You have to admit, William Conrad and Buddy Ebsen made a good team. Cannon would work the streets while Barnaby would assemble the clues. If you're old enough, you may remember the clever CBS publicity stunt as the first half of this mystery was aired on CANNON Wednesday night, followed by the must see conclusion on BARNABY JONES Thursday night. It worked well, and both series may have picked up on this idea from the crossover between MARCUS WELBY and OWEN MARSHALL, who did the same thing a few years earlier.
The series premier episode actually had Barnaby meeting Cannon for the very first time, who would assist him in solving the murder of his son. This time around, they are united but working on different sides of the same case. Now that's a twist.
Charles Durning portrays one of the worst villains, responsible for a rape and murder, leading to a perfect frame for an innocent delivery man. Cannon takes the case in his defense, while Barnaby believes the man is guilty.
There's also a bizarre scene (not seen in this episode) where they have to tackle a gigantic woman wrestler. No kidding. If I am not mistaken, Cannon and Barnaby have no weapons. That scene was re-run many times to promote both shows. Everybody talked about that in high school, it was so outrageous, but well acted. It's a shame it's not included in this episode as it is a tv first.
The supporting cast, as usual, is dynamic, headed by old time favorite Barry Sullivan. There's also a Warner Brothers connection. Buddy Ebsen did some tv work at WB, before the BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, so he and William Conrad probably knew each other quite well.
Recommended. SEASON 5, EPISODE 2 remastered CBS dvd box set (2015).