A deaf woman "overhears" a portion of a kidnapping/murder plot. Mannix tries to determine the victim's identity and whereabouts before the time limit to pay the ransom.A deaf woman "overhears" a portion of a kidnapping/murder plot. Mannix tries to determine the victim's identity and whereabouts before the time limit to pay the ransom.A deaf woman "overhears" a portion of a kidnapping/murder plot. Mannix tries to determine the victim's identity and whereabouts before the time limit to pay the ransom.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTying up a loose end, Mannix explains his break with Intertect, the high-tech detective agency he worked for in the first season. In a conversation with the deaf actress Jody, Mannix says that he has always been a loner and that one day he got fed up and cursed at one of Wickersham's machines. When he thought he heard the machine curse back at him, he decided to quit. It isn't stated how long Mannix has been an independent private detective, although this story finds Mannix settled into a new office, driving a new car, and it is implied by the easy rapport that he and Peggy have been working together for some time.
- GoofsAt the beginning of the teaser, Jason Evers' character crosses a street and enters a telephone booth, where his conversation is "overheard" by deaf woman Jody Wellman (Audree Norton), who is able to read his lips as he speaks. The telephone booth is located on a paved street corner (in fact, the bottom of the booth straddles the sidewalk and curb). When Wellman later tries to tell her traveling companions what she observed, she points to the telephone booth. The now empty telephone booth, however, is suddenly on the opposite side of the street in the middle of a grassy area. (The entire street square where this scene was filmed can be seen in a crane shot in the next episode, "Comes Up Rose.")
- Quotes
Joe Mannix: No, I'm not married. Why? Well, I guess I've always been a loner. Even when I was with Intertect.
[Jody looks confused]
Joe Mannix: Intertect? Oh, well, that's a big detective agency. Big building, y'know, lots of machines, computers all the time tick, tick, tick tick all the time! Well, one day I cussed at the machine, and I think I heard it cuss back, so I quit. Now, if I can't get along with a machine, just think what would happen with a wife!
Two things to note. First, Joe broke off from the "computer" agency and Wickersham (which was a smart move), got himself a cozy Hollywood office (and upstairs pad) and hired Peggy. Apparently he sold his house, a split level, briefly used in season one. I always thought Peggy should have played a larger role, outside of getting kidnapped every season, but that's the way it went as the focus was primarily on Joe. Gail was a model earlier in her career, winning several contests, later studying acting.
It may have been her role as a judge on GENERAL HOSPITAL that got her into the series. She also appeared in tv commercials, which was a lot of exposure in itself. CBS was rather reluctant at casting a black actress as Joe's secretary, but it was Mike Connors who insisted and sealed the deal and they became friends for life. Mike was in contact with Gail not too long before she died in 2000.
Special guest here is Audree Norton, who like Gail Fisher, was also making an early tv appearance. She was a deaf actress, and very good at what she did. Here she reads the lips of an assassin, which snowballs into an incredible adventure. Norton paved the way for deaf actresses in the business, and it was a bumpy ride for her. Hats off to the producers for giving her a break. She did gain some fame appearing in Kodak tv commercials in the 70s and later worked as a tv producer.
The assassin here is none other than Jason Evers, real creepy at times, who I have always noted could play a villain or hero to the max. Simon Scott (as Roger Wade) makes his first appearance on the show, best in authoritarian roles, usually a judge or a general. Both Evers and Scott were regulars on CANNON.
Don Taylor directed, the man behind the legendary STEVE CANYON adventure series in the 1950s, later ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS and BURKE'S LAW, among so many others, There's only one mistake Taylor made here, which I deducted one star. The car rolling down the hill and exploding isn't too convincing as its obviously ANOTHER, and old. And I believe that explosion was also used on an episode of SUPERMAN in the 50s! Of course, this was also a problem on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, as Paramount tv may have been on a real tight budget. As episodes progress, you will also spot the famous blue car that skids off a cliff, again and again.
A definite highlight is the introduction of Joe's way cool office, who all of us kids fell in love with. That was our adult dream, to have a place like that one day! It was replete with fancy lamps, a comfortable couch, a big desk and momentos, a sleek staircase --and if you looked hard enough -- vintage pictures of Mike Connors playing college football!
The cat and mouse shootout climax looks to have been filmed at one of Paramount's set furniture warehouses, and can you spot some of the furniture from old movies? Sure looks like it, and you can see some tags attached, which probably identifies pieces and what famous movies they may have been in. If that stuff could talk!
Welcome to SEASON 2, EPISODE 1. Finally. Recommended late nite viewing. The CBS dvd box sets are obviously priced higher than SEASON 1, but shop around.
- tcchelsey
- Jan 20, 2023