Mannix (TV Series) The Survivor Who Wasn't (1974) User Reviews

Season 8 Hits A High Note

[rkrossfan · 8/10 · 23 November 2017]

Now we're talking! This is an excellent and classic Mannix episode through and through. For the first time in a while I'm taken back to the classics in Season 3 and 4. A very intriguing premise that hooks you right from the start.

When a lone survivor from a plane crash mysteriously reappears his wife doesn't believe he is the same man. Literally. She hires Mannix to investigate and he opens a Pandora's Box involving shady business deals, the syndicate and the Feds. There are some terrific performances here especially by Carol Lawrence as the confused and scared wife. She keeps you guessing until the very end if this man is who he says he is or if she's losing her mind.

Admittedly the ending is rushed and more than a little preposterous but the journey to get there is fast, fun and extremely exciting. Recommended.

(BTW, I've noticed the Lieutenants, Malcolm and Ives have been demoted in S8 from the private office they've had all series to just a desk out on the open floor at police HQ. Maybe it's not a demotion but just budget cuts. Poor fellas.)

Is this Penn Anderson...or is his wife mentally disturbed?

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 17 April 2017]

Kelly Anderson has had a lot to deal with lately. She lost her husband in a plane crash, only to have him reappear sometime later all banged up in the desert. He needed extensive plastic surgery and although Kelly should have been thrilled to have him, she can't help but think that this man is NOT her husband, Penn. She hires Mannix to investigate and although the fingerprints check out and the guy kinda looks like Penn, he can't help but think perhaps she is right. After all, mobsters and G-men start showing up...telling him to drop the case! So, there MUST be something going on here! So, despite being told to back off, you KNOW Mannix is the sort of guy who won't be scared off a case.

Overall, this is an improbably but very exciting episode. It also is quite original and is one of the better shows of season eight....the final one for the series.

An oasis in the desert

[DAshton1918 · 9/10 · 4 September 2020]

One of the best Mannix eps I've seen...intriguing from the start, gripping until the end...a winner!

Mannix gets roughed up (again!) and the police help him out (again!) but minor quibbles for a show that will have you guessing until the end...and after.

Given the shows inevitable decline in the last season this is a breath of fresh air and a reminder why we loved the show in the first place. Bra-vo!

Best episode in a long time

[Guad42 · 9/10 · 3 June 2021]

Agree with the other reviewers who were impressed with this outing. A wife wondering if the lone survivor of plane crash is really her husband is a nice beginning. Joe follows up on her concerns and soon is pursued by hoods and G-men. As happens many times, he is told to back off and doesn't. After a stoolie gives him the location of one of the hoods, Joe grabs him and gets the lowdown. He then has the wife's car bugged and tails the husband to meeting with the syndicate people. The conclusion is well done. Nor sure toying with the wife's emotion and well being would be done in real life but it makes for a good story. The last scene makes you wonder what happened after the case closed. The wife deserves some happiness and, hopefully, she got it.

The cast is first rate. Carol Lawrence and Paul Burke as the married couple are excellent. The Paul Burke character had an ace up his sleeve at the end and also had Mannix for backup, although he didn't know that. John Milford was last seen on Mannix as a helpful PI in San Francisco but reverts back to form as a bad guy here. Garry Walberg as Danny the hood is very good. You have a bit of sympathy for him by the end.

Joe is knocked out and then saved by the police. He should have been paid but not sure he would send the wife a bill. Maybe the FBI kicked some money his way. So far this is the best episode of season 8. Do see it.

Highlight of the Season

[electric-la23 · 10/10 · 12 September 2020]

The writing is unusually good and the story surprisingly engaging. The writers leave you wondering what, exactly, could be the solution. This is not a boilerplate Mannix episode with 3 possible suspects from whom to choose but a genuine puzzle that wasn't resolved until the very end despite a clue earlier on in the show.

The music, the action scenes and especially the lavish use of location filming made this episode simply stand out. A lump in the throat at the end of it all - not your typical Mannix episode. This may well have been written for another series or for its own TV movie and condensed and used here - it is that good.

WILL THE REAL PHONY PLEASE STAND UP?

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 29 November 2022]

Ben Roberts wrote this clever episode, and its no wonder, his most famous production was WHITE HEAT (1949) starring James Cagney. He wrote the legendary line... "I'm on top of the world, Ma!"

Ben was the master at creating some very interesting characters.

Singer Carol Lawrence, a fabulous actress in her own right, plays Mannix's client (Kelly) who is sure --beyond a shadow of a doubt-- her husband is NOT her husband? This bizarre story centers around Paul Burke, who apparently was in a plane crash, believed dead, and now very much alive. Joe naturally has to deal with all the baddies who suddenly come out of the woodwork, because you darn well know somethings not right.

Roberts puts together an excellent mystery that will keep your attention right to the end. One reviewer noted this may have been an alternate story for another show, and I agree as it does have the feel of "new" material, not a SEASON 8 story. You be the judge.

The plastic surgery angle may have been connected to a popular Charlie Chan movie, MURDER OVER NEW YORK (1940), and a few others, dealing with changing identities. It's just been dusted off a bit and updated. Still fun.

Carol Lawrence was popular on tv dramas, having just finished an episode for KUNG FU before this appearance. Paul Burke was also no stranger to tv and, especially detective shows, having appeared in HARRY O prior to this episode. Look for veteran comedian and character actor Eddie Quillan in a small role as Woody. A natural.

Famous bit actor Bob Harks plays a commuter. The gang's all here.

SEASON 8 EPISODE 11 remastered color CBS/Paramount dvd box set. Final Season Collectors Edition. Released 2012.