Peggy is the main character in this episode and it is good to see her there. She makes some bad decisions but sees the light eventually. Robert Hooks is great as the hero or is he the hero? Dabbs Greer has a smaller role than he normally does. Everyone else is good. Mannix is a bit out of character in one instance when he tells Peggy to stick to being a secretary. For a man who has humored many people with weird ideas, this was not his best moment. Besides he really should pay her more for all he puts her through. Larry Linville, as the police lieutenant, has only a few lines in this one. A continuing flaw in all shows of this type is that someone gets shot or beaten up and one scene later they are doing just fine. Floyd Brown gets a gunshot wound and, once out of the hospital, he is good to go with no ill effects.
At least Mannix has a paying client. That's two in a row! Good to see after a sting of episodes where nobody was footing the bill.
5 Reviews
A good episode BUT they sure made Peggy behave uncharacteristically stupid.
planktonrules26 July 2013
"Last Rites for Miss Emma" is a very good episode and it would have earned an 8 or even 9 if they'd written Peggy's part better. However, uncharacteristically, she behaves a bit foolishly in this one--which makes little sense because she's usually so wise.
The show begins with a group of thugs robbing a shipment of morphine from a warehouse. In the process of trying to stop the robbery, one of the employees, Floyd Brown (Robert Hooks), is shot. The gunshot wound wasn't horrible and he quickly recovers. In the process of the investigation, Peggy (Mannix's secretary) falls for Brown--and it's no surprise, as he's single, handsome and folks say he's a hero for trying to stop the robbery. Naturally, the insurance company covering the company hires Mannix to investigate and he comes up with some very interesting conclusions. I'd say more, but just don't want to spoil things. Suffice to say that aside from Peggy acting dumb, the show is quite original and exciting.
By the way, when Floyd Brown meets Peggy's young son, he says "...he's another O.J. Simpson...". At the time, this certainly was made as a complement--now it just seems very ironic.
The show begins with a group of thugs robbing a shipment of morphine from a warehouse. In the process of trying to stop the robbery, one of the employees, Floyd Brown (Robert Hooks), is shot. The gunshot wound wasn't horrible and he quickly recovers. In the process of the investigation, Peggy (Mannix's secretary) falls for Brown--and it's no surprise, as he's single, handsome and folks say he's a hero for trying to stop the robbery. Naturally, the insurance company covering the company hires Mannix to investigate and he comes up with some very interesting conclusions. I'd say more, but just don't want to spoil things. Suffice to say that aside from Peggy acting dumb, the show is quite original and exciting.
By the way, when Floyd Brown meets Peggy's young son, he says "...he's another O.J. Simpson...". At the time, this certainly was made as a complement--now it just seems very ironic.
Some Goofs, Some Holes
miketypeeach23 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
How did Joe know where the inside man went after leaving Peggy's apartment? What happened to Peggy's Simca when Joe looked for evidence of blue paint on his car door? It was there when Joe arrived to his office 5 minutes prior. He parked next to it! Also, how was it that the crooks left their windows and doors unlocked?
This episode featured Peggy, and who can argue with that? She may have let her emotions get the better of her for awhile, but in the end, she let her brain do the talking. Fortunately for her and Toby, the inside man had some conscience left in him.
Unless I missed it, how Joe knew where to follow the inside man is lost on me. Perhaps his mom told Mannix off-camera. At the end, the question as to why the inside man didn't leave the same way he came in is unanswered, too. It's that kind of teleplay that makes it easier for a writer to finish a script in his or her spare time, I suppose. I'm giving this a rating of 7 for the amount of Peggy time, and little else. If I may be honest, this episide has me longing for Joe's Intertect days.
This episode featured Peggy, and who can argue with that? She may have let her emotions get the better of her for awhile, but in the end, she let her brain do the talking. Fortunately for her and Toby, the inside man had some conscience left in him.
Unless I missed it, how Joe knew where to follow the inside man is lost on me. Perhaps his mom told Mannix off-camera. At the end, the question as to why the inside man didn't leave the same way he came in is unanswered, too. It's that kind of teleplay that makes it easier for a writer to finish a script in his or her spare time, I suppose. I'm giving this a rating of 7 for the amount of Peggy time, and little else. If I may be honest, this episide has me longing for Joe's Intertect days.
MISS EMMA AND THE MORPHINE!
tcchelsey24 May 2022
Great to see Australian actor Ron Randell guest star, who at the time also appeared in the MOD SQUAD and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. He is best known for playing Lucius in KING OF KINGS.
