This is a superb and very entertaining episode and is one of the best episodes of the season and of the series overall. It features a great mystery, lots of action, an intriguing and intricate plot and some nice twists.
It's about a syndicate hood who is killed in a hit and run accident and the person accused of killing him is a police sergeant (played by Claude Akins), who hires Joe to dig up information to prove he's innocent.
Gloria LeRoy's performance as mob wife Jenny Dobbs is terrific. She plays the part of a drunk perfectly and she's funny too. Claude Akins' performance as the police sergeant is stellar too, as is the performance by Joan Shawlee as an informer named Annie, or "the Duchess" (she's referred to by both names). Of course, as always, Dennis Patrick plays the villain and is excellent as syndicate hood Frankie West. Marj Dusay is top-notch as Helen Layton and even does some singing. Charlie Picerni makes another appearance as one of West's goons.
There's lots of excitement as there are some great fight scenes, action sequences and stunts, and one of those stunts is a difficult one that happens during the fight scene in the mud that Joe actually does himself!! It's definitely him - it's not a stuntman! Great job by Mike Connors in trying to keep the show authentic by actually doing a difficult stunt himself.
There are some hot tempers too. Around the middle of the episode, there are three straight scenes where someone completely blows their top and lashes out at someone else. In the first one, Joe busts through the door of syndicate hood Frankie West and really gets in his face and lets him have it after a couple of West's thugs jump him in a bar. Then in the very next scene, Malcolm totally loses his cool and blows up at Joe, which is very unusual as there are hardly ever any heated exchanges between the two of them, so this is rare, but at the same time it's also refreshing because it's not something you see very often. What's especially funny is that at one point during his tirade, Malcolm says that "the D. A. blew his stack" over something that Joe did, so he's yelling at Joe about someone else blowing their stack while HE HIMSELF is doing the same thing with Joe!! Great stuff. Then in the next scene, Joe and his client get into a heated shouting match. Really great sequence of scenes here.
Two different characters get clobbered in the head, which is rare, and what's remarkable is neither one of them is Joe. This is the second episode this season (after Walk a Double Line) where characters other than Joe get clobbered in the head.
On a hilarious note, check out the green and white plaid pants Joe is wearing at the beginning! Gotta love it! Classic '70s!
This is a classic Mannix episode that has it all - action, suspense, tension and a great plot. There are also no clichés. This one is excellent.
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