Mannix (TV Series) A Gathering of Ghosts (1971) User Reviews

Correction to Movies - 109 Review

[robcurlee-19-38696 · 5/10 · 23 April 2021]

Episode is a little far-fetched, but good escapist entertainment.

Just a correction to "Movies - 109"'s review: The episode was filmed on "Bonanza's" Virginia City set on the Paramount backlot - nothing in this episode was filmed on the RKO 40 Aces lot.

Not the best, but lots of twists to keep you guessing

[spotlightbaby · 5/10 · 3 August 2019]

I rediscovered "Mannix" recently having remembered it as a teenager, but not fully appreciating its coolness for the time. Mike Connors was the quintessential handsome private eye - a real man's man. Most of the episodes are well written with a few duds along the way, but the series ran for eight seasons, so one can't be too critical. This episode was full of psychological twists that keep us guessing who the killer is. I did find it hard to believe that the character played by Jason Evers managed the physical effort of hanging Robert Webber from one of the buildings without being seen or heard by the others! Unless he had the strength and stealth of Spider Man, that seemed unlikely, but moving on. As far as a rational plot detail goes, I couldn't figure out why Evers broke Mannix's car phone, punctured and emptied his gas tank, then emptied the gas from the RV the group arrived in, which was his only chance of getting out of the desert alive.with actress Marj Dusay. Were they hoping to walk the thirty miles? There were a few small fires burning in the street hoping to draw the attention of a plane or helicopter. With Mannix shot in the shoulder, the final scene was disappointing as we're left wondering how long he and the two women would be stranded before being rescued. The episodes usually end with a parting shot that resolves that uncertainty. This fell short, as it would have been nice to see a couple of patrol cars with flashing lights in the distance to reassure the viewer that help is on the way. Still a great series from the 1970s. RIP Mike Connors.

Middle of the line

[glitterrose · 5/10 · 30 October 2021]

I've said on other Mannix reviews about how I feel about certain episodes. There's some that's really, really slow. Others that you can enjoy because you're snarking on them and others that you genuinely enjoy because the storyline has drawn you in that much.

I'm not gonna label this the worst Mannix episode of all time. I'd rather watch this episode 10 times in a row than that STUPID episode with Peggy falling in love with the guy at the hospital. But this also isn't the best episode in the world.

I realize a lot of people snark on Joe getting beat up, getting knocked out a lot, etc. I must admit I bring my own snarks to the table. I love how Joe has an office and yet he goes off to these middle of nowhere spots in order to meet a client/supposed client. I realize Joe Mannix is a nice guy but he's seen enough stuff that you'd think he'd flat out say "Please come to my office."

I must admit the adults behavior (exceptions include Joe and Leslie) are rather ridiculous and childish. As for whether this is a high school or college reunion...I'd lean more towards college and even then I'd add another 5 years to that number instead of it being a 15th year get together. But I realize times were different. I love watching "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and you can see a man that's clearly at least 35 to 40 years old and have other characters refer to him as being a "boy". So I can understand how a lot of actors and actresses want to play like they're younger. Mike Connors has to at least be in his mid 40s by this point but I guess Joe Mannix is supposed to be in his mid 30s? I guess it all adds up in the long run since the characters act immature enough that it'd probably make a 12 year old say "Seriously, you're all grownups. Act like it."

Anyway, I love how the "drunk" character (Leslie) is the only one of the group to see how immature the rest of the group is being. I put drunk in quotations because I don't really see the character as being a drunk. She probably had to have a few drinks just being around these jerks. Back to Mannix: if you have to trick somebody to come and hang out with you, what does that say?! Joe should've gotten back in his car the second his classmates showed themselves or at least driven off at the first instance of being called "Jo-Jo". Poor Joe can't catch a break whether it be people he went to school with or people he was in the war with.

The good news is the deaths in the episode might satisfy you if you find practically all the characters to be irritating.

Oh come on, it wasn't that bad

[movies-109 · 6/10 · 18 April 2021]

No car chases on Mulholland, but Mannix does outgun the rifleman with his 2: Colt Detective Special. I want one of those guns!

Two Star Trek alumni... actually that's about average, some Mannix episodes have as many as five. And filmed in another section of the RKO Back Forty. For some reason, the history of this back lot mentions a handful of Star Trek episodes filmed there, Gone With The Wind, Mayberry... but they fail to mention probably a dozen or more Mannix episodes. This one used the western ghost town, but I'm pretty sure it's part of the same parcel. It's too bad the land in the heard of LA was so valuable - it would be a wonderful tourist destination for any fan of old movies and uncounted TV shows.

Jason Evers is the real bad guy, we know that from his appearance as the speedy guy in "Wink of an Eye", an exceedingly boring Trek episode. And Diana Muldaur, who played three different doctors in Trek - Ann Mulhall in Return to Tomorrow, Miranda Jones in the "Medusa" episode, and a whole season as Kate Pulaski on Next Generation.

I'm surprised Joe doesn't know how to fix a phone cord. I guess he's not McGyver.

