S.W.A.T. - The Complete First Season (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ah, those unforgettable words...especially poignant since they were said to me by Steve Forrest (Hondo)a number of times. Yep, I played T.J. McCabe in the original series, the guy with the bolt action scope rifle who'd climb up on high places (technically the sniper was called the "high man"), yank my cap around and try to emulate Steve McQueen's smooth moves with guns. So it's a real gas to see the original 13 come out on DVD...especially because I never had good copies of the originals!
SWAT was a great experience, with a bunch of great guys. We were surprised when they cancelled the show...it had been doing great, #1 all summer...then ABC switched it to try to win another night...good old network TV wisdom...and we lost our audience.
The scuttlebutt around the 20th Fox lot was that Aaron Spelling hated the show...it wasn't what he felt his name should be associated with...you may remember he went on to do Family and Dallas after that...so he allegedly swapped us out for Starsky and Hutch, which was a more character-driven show. Can't say I blame him...the writing got pretty stale pretty quick, because at least one of the line producers would take good scripts and turn them around to focus on Hondo and also dumb 'em up in favor of action, whereas we kept hoping they'd give us more of a shot at a Rookies-style, character-strong program.
We did have a lot of fun in that short 35 episodes...and I was particularly happy to find out that Rod Perry (Deke), whom I believed, thanks to a story Mark Shera (Luca)told me in the mid-80s, had died of a heart attack way back then, is in fact still very much alive!
But still sad that my old pal Bob Urich (Jim Street in SWAT, Dan Tana in Vegas, Spencer in Spencer for Hire)is gone for real. He was a good and good hearted man.
The only bummer about the new movie is that at least a couple of the guys from the old show did brief cameos in the flick, but since I live in NY, and the casting agent told me there was no real effort to include all of us anyway as in a reunion scene, I got left out of the movie. That was a little disappointing, I would have loved to do a bit in it, especially since they reprised our original character names (and made my character into a bad guy!) Well, that's Hollywood for you.
Best news is I'm happy to hear our old fans are still out there and rooting for good over evil on the streets of L.A. Thanks for still digging the show, everybody!
your ever-lovin', crime-fightin' T.J.
James Coleman

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Cannon: Season 1, Vol. 1 (1971) Review

