-good TV series. It has guest stars second to none to any other show of that, or any other era.

As you noted, the guest star roster is impressive, with many of the era's favorite character actors in support.

I always thought the series should have revealed far earlier than the 5th season episode "Nightmare" that Cannon's wife Laura and
son David were murdered. It explains the enigma of just who the tight lipped Cannon really is, why he seemingly walled himself off from love.
I pondered as to wether I should mention their deaths here but it doesn't effect the drama in the episode.
For my money "Nightmare" is the best episode of the whole series and goes down some dark paths that may or may not be true.
The viewer gets emotionally involved, even misty at one point.
Quinn Martin was nearing it's last gasp at the time but could still do solid entertainment.

[Chris109]

Cannon and Mannix had something in common. Both had a car phone.

[Little Garwood]

Cannon and Mannix had something in common. Both had a car phone.

Another thing the two share is a penchant for fisticuffs. Mannix has a well-earned reputation for its violence, as Joe punched and shot his way out of many a scrape; and to my surprise and delight—so did Cannon. Cannon has at least two sequences per episode in which he dishes out and/or receives generous helpings of physical abuse.

[Chris109]

Cannon and Mannix had something in common. Both had a car phone.

Another thing the two share is a penchant for fisticuffs. Mannix has a well-earned reputation for its violence, as Joe punched and shot his way out of many a scrape; and to my surprise and delight—so did Cannon. Cannon has at least two sequences per episode in which he dishes out and/or receives generous helpings of physical abuse.

Another 'if I recall correctly', it was the same way with Kung Fu. Network censors demanded no more than 2 fights per episode.

[Little Garwood]

Another 'if I recall correctly', it was the same way with Kung Fu. Network censors demanded no more than 2 fights per episode.

If so, then I applaud the Mannix and Cannon production teams for wringing every drop of blood out of those no more than two fight scenes!

[Little Garwood]

The Nowhere Man, while decent (6/10), is so far the first season’s “worst” episode. I will always associate Fritz Weaver as Rogosh from S1 of Mission: Impossible and as the guy who acted Selleck off the screen in the MPI pilot. Here, his character is severely underwritten and seriously wrongheaded in his rationale. Plus, the episode does away with 1965-75 TV legend Robert Webber far too quickly.

[Mr. Mike]

You never asked me, but I couldn't get into Ironside, though I did manage to track down all 8 seasons of the show (only the first four were released in North America).

I actually got a domain name for an Ironside site (now abandoned) and reviewed a few shows which are archived here:

https://mjq.net/ironside/

Why did I give up? I think Ironside's personality was too abrasive to put up with for 8 years of episodes.

I also reviewed a couple of episodes of Harry O, a series notorious for a lack of direction and executive meddling.

https://mjq.net/harryo/