Mannix (TV Series) Dark So Early, Dark So Long (1971) User Reviews

WHISKEY AND MURDER DON'T MIX...

[tcchelsey · 9/10 · 4 May 2023]

First episode of Season 5.

Having seen this episode when it came out in 1971, it's good, minus the brass knuckles. Also you have one of the best directors and writers in the business behind it. 9 Stars.

Excellent cast, featuring Rosemary Forsythe, playing Leslie, in a very sympathetic role. She has a drinking problem and is caught up in a murder investigation, killing an intruder who entered her home. The question is did she really do it? Stay tuned...

More of a dramatic slant, and you feel sorry for Leslie as her life is snowballing. Forsythe, a former model, later became a series regular on SANTA BARBARA and DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Veteran actress Josephine Hutchinson plays her mom, who appeared in scores of classic films, even the SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. Robert Reed returns as Tobias, taking time off from the BRADY BUNCH, a job he was not too thrilled with.

John Llewellyn Moxey directed, who scared all us kids back in the day with such tv movies as the HOUSE THAT WOULDN'T DIE (1970) starring Barbara Stanwyck. And many more. Robert Lenski wrote this drama, a regular writer for CANNON and BARNABY JONES. He also wrote the famous 70s tv serial THE DAIN CURSE.

In the spot the old time actor; K. T. Stevens plays a nun, Sister Angela. Stevens was the daughter of the famous director Sam Wood, appearing in his own films as a child, which may include GONE WITH THE WIND where he served as assistant director.

Beautifully filmed, for all us archair sightseers, at the famous King Gillette Ranch (the razor king) at Calabasas, about 27 miles from LA, near Thousand Oaks. Gillette built his mansion here back in the 1920s and spent a ton of money on real estate in the area. A magnificent place to shoot films and tv shows.

For fans of Rosemary Forsythe, for sure, who would appear three times on the series. SEASON 5 EPISODE 1 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set.

Mannix at His Most Poignant

[brucesimon-22952 · 9/10 · 31 March 2023]

In this episode, Mannix intervenes when the alcoholic daughter of an old friend who gave Mannix a place to live when he was going through college is accused of a murder that may have been committed in an alcoholic haze. Yet this episode resonated with me because it revolved around the reclamation of a life, almost destroyed by alcohol, indulgence and plain wrong choices. The soul searching and the deep introspection discussed between Mannix and the woman adds a very personal layer to a mystery which at first seemed airtight. And the satisfying ending gave a personal glow to the whole episode. I think one of the better ones of Season 5.

Not that bad

[Guad42 · 6/10 · 9 August 2022]

I like this episode a little more than other reviewers. Leslie Fielding (Rosemary Forsyth) shoots an intruder and then realizes it is the man who has been blackmailing her. Her husband Glen (Guy Stockwell) comes into the room, takes her gun, and sends her to bed while saying he will take care of it. Next day Leslie's mother, Mildred Oliver (Josephine Hutchinson), visits Joe to ask him for help with Leslie's alcoholism. Joe wants to help his old friend. While visiting with Leslie at a party, Joe meets the husband and a corporate lawyer John Ogilvy (Sam Melville) and then Lt Adam Tobias comes in with news of finding the body of the intruder who had a check for $1000 signed by Leslie on his body. The husband says the check was stolen from his briefcase a month prior so there is no connection between the dead guy and his wife. This story soon falls apart as the murder weapon is found in a playground and it comes to light the dead guy is Leslie's first husband who didn't get a divorce although he said he did. So Leslie is a bigamist and Leslie also had a daughter who she left at an orphanage. Leslie is a piece of work. After some red herrings and spending time getting a handle on Leslie's life, Joe gets to the solution. Husband Glen arrives at a settlement with the blackmailer. The plan is the blackmailer will come in the house, Leslie shoots him with blanks, the husband gets him out of the house and pays him off and he goes away. Leslie will now think she committed murder and the husband gets the upper hand. The hitch in the plan is the husband shoots the guy with Leslie's gun and dumps the body in the ocean. A murder plan is better with a body. It did strike me as odd that the husband would dump the gun in a playground - not a great hiding place. Now we know why. He wants his wife convicted. Joe tells the corporate lawyer of his plan to trap the husband. Always a bad move as corporate lawyers are always bad guys in TV land. Joe confronts the husband and the lawyer in a chase and gunfight around a power plant. For once the police show up in a timely manner and save Joe. Well done guys! Leslie meets her daughter for a happy ending.

Two nice touches here. Mildred refers to using another detective agency before coming to Joe. She says it is an international outfit with lots of computers. An obvious reference to Intertect. The other is at the end of the episode where Joe chides Adam that he cut the rescue close, and he might be late the next time. Adam replies "I'm trying." Cute joke between friends.

Acting is fine throughout. The principles had long careers and these roles are not a stretch. Joe probably didn't charge the mother a fee so he is working for free again but he saved two old friends so that will have to do. Not a great episode but it passes the time.

Alcoholism...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 19 November 2014]

The episode begins with a woman finding a strange person coming into her home from the shadows. She tells him to stop...he doesn't...she shoots him. Soon, her husband comes home and finds the guy--and promises to hide the body. Now at this point, I said to myself "why not call the police--he WAS in your house late at night and she did warn him before shooting!". Well, inexplicably, they didn't do this.

A bit later, the woman's mother comes to Mannix for help...not because of the shooting but because the mother is worried about her flaky alcoholic daughter (and the daughter CLEARLY is an alcoholic). Mannix gets involved and soon the cops find the body and put 2 and 2 together. Can Mannix tease apart what REALLY happened?

This episode isn't bad but isn't very good (especially for a debut episode for a new season). One problem is that the plot isn't that interesting or believable. And another is when Joe reunites the accused killer with her young daughter. Why is this a problem? Because they child MIGHT be better off in an orphanage than with a woman with a severe substance abuse problem. While bringing the small child into the woman's life might help the woman, what about the child? Troubling to say the least.

A sorry start to season five

[pkfloydmh · 3/10 · 20 August 2021]

This one is about a woman who is arrested for killing an intruder.

There's no mystery or suspense here because it's obvious right from the start who the killer is because there's no one else it could be, so it's a very tedious episode without any excitement. It's also a rare episode without any fight scenes, which only adds to the boredom.

Rosemary Forsyth is thoroughly dislikable as Leslie and her drunken tirades and constant whining are really aggravating.

There are cliches galore in this one. Joe gets shot at many times but is never hit, Adam thinks he has an open and shut case but Joe thinks otherwise and of course Joe turns out to be right, Leslie suspects there may be an intruder in her house so she goes downstairs to check but doesn't turn the lights on, and the police rush in at the end to wrap everything up.

One bright spot is Alan Caillou's performance as Derek, but he only appears in one scene. The action scene at the end is pretty good too, but beyond that there isn't anything else worth seeing.

Season five is off to a bad start.

That isn't panties.

[YouMakeMe · 4/10 · 8 May 2022]

The lady in the opening theme is wearing a tennis outfit with bloomersover the underwear. Similar to what cheerleaders wear under their short skirts. My husband thought the same thing for years! The episode is meh. A little predictable but I watch for Mike Conners not so much the Tory line.