And poor Thorny - whoever that is/was, gets blamed for the killings but turns out he had nothing to do with it. It's nowhere near as boring as some of the others. Or Wink of an Eye.

Too bad Mike Connors never got a guest role on Star Trek. He's maybe the only other actor that could have replaced William Windom in The Doomsday Machine - but Windom's performance was stellar. But I digress. I guess it can't be that great if I'd rather talk about Star Trek. But the truth is, these two shows made my days and weekends back in my youth, and I still love them today. I've had the entire Star Trek series on video since 1985, and I had them all on audio tape more than a decade before that, but only recently the entire Mannix series became available on DVD. I'm on my second complete trip through, and seasons 2, 3, and 4 are my favorites and the ones I remember best.

Not great but a long way from the worst - those come later.

THE HOMICIDAL GANG'S ALL HERE

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 28 July 2022]

10 Stars. A Must.

For those of us who grew up on MANNIX, remote, creepy desert settings were a gas, especially if you lived in the desert.

That said, this episode owes so much to Reza Badiyi, a legendary tv director who knew how to get Joe in a mess. That's putting it mildly. He also holds the record for directing the most episodes for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. Written by one of the best, John Meredyth Lucas, a distinguished producer, behind STAR TREK and many other cult shows.

Talk about a reunion? Joe attends his high school reunion in a ghost town. That's campy fun all by itself. Notes indicate it was shot on the Paramount western lot at the Hollywood studio, however long shots show what looks to be rugged Lancaster, CA, a popular filming area.

The catch is that Joe's football "rah rah!" comrades have some baggage, like skeletons in their own closets. Next comes the body count. The cast is excellent, with Jason Evers (as Ross) and towering Robert Webber (as Tom), old pals of Joe. Not to forget... the running gag on the series is that his friends had SECRETS. On the female side are two of the most beautiful actresses, Diana Muldaur and Marj Dusay. This able team also turned up on CANNON in later episodes, and with equal results, particularly Evers and Webber.

Try to figure this one out by midway. Not EZ.

Very dramatic and with a powerful ending, again thanks to Badiyi and Meredyth. On a trivia note, Reza, according to Mary Tyler Moore , came up with the idea of her throwing her hat up in the air during the opening show credits--AND-- he suggested the opening big super wave at the start of HAWAII FIVE O. Great trivia questions.

Recommended. SEASON 4 EPISODE 19 remastered color CBS dvd box set.

No mod interiors, no mod fashions, no Peggy.

[Apple-Girl · 2/10 · 26 April 2023]

Jo-Jo? Seriously? Ugh, the dreaded ghost town college reunion show. Even though I hate this episode, every time it comes on meTV I am mysteriously drawn in to watch it again. I keep thinking there must be some small detail, some spark of brilliance that I did not see before. I watch every minute, listen to every piece of dialog carefully. Searching, searching... Alas, the episode is a dud every time.

The party set-up cracks me up. All the fancy hors d'oeuvres lined up on lovely trays. The red gingham tablecloths, keeping with the "old west" theme. The funniest are the dozens of long stemmed wine glasses on display. A lot of wine glasses for a guest list of six people! Also no cooler for the ice and beer, what kind of college football guys would neglect to bring a cooler to a party?

The fashion was not good. The drunk lady had cool boots, but the rest of her outfit was far from groovy. The other lady had a nondescript brown outfit. Ladies, those are the best party outfits you could come up with? In 1971? What happened? Were the stores all closed? Not even good hairdos.

The big clue is the smeared ink. However, ink would smear on the glossy paper of the photo, but not so much on regular paper that the note was written on.

Joe is always handsome, and his 1970 Barracuda convertible is always groovy, so there's that.

Laws don't exist in the 70's

[tv_dinners · 8/10 · 22 February 2023]

This is a entertaining episode if you don't take it too seriously. Just sit back and enjoy the ridiculous of it all...lol First of all...although it's a "ghost town" the property belongs to someone, so they are all trespassing! I mean they're starting bon fires shooting off guns but that's perfectly fine in 1971...in reality they should all be arrested! Lol

I can just see when the guys tried to pitch this idea of a reunion to the ladies...the women are like "will there be running water and a toilet?"..answer: Of course not!!..you have to squat out in the desert like a wild coyote..and the girls are like, cool...count us in!

And when the whole gang stands there watching Joe try to start his car, nobody can smell the 20 gallons of gasoline on the ground two feet away from them and half of them are smoking!

Plus...poor Joe can't splice two phone wires back together on his car phone because it's a ...satellite phone I guess?...still two wires Joe.

This episode is just plain funny, not to be taken seriously...Enjoy!

The worst episode in the series so far

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 9 September 2014]

I bought all eight seasons of "Mannix" and am about halfway through them--so obviously I enjoy the show. But because I haven't seen every episode, I cannot yet say that "A Gathering of Ghosts" is the worst one they ever made...but it sure is up until this point. The plot is insanely contrived and very poorly written and I am actually surprised it ever got made in the first place.

