Mannix (TV Series) Silent Target (1973) User Reviews

Another magic Joe Mannix shot

[cpotato1010 · 8/10 · 30 January 2019]

This episode is a little different, as the majority of the show was shot outside, and not in the studio.

I am trying to remember what the area looked like 45 years ago, but I think it was the Littlerock area of the Antelope Valley.

Joe is on his way to TURTLE Lake (not Toluca Lake, which is in the south side of the San Fernando Valley, west of Burbank). There is even a sign saying "Turtle Lake, 65 miles" when we first see Joe's rental car.

Unfortunately, his rental car has a bad water pump, and Joe walks up the road to find a some very suspicions-looking guys in a small oasis in the desert.

Oddly enough the two women there besides Elena (Barbara Luna) soon disappear, never to be seen again. Just a little bit of eye candy?

In a change of pace, they knock Joe out with a spiked drink, not a hit on the head.

It is a little odd that the top hit-man, Harry, knows who Joe Mannix is, and even odder, that Joe knows who the hit-man is. Did they attend a convention together?

OK, so Joe escapes (twice), the second time taking Elena (Barbara Luna) with him into the desert. No mention is made how they got over the fence that is supposed to surround the compound. I think the only fence was just there where the gate was.

Anyway, four of the bad guys get in a Jeep and take off after Joe and Elena. No idea how they are tracking Joe, they move pretty fast to be looking for footprints.

Then, as the Jeep is closing in on Joe and the lady, he takes a shot with a small automatic pistol, hits the windshield, and the Jeep overturns. Good shooting!

A funny moment - the driver appears to have injured his foot/ankle when the Jeep overturns, and the other three look uninjured. They send the injured guy to limp back to the compound on his own!

Another minor oddity - the bad guys stop several times to drink water from their canteens, but Joe and Elena run on without the benefit of any water at all. Yet they don't seem any worse for wear, even though much of this chase is in the middle of the day, in the desert. (Perhaps a small cheat - if this was Littlerock, it would not have been THAT hot in October. But it would have been dry.)

I do give props to the camera work and editing. If this was indeed shot around Littlerock, they had to be very careful not to show any of the major roads in the area, such as Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway/Pearblossum Highway when they were showing the train.

Even with the little oddities, this was a good episode, with fairly constant suspense during the chase. The acting by the main characters, Barbara Luna, John Hillerman, and Frank Langella was great.

One thing I learned....DON'T go on vacation!!!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 30 January 2016]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s and 80s and one of the many important lessons I learned is that when a private eye or coroner (Quincy) goes on vacation, they never get to have a vacation and really bad things will happen instead. Cannon, Mannix, Jessica Fletcher and other TV heroes NEVER went on uneventful and relaxing vacations! Nope...either bodies started piling up or they walked into the middle of something really illegal and really dangerous!! So, when I saw Mannix was going on a fishing trip, I KNEW bad things were coming. Of course, it wasn't like they would show him doing nothing but fish and relax for an hour and call that a show!

In this case, Mannix has car trouble and instead of sticking with the car, he walks a couple miles away looking for help. However, he unknowingly walks into a desert compound full of assassins!! And, when one of them tries to help Mannix escape, they BOTH are soon running for their lives.

This isn't a bad episode...I just wish they'd found some other way to get Mannix in this situation other than a fishing trip. For once, have the hero begin the episode by saying something like "Wow, Peggy, that was the most relaxing two weeks of my life....thank goodness for a quiet vacation!".

By the way, the guest stars included Barbara Luna, Frank Langella and John Hillerman.

Nice episode but part of a tread

[Guad42 · 8/10 · 24 April 2021]

I like this outing but would like it more if it wasn't another show in a recent growing pattern. This time Joe is chased around the desert by men in a jeep. Last show he was chased around a ghost town by vengeful town folk. Episode before that, chased around deserted city blocks by teenage gangbangers. Show before that, he and a convict were chased around the mountains by crooked lawmen. See the pattern? Joe is doing a lot of ad hoc, on-the-run thinking here. The guest cast is good which is the standard for this show. Hillerman, Luna, and Langella are all professionals. Del still looks better with short hair as Kowalski in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. One surprise was the fate of BarBara Luna. Joe usually saves the female lead.

As remarked by others, Joe is still the greatest shot in the world with a small handgun. This time it isn't even his own trusty revolver. Hard to believe one shot could cause that jeep accident. If the bad guy with the twisted ankle had stayed and guarded the jeep, this would have had a very different ending. Since he just hustled out of there, not sure why he was even brought along. The script should have had just three pursuers.

Sine he has no client, Joe also has no paycheck. Much like his shooting, this lack of money is another long term tread. Do see the episode. One of the better ones.

A superb thriller - One of the best episodes of the entire series!

[pkfloydmh · 10/10 · 13 April 2015]

This is one of the best episodes I've seen so far. It begins with Joe's car breaking down out in the middle of nowhere while he's on his way to Turtle Lake to do some fishing. The only house he finds after abandoning the car is occupied by a group of strange individuals who are led by a character named Murrell (played by John Hillerman), who lets Joe into the house. I'll let you find out on your own what happens after that.

The performances from John Hillerman and Barbara Luna are exceptional, as are the performances from the rest of the cast, including Frank Langella, whose character Harry Tass has the most bizarre and scary quivering eyes you'll ever see! Also, instead of the normal suit and tie, you get to see Joe in a classic '70s leisure suit!

There are no clichés, which has been a recurring theme this season. Joe doesn't get clobbered over the head or run off the road by another car and the police don't rush in at the end to wrap everything up.

This episode is fantastic. It's action-packed and suspenseful and will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. It also has a shocking twist at the end and some great scenery too. Don't miss this one! It's one of the best of the entire series!

MANNIX WITH A TARGET ON HIS BACK!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 20 October 2022]

A Classic. 10 Stars.

I totally agree with the last reviewer, detectives and vacations DO NOT mix. An excellent adventure. For one thing, it's based in the desert (Joe's home away from home) the perfect hideaway for a league of professional assassins. There's a lot of sprinting and hiding around a cool ranch house in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and beautiful Barbara Luna makes a super gun moll. A talented actress.

There's an old school scene that will give you a sentimental chuckle; Joe drinks from a glass and at the bottom is written "Help!" or something like that, in lipstick no less... If you're a movie buff, that comes from the old SHERLOCK HOLMES and CHARLIE CHAN movies.

Solid proof the writers took notes from the classic whodunits.

Look for Frank Langella, a few years before he reached stage and screen stardom as DRACULA. Later he played Nixon. TV's one and only deadpan John Hillerman is also aboard. Always a treat to watch what's up his sleeve. At the time of this episode, he appeared in Peter Bogdonovich's PAPER MOON, starring Ryan O'Neal, which brought him a lot of recognition.

The desert expanse photography is spot on, especially if you have lived in the desert. Watch for the choo choo train and the red caboose. There are no production notes, but this looks to have been filmed up near Barstow, California, on the way to Vegas where there are miles of emptiness.

Arnold Laven directed, who also produced the BIG VALLEY.

A MUST, especially for devout fans. Brings back a lot of Sunday night memories. LUCKY 7's. SEASON 7 EPISODE 7 remastered color CBS dvd box set. Same style as CANNON and BARNABY JONES.