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(More customer reviews)Finally, "Cannon," the Classic TV private eye series that premiered in 1971 is making its debut on DVD, with a four-disc boxed set collecting the first half of the show's Season 1 episodes.
Its star, William Conrad made a very big presence as Private Investigator Frank Cannon, well beyond the veteran actor's trademark girth. His deep, resonant baritone voice, and his remarkable acting demanded viewer's attention throughout the series' five-year run - and it still does today.
Cannon was a tough L.A. sleuth with very refined tastes. But, what could have been a forgettable series became an instant Classic when the versatile Conrad portrayed the character with depth and feeling. Cannon cared about his clients and it showed, so viewers cared about him.
Since Cannon's size didn't allow for many fist-fights and gun battles, which were the staple of the TV landscape of the day (and sadly still is), the series substituted car chases and high quality and innovative production values in their place.
Cannon had once been a police officer, but was discharged from the force for being overweight. After the murder of his wife and son, Cannon tracked down the killer and confronted him in a tearful and angry scene that still resonates. That loss and a deep understanding for the need for real justice, prompts Cannon to launch his successful career as a private investigator.
Cannon charged high fees to his well-to-do clients so that he could work for poorer clients at little or no charge. He also indulges his high-priced lifestyle, which includes a penthouse on the Sunset Strip, gourmet culinary delights and cooking, expensive wine, and regular maintenance on his Lincoln Mark IV, which was frequently damaged as a result of his cases.
"Cannon" was a staple of producer Quinn Martin's popular detective shows. It was nominated for a Best Drama Emmy in 1973, and Conrad was nominated for Best Dramatic Actor in 1973 and 1974. In 1980, Conrad reprised his role in a TV-movie, portraying Cannon coming out of retirement to investigate a friend's reported suicide.
The CBS series featured many of Quinn Martin's well-known stylistic innovations. "Cannon" marked the first time a QM series aired on a network other than ABC. Also for the first time, producers made a bold decision in 1973 to try to spread the established viewership popularity of "Cannon" to another QM show. They had Conrad's character "cross over" and appear routinely on the fledgling investigative series, "Barnaby Jones," which starred Buddy "Beverly Hillbillies" Ebsen, which was a QM series that began in 1973 and ran concurrently with "Cannon" on CBS.
For his part, Conrad was a star long before "Cannon." He created the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on the original radio version of the Classic western "Gunsmoke" in the 1950's. After "Cannon," Conrad starred in "Jake and the Fatman," and was "Nero Wolfe," as well as narrating numeroust TV shows like Tales of the Unexpected, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Manimal.
But, "Cannon" is considered by many to be the greatest achievement of Conrad's distinguished career, having created a character at once genial, witty, erudite, cultured and astute - but tough-as-nails.
Guest stars in "Cannon's" first season include: Tom Skerritt, Wayne Rogers, Mark Hamill, Joan Van Ark, Tim O'Connor, Vic Tayback, Kim Hunter, Dack Rambo and the late-great Roy Scheider.
Season 1 of "Cannon" had 24 episodes, including the two-part pilot. This four-disc DVD boxed set represents the first-half of the those episodes. Expected episodes are: Pilots Part I & II; Salinas Jackpot; Death Chain; Call Unicorn; Country Blues; Scream of Silence; Fool's Gold; and The Girl in the Electric Coffin; Dead Pigeon; A Lonely Place to Die; No Pockets in a Shroud; Stone Cold Dead; and Death is a Double Cross.
Season 1 Vol. 2, yet to be announced for preorder, is expected to collect the remainder of the first season episodes: The Nowhere Man; Flight Plan; Devi''s Playground; Treasure of San Ignacio; Blood On the Vine; To Kill a Guinea Pig; The Island Caper; A Deadly Quiet Town; A Flight of Hawks; The Torch; Cain's Mark; and Murder By Moonlight.
(Special Note: After the cancellation of Cannon, Conrad starred in "Jake and the Fatman." Conrad was Jason L. "Fatman" McCabe, DA, and Joe Penny, who portrayed Jake Styles, and Alan Campbell who played Derek Mitchell, two Private Investigator who teamed up with McCabe to get the bad guys first in L.A., then later in Hawaii. The series ran from 1987 to 1992.
CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment have scheduled "Cannon - Season 1, Vol. 1," and "Jake and the Fatman - Season 1, Vol. 1," for DVD release on the same day.)
Cannon: Season One V.1 (4pc) (Full Sen)
Jake & The Fatman: Season One V.1 (3pc) (Full)

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The weekly adventures of Frank Cannon, an overweight, balding ex-cop with a deep voice and expensive tastes in culinary pleasures, who becomes a high-priced private investigator. Since Cannon's girth didn't allow for many fist-fights and gun battles (although there were many), the series substituted car chases and high production values in their place.

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Mannix - The First Season Review

