Mannix (TV Series) Sunburst (1970) User Reviews

It's obviously inspired by "The Petrified Forest" but it has a few big differences.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 28 July 2014]

When this episode of "Mannix" began, I thought it would be a direct copy of the old Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart film "The Petrified Forest". Well, it was but it fortunately only stayed that way for a while and had enough differences that I enjoyed it.

Mannix stops at a gas station and coffee shop in the middle of the desert when he's on his way for a fishing vacation. However, he walks right into the middle of a hostage situation, as three gangsters are holding the owners hostage. Now, with three hostages, things look really bad. Soon a fourth guy arrives and what is up isn't really apparent. However, when the boss tells his two thugs to take Mannix and the fourth hostage 'for a ride', Mannix knows it will be his last unless they do something. The two guys later make a break for it--Mannix escapes and the other guy is murdered. Eventually, Mannix is discovered roaming about the desert by the police. However, when he tells them what happened, they cannot find proof any of it happened. And, oddly, the couple who own the gas station/coffee shop say that they were never being held by anyone! Of course Mannix is determined to figure all this out and prove that a murder DID occur.

As I said above, there are lots of ways the show differed from the old movie--all beginning about 10 minutes into the show. So, don't assume it's just a knockoff--it IS worth seeing.

No Peggy? No problem!

[Guad42 · 9/10 · 16 January 2021]

First there is no Peggy in this episode. I guess she got too much screen time last episode. The plot has been covered well by the other reviewers so I will forego it. This is one of the better segments that I have seen so far. A couple of reality stretches regarding the keen marksmanship of several characters, including Joe, but we can live with it. The cast are all pros. Paul Carr makes his second of six Mannix appearances. He has been in a million things. He has a good part here. Barry Atwater is making his second of four appearances. He may be best remembered as the vampire in the Nightstalker TV movie. Ken Tobey is another veteran. Love his monster movies from the 1950s. I wish he had a bigger part here. Brad Dexter has a nice turn as a top bad guy on the outs with the Syndicate because he talked. He had a good career and is the one member of the "Magnificent Seven" that nobody can name. Patricia Quinn is another good performer with a bunch of credits and she works well here. You have to love the twist and turns in this outing. It leads to a satisfying conclusion. Lots of plot packed into 48 minutes. Who called the cops at the end? Sure enough, Joe doesn't get paid again.

One Of The Best

[movies-109 · 10/10 · 14 October 2020]

No need reviewing the whole plot here. A few things are a bit of a stretch, like the couple pretending nothing happened. And neither of them had seen "Dale Perry" in months... how would Mannix have even known the guy's name? Aside from the usual gunplay - one thug cuts down Perry with a snub revolver at 50 yards, after missing when he was closer. The shots all missing Mannix on the dam are plausible. Hitting a moving target in that environment with a handgun is pretty much impossible and with a non-scoped bolt action rifle, the other guy couldn't do any better.

It's the slide down "Spinner Dam" that really sets this one apart in the stunt department, and it happens early on. Very well done stunt and it seamlessly transitions to Mannix in the water at the bottom.

It's good to have this one on DVD. There are a lot of characters including some who aren't around very long like Croaker. No explanation how Croaker acquired the police car that he takes Mannix for a ride in. It's difficult to follow what's going on and who is where when. The airplane I guess was a decoy.

The whole story is worth it though, suspending a few of the plot holes it's really a fun episode with more than one twist. As I said nice to be able to view scenes multiple times to see all the action. Again lots of amazing hits with a 2" or 1" snubnose revolver. For pros, the thugs seem a little under-armed. Mannix even gets 7 shots out of the revolver that Croaker drops - 5 at Croaker and 2 at the plane. It is classic Mannix all the way. And ends with the usual pile of bodies, Joe with the girl just as the real cop shows up.

Highly engrossing Mannix ep

[belanger75 · 10/10 · 6 August 2019]

This one about him being hostage at a diner is one of the best. Bares lititle resemblance to The Petrified Forrest.

