Mannix - The First Season

Mannix - The First Season
by Bill Bixby

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DVD details

Actor: Mike Connors
Director: Bill Bixby
Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 1210 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-06-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount

DVD Reviews of Mannix - The First Season

DVD Review: Don't Care For the INTERTECT Angle
Summary: 3 Stars

"Mannix" has an impressive pedigree, having been created by Bruce Geller (Mission: Impossible) and Richard Levinson and William Link (Columbo) who were among the most original minds in television. The series was one of the most popular detective series of all times, appearing for seven seasons and Mike Connors earned a repuation as a fine actor. Thus I was surprised to find that this first season left a lot to be desired, in terms of quality. All sucessful series have to work out a lot of kinks in their first episodes, but this first season of "Mannix" had quite a few poor episodes. I think this was due to the unsuccessful tie-in