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(More customer reviews)Finally, FINALLY, the very best Classic TV detective series EVER produced comes to DVD in a first-season set. For its legion of fans, it is a huge understatement to say this release is eagerly anticipated. Thanks to CBS/Parmount for putting this series out on DVD. Let's hope the remaining seasons quickly follow.
Mannix ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller (who also created Mission: Impossible), the title character, Joe Mannix, is a two-fisted private investigator portrayed by Mike Connors.
Rarely has an actor so inhabited a TV character that it's impossible to separate the two. This series represents one of those times, and even the show's producers recognized it when the unusual credit proclaimed: Mike Connors IS Mannix. The ruggedly handsome Connors was the perfect match, and made the signature loud sports jackets of the time look great on his altar ego. Mannix also drove a variety of convertibles, and even had a car phone - which was unheard of at the time!
Mannix originally worked for a high-concept computerized firm known as Intertect in the rarely seen first season. This DVD set represents all of those episodes, including the series' pilot.
Mannix featured a dynamic split-screen opening credits sequence set to its theme music from noted composer Lalo Schifrin. Unusual for a private detective series, the Mannix theme is in triple time, the same signature used for a waltz.
(FYI: The show's title, opening credits and closing credits are in variations of "City Typeface," a distinctive, squared-off, split-serif face that has long been used by IBM Corporation as part of their corporate design, and continues to be used in its logo today. The use of this style of credits for Mannix spelled out his name as if on computer punch cards utilized by fictitious Intertect, but it was maintained throughout the series.)
The first season of Mannix is a lot different than the more familiar episodes that began in the second season, when Mannix opened his own agency at 17 Paseo Verde, Los Angeles, California. It was in the second season that the brilliant actress Gail Fisher was brought on board as Mannix's devoted secretary, Peggy Fair, whose cop-husband was killed in line of duty.
In the first season, Mannix is not on his own but is employed by an agency that tries to solve crimes using computers. It's great to see what passed for cutting edge technology in the late 1960's. The computers were the old mainframe type, and used punch cards and reel-to-reel tapes, which some younger viewers today may never have ever seen in use. These first season episodes are almost NEVER aired in syndication
All 24 first season episodes will be on this six-disc set with guest stars that epitomized the best of the 1960's including: Kim Hunter, singer Neil Diamond, Tom Skerritt, singers Neil Young and Stephen Stills, Richard Mulligan, Norman Fell, Army Archerd, Rona Barrett, and Karen Black. In addition, the release contains special features that include episode introductions by Golden Globe and Emmy-winning star Connors, along with an interview.
In its eight-year run, Mannix quickly became a TV staple airing on Saturday's at 10 p.m. Not only was it noted for its great writing, acting, unusual camera angles, hot cars and visuals, but also its violence. Mannix was, by one count, shot 17 times and knocked unconscious another 55 during the show's run.
During the first season of the series, Mannix worked for Intertect in large Los Angeles, which was the most high-tech detective agency in the country. His superior was Lew Wickersham, played to perfection by Joseph Campanella. The tension between the two men was entertaining, since Mannix belonged to the classic hard-boiled school of American detectives (hard drinking, womanizing but compassionate, and always quick to action.) Mannix generally ignored the computers' solutions, disobeyed Wickersham and did things his own way.
Connors incorporated his own Armenian heritage into his character. Viewers were treated to a host of great Armenian proverbs Mannix shared at some of the most interesting and unexpected times. A Korean War Army veteran, Mannix also seemed to struggle with unspoken demons from that experiences.
From the second season on, Mannix worked on his own with the assistance Peggy Fair. (Fisher was one of the first African-American actresses to have a regular series role on TV. Later in the series, the producers even considered a romantic relationship between the two, but feared it was too controversial for the time. Nonetheless, the chemistry between the two is unmistakable). He also had assistance from the police department, the two most frequently depicted were Lt. Adam Tobias (portrayed by Robert Reed) and later Lt. Art Malcolm (portrayed by Ward Wood). Other police contacts were Lt. George Kramer (Larry Linville) and Lt. Dan Ives (Jack Ging).
The series was also memorable for its cool cars, primarily convertibles, that Mannix drove. In Season 1, he drove a customized Oldsmobile Toronado convertible (Oldsmobile never produced a convertible in that model for sale); in Seasons 2-3, he drove a Dodge Dart GTS 340 convertible; in Seasons 4-6, he drove a Plymouth Barracuda convertible; in Season 7, he drove a Dodge Challenger Coupe; and in Season 8, he drove a Chevrolet Camaro LT.
Included in this DVD set is the pilot, The Name is Mannix, which truly sets the tone for the whole series. In it, maverick private-eye Mannix tries to rescue the kidnaped daughter of former rackets' boss, Sam Dubrio. Mannix bets he can get the girl back, if he can persuade her father to risk the half-million dollar ransom plus another half-million dollars to bribe the kidnapers' pickup man.
The other episodes here from the first season are: The Cost of a Vacation; Skid Marks on a Dry Run; Then the Drink Takes the Man; The Many Deaths of Saint Christopher; Make It Like It Never Happened; License to Kill, Limit Three People; Beyond the Shadow of a Dream; Warning: Live Blueberries; Turn Every Stone; Huntdown; Coffin for a Clown; A Catalogue of Sins; Run Sheep, Run; Falling Star; To Kill a Writer; Deadfall Part 1; Deadfall Part 2; You Can Get Killed Out There; Another Final Exit; Eight to Five, It's a Miracle; Delayed Action; and The Girl in the Frame.

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From the dynamic opening credits to the closing shootout, Mannix crackles with excitement, and is finally available on DVD for the first time ever! Cool, no-nonsense private detective Joe Mannix (Mike Connors) is a tough-talking loner within the large detective agency Intertect. He has street smarts and class, but he constantly fights with his boss, Lou Wickersham (Joseph Campanella), over how to conduct their investigations. Lou relies on the company's computers, but Mannix has to go with his gut. And that's just what he does every time! One of the most popular crime shows ever, this long-running series was developed by executive producer Bruce Geller (Mission: Impossible), and features all 24 Season One episodes on 6 discs, including the rarely-seen series pilot. Brace yourself for unbeatable action - Mannix is back!

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