BTW comely actress Pat Quinn here is not from the film "The Rocky Horror Show". That was another Pat Quinn.

WOULD YOU LIKE A CUP OF COFFEE WITH BULLETS?

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 15 July 2022]

High adventure due to the fact that Stephen Kandel wrote it. He burned the midnight oil on many episodes for MANNIX (11) and CANNON (10). A writers writer.

Some of the best stories took place in remote locations, and that's where Joe is headed for a getaway vacation, stopping off at a desert cafe --where gangsters are hiding out. Lucky him! They are a nasty bunch, making for a rough ride.

I agree with the last reviewer, yes, Joe is used for target practice without fail. To note, this may have inspired an early episode of CANNON, guest starring Martin Sheen, only it was a wild gang of bikers who had surrounded them in a small cafe.

This episode was partially shot in Azusa, California, a beautiful, quiet town outside Pasadena, which has grown over the years, but its the right choice here. John Lewellyn Moxey directed this thriller with his usual flair. In fact, Moxey was the man behind one of the great tv chillers, THE NIGHT STALKER (1971), starring Barry Atwater as a gruesome vampire.

Atwater is also cast here (as Clint) and looking grim. Atwater turned up quite few times on the series, as did Paul Carr, who plays Ben. The star of the episode is Patricia Quinn, as Dana. A very good actress. Note the scene where she writes a message to Joe in a coffee cup --that was used again in another "desert" episode, a few seasons later, guest starring John Hillerman. Old school, but fun.

Kenneth Tobey, a 50s sci fi films icon, also guest stars. This one is hardcore Mannix; bullets and rough housing. A neat detour for Joe that will keep us desert residents entertained.

Look fast; the green station wagon Joe is riding in with the goons is the Brady Bunch family car!

Keep the late night coffee brewing. SEASON 4 EPISODE 9 CBS remastered dvd box set.

Has a spectacular stunt and some great action scenes but also a lot of plot holes and tired cliches

[pkfloydmh · 6/10 · 27 July 2021]

This one is about Joe being held hostage at a diner along with the diner's owners.

It's action-packed and features an incredible stunt at a dam and a great action scene involving a plane as well as a great shootout at the end.

Unfortunately it also has plot holes everywhere. The crooks had NO WAY OF KNOWING Dana wrote anything in the coffee cop and there's NO WAY they could have figured it out because criminals are stupid, so this is totally implausible. Then when Joe is at his hotel room, Dana and then the fake deputy show up separately at his door. How did either one of them know Joe was there or that he was even still in town? They COULDN'T HAVE. And how did Joe know the fake deputy's name when he NEVER IDENTIFIED HIMSELF? And how did Peterson know Dana had been to Joe's hotel room or that Joe was even at a hotel or was even still in town? That's a lot of plot holes for one episode.

This one sets the record for the number of times Joe is shot at, but of course he's never hit, which is a heavily used cliche on this show. At least he doesn't get clocked in the head in this one, but he does hit the water pretty hard at the dam and nearly gets run over by a plane. Then of course we have a small town sheriff who doesn't believe anything Joe says and tells him to get out of town. Wow, as if we haven't seen that before?!?! Then at the end, the police arrive on the scene to wrap everything up, which is pretty amazing telepathy on their part since NOBODY CALLED THEM, so they had NO WAY OF KNOWING what was going on there.

There's some sloppiness here too. The stuntmen are clearly visible in all of the action scenes and Lt. Malcolm is clearly just scribbling gibberish on the paper when Joe is giving him the descriptions of the crooks.

The real standout performance is Pat Quinn's performance as Dana. She's great here. Barry Atwater is good too as usual.

There's no Peggy in this one. She's obviously still at the hospital talking to that guy she met there in the previous episode.

So a mixed review on this one. There are some excellent and exciting action sequences but also a lot of plot holes, cliches and sloppiness, so I'll give it a six overall.