The man of many hats, Barry Crane, who produced the series also directed with his usual style of adventure. This one has to do with a shipment of morphine and, quite expectedly, Joe has to contend with a weird assortment of characters and suspects. The story gets slightly complicated and HEATED since it involves Peggy's boyfriend (well played by Robert Hooks). Mannix believes he's involved with the ring who has been stealing crates of morphine.
Joe and Peggy have words! Also we get to see a little more of Toby, Peggy's young son. This was a larger part for Gail Fisher as writers were further developing her character, due to the fact that she was a very good actress. Gail would win an Emmy the following year.
Robert Hooks may have landed the part as he was co-starring on NYPD at the time, one of the busiest actors in tv. Lots of familiar faces, and with a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE connection, perhaps thanks to Barry Crane, who also produced and directed that show.
Keep an eye on some of the studio lot locations used on both shows, particularly Mannix's garage. The place for so many explosions! Also filmed at Burbank Airport, which hasn't changed too much in 50 years.
SEASON 2, episode 22 CBS dvd box set. Shop around as you can find some good deals on used box sets too in very good condition.
The man of many hats, Barry Crane, who produced the series also directed with his usual style of adventure. This one has to do with a shipment of morphine and, quite expectedly, Joe has to contend with a weird assortment of characters and suspects. The story gets slightly complicated and HEATED since it involves Peggy's boyfriend (well played by Robert Hooks). Mannix believes he's involved with the ring who has been stealing crates of morphine.
Joe and Peggy have words! Also we get to see a little more of Toby, Peggy's young son. This was a larger part for Gail Fisher as writers were further developing her character, due to the fact that she was a very good actress. Gail would win an Emmy the following year.
Robert Hooks may have landed the part as he was co-starring on NYPD at the time, one of the busiest actors in tv. Lots of familiar faces, and with a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE connection, perhaps thanks to Barry Crane, who also produced and directed that show.
Keep an eye on some of the studio lot locations used on both shows, particularly Mannix's garage. The place for so many explosions! Also filmed at Burbank Airport, which hasn't changed too much in 50 years.
SEASON 2, episode 22 CBS dvd box set. Shop around as you can find some good deals on used box sets too in very good condition.
Peggy's Fair-Weather Friend
GaryPeterson6725 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The spotlight is on Peggy in this episode, playing amateur sleuth, playing love-struck widow, playing dedicated mother, playing heartbroken widow. Unfortunately, the episode doesn't work well as a showcase for Gail Fisher.
The plot concerns a heist of morphine from a pharmaceutical plant. A brave young black man--Floyd Brown--attempted to foil the heist and was shot. While he's recovering in the hospital from his minor wound, Peggy brings him his glasses, which were knocked off his face during the struggle. An attraction is sparked and soon Floyd is pursuing Peggy aggressively and stepping up as a surrogate father to six-year-old Toby.
Some blue paint on her new outfit sets Peggy down the path of amateur sleuthing. She comes up with a theory that the morphine has been stashed in a blue panel truck at the airport. But Mannix--uncharacteristically chauvinistic and condescending--tells Peggy secretaries should focus on telephones and typewriters.
But it turns out Peggy was right! But when Mannix goes to investigate, the truck is moved, and just when Mannix gets the scent again the morphine is gone. It's as if someone is forewarning the bad guys of Mannix's next step. But who would be privy to the details of the investigation? When Mannix presents to Peggy incontrovertible evidence that Floyd is the inside man, her mask slips and she plays the race card, accusing Mannix of targeting Floyd because he's black. It was an ugly moment uncharacteristic of Peggy. She redeems herself later, refusing to buy into Floyd's racist rhetoric about it being "us against them" and how he was passed up for promotions because of his color. Peggy knows racism--real or imagined--is no excuse for participating in a drug heist. In desperation, Floyd suggests they run off and get married that very night. But Peggy's eyes have been opened. She realizes she's been a dupe, used by Floyd so he could keep tabs on the investigation. He doesn't love her, at least not nearly as much as his $100,000 cut of the drug loot.
Gail Fisher shows her range as an actress in these scenes, getting to run the gamut from elation to utter deflation. She's a good actress, but this particular story doesn't do her talents justice.
So what went wrong? I blame the writers--Albert Beich and William H. Wright, best known as the creator and producer of KENTUCKY JONES, the 1964-65 family drama that lured Dennis Weaver away from GUNSMOKE. This is Beich and Wright's first script for MANNIX, and their unfamiliarity with the characters is evident. They won't write another script for the series until 1973. This second season of MANNIX has been flailing because script chores seem to be falling to writers insufficiently familiar with these nuanced characters. That posed a problem as the series was shifting the emphasis to character development and away from plot-driven p.i. stories.