When the show begins, Mannix is traveling into the desert to meet some client. This is a bit contrived right there...and it only gets worse. He soon arrives in a deserted western town and it turns out that there is no client--it's really a surprise reunion of Mannix's old college football buddies (????). Soon the script really gets nutty as one of the group is murdered...and then apparently ISN'T really murdered. Then, one of them really IS murdered and one by one, the members of this group all seem to wander off alone to be killed...duh. As for who is doing this and why, that doesn't even pay off, as the logic and reasoning behind it is pretty much absent. I especially loved the shootout at the end--with Mannix and his snub-nosed revolver taking out a guy with a rifle and scope! All in all, a confusing and highly contrived episode--one that never seems interesting or real in any way. Easily the worst to this point...easily.

10 Little Indians

[januszlvii · 9/10 · 13 August 2023]

I do not get the hate for A Gathering Of Ghosts. I really enjoyed it. Why? If anyone has read 10 Little Indians or seen any of its movie versions you will like this episode. It is about Joe's football team's college reunion which takes place in a ghost town ( same concept was used in 10 Little Indians). Gradually one by one the characters are being knocked off by an unknown killer ( or killers). Again same concept here. As gor Mannix you watch because there are lots of beautiful women and action and to see Joe end up somehow surviving ( all of which are found here). The one flaw is Dpoilers ahead:,if you see enough Mannix episodes you know the villain is usually the biggest guest star. In this case, Diana Muldur ( Diana), so you know it has to be her and someone else because a body is hung up and obviously as a woman she cannot do it alone. Anyway I really enjoyed it and I give it 9/10 stars.

This might not be the worse episode but it is somewhere in the bottom three

[Guad42 · 3/10 · 31 January 2021]

31 Jan 2021. As noted by earlier reviewers, this episode has holes big enough to drive a truck through. A 15 yr high school football team reunion for people clearly in their 40s. Who gets together in a ghost town? Was Alcatraz booked? Four teammates is not a reunion. A fake death that seems like filler to add minutes to the episode. Ridiculous motivations and plans. The list is almost endless. This is one of those scripts where you wonder how it got through so many people and nobody threw the BS flag on it. Must be the same people who approved the "killer vegetables run wild" script for Lost in Space.

I gave it three stars in recognition of the great guest cast. Diana Muldaur, Charles Aidman, Jason Evers, Marj Dusay, Alan Oppenheimer, and Robert Webber may compose the best, most experienced guest cast to appear in any Mannix outing. All had busy, decades long careers. Webber was nominated for an Oscar a few years later for his work in "10". It is a shame to waste this talented group on this type of trash.

Since there is no case, Joe doesn't get paid again. The writers should kick in some bucks and pay his fee for making him show up for this turkey.

29 Oct 2021. I rewatched this episode on METV and it is still bad. One character refers to their football opponent as WebsterU and another talks about "the fun we used to have in college" so it is a college team reunion rather than high school as I state in my original review. Despite being college, they are still too old for a 15 year reunion by ten years. Another thing I missed on the first go-around was the town is named Silver Town (on a sign as Joe arrives) and the team nickname is the Silver Ghosts so that is why the reunion went there. Weak but it is something.

All the other complaints still apply. Bad premise. Dumb plot. Ridiculous motivations. Does any believe a guy could hold a grudge about a 15 year old football game and then kill people over it? In the end this is all about a woman and her lover killing her husband so they can get together with the money. The husband said he got a new catamaran. Why not just wait and shove him overboard when the opportunity presents itself? If the man is really sick as everyone says, why would he buy a catamaran? Another Mannix episode where the bad guys have an overly elaborate scheme and are counting on Joe to be the witness that gives the scheme credibility when selling it to the authorities when it is all over. It never works. Joe gets shot through the shoulder by a rifle at close range and stays in action. Tough man. The guest cast is still great. Love Diana Muldaur. Many of these actors would be back for other episodes. Better ones. Rating is still 3/10.

Dumbest Reunion Plot Ever

[ken-41486 · 1/10 · 15 February 2018]

This would have been a perfect episode for Mystery Science Theater 3000...all the writers needed was to add a killer blob or something like that into the mix. The cast was clearly all in their 40's but it's supposed to be a 15 year high school reunion of football team members in 1971, and get this, they just happen to have a recording of the "big game" when Mannix sscored the winning touchdown. Like a high school football game would have been broadcast and recorded on a cassette in 1956. In one scene, the female classmate says "we had such a great time in college" - get your reunions straight, did the script say high school or college? This one gets the Turd Ferguson award for worst Mannix episode ever written and performed.

Bizarre Episode

[sd72667 · 1/10 · 7 February 2018]

Mannix attends his HS reunion in a deserted "ghost town". Mannix' HS football teammates, well 4 teammates & 2 of their wives are the only people attending this HS reunion. Mannix has no idea it's a reunion because his invitation was a phony telegram from a "Mr Webster" about a case & someone shoots at him as he arrives as a practical joke. His former teammates had duped him because they felt he would not attend a HS reunion. If that's not strange enough, the remaining 54 minutes of the episode will have you thinking, "Were the writers on mind altering drugs when they created this script?". I've seen many Mannix episodes & this easily is the worst in the series so far.