In what was virtually a co-starring role, Robert Hooks was very appealing and compelling as Floyd. I didn't want him to be the bad guy either and I really sympathized with Peggy's hoping against hope he wasn't in on the heist. But, alas, he was. Hooks was just coming off his 49-episode run playing Detective Jeff Ward on N.Y.P.D. (1967-69), and I suspect fans of that series were shocked to see him play against type, a move that added to the episode's punch for contemporary audiences.
Also memorable in small roles were old hands Dabbs Greer, Ron Randell, and especially Rhys Williams as a drug-dealing doctor from Georgia whose charming southern accent belied his canniness and corruption. This episode proved to be one of Williams' final performances; he died in May 1969, just two months after this program was broadcast. Criminally underutilized in this episode's cast was Julian Burton, the chemist who has one line near the end. In 1959 Burton co-starred as beat poet Maxwell H. Brock in the Roger Corman cult classic A BUCKET OF BLOOD. It was a shame to see Burton reduced to such a small role with no opportunity to show his talents.
A good even if undistinguished episode that suffered from characterization problems. Mannix a male-chauvinist pig? Peggy a racist? No way.
The plot concerns a heist of morphine from a pharmaceutical plant. A brave young black man--Floyd Brown--attempted to foil the heist and was shot. While he's recovering in the hospital from his minor wound, Peggy brings him his glasses, which were knocked off his face during the struggle. An attraction is sparked and soon Floyd is pursuing Peggy aggressively and stepping up as a surrogate father to six-year-old Toby.
Some blue paint on her new outfit sets Peggy down the path of amateur sleuthing. She comes up with a theory that the morphine has been stashed in a blue panel truck at the airport. But Mannix--uncharacteristically chauvinistic and condescending--tells Peggy secretaries should focus on telephones and typewriters.
But it turns out Peggy was right! But when Mannix goes to investigate, the truck is moved, and just when Mannix gets the scent again the morphine is gone. It's as if someone is forewarning the bad guys of Mannix's next step. But who would be privy to the details of the investigation? When Mannix presents to Peggy incontrovertible evidence that Floyd is the inside man, her mask slips and she plays the race card, accusing Mannix of targeting Floyd because he's black. It was an ugly moment uncharacteristic of Peggy. She redeems herself later, refusing to buy into Floyd's racist rhetoric about it being "us against them" and how he was passed up for promotions because of his color. Peggy knows racism--real or imagined--is no excuse for participating in a drug heist. In desperation, Floyd suggests they run off and get married that very night. But Peggy's eyes have been opened. She realizes she's been a dupe, used by Floyd so he could keep tabs on the investigation. He doesn't love her, at least not nearly as much as his $100,000 cut of the drug loot.
Gail Fisher shows her range as an actress in these scenes, getting to run the gamut from elation to utter deflation. She's a good actress, but this particular story doesn't do her talents justice.
So what went wrong? I blame the writers--Albert Beich and William H. Wright, best known as the creator and producer of KENTUCKY JONES, the 1964-65 family drama that lured Dennis Weaver away from GUNSMOKE. This is Beich and Wright's first script for MANNIX, and their unfamiliarity with the characters is evident. They won't write another script for the series until 1973. This second season of MANNIX has been flailing because script chores seem to be falling to writers insufficiently familiar with these nuanced characters. That posed a problem as the series was shifting the emphasis to character development and away from plot-driven p.i. stories.
In what was virtually a co-starring role, Robert Hooks was very appealing and compelling as Floyd. I didn't want him to be the bad guy either and I really sympathized with Peggy's hoping against hope he wasn't in on the heist. But, alas, he was. Hooks was just coming off his 49-episode run playing Detective Jeff Ward on N.Y.P.D. (1967-69), and I suspect fans of that series were shocked to see him play against type, a move that added to the episode's punch for contemporary audiences.
Also memorable in small roles were old hands Dabbs Greer, Ron Randell, and especially Rhys Williams as a drug-dealing doctor from Georgia whose charming southern accent belied his canniness and corruption. This episode proved to be one of Williams' final performances; he died in May 1969, just two months after this program was broadcast. Criminally underutilized in this episode's cast was Julian Burton, the chemist who has one line near the end. In 1959 Burton co-starred as beat poet Maxwell H. Brock in the Roger Corman cult classic A BUCKET OF BLOOD. It was a shame to see Burton reduced to such a small role with no opportunity to show his talents.
A good even if undistinguished episode that suffered from characterization problems. Mannix a male-chauvinist pig? Peggy a racist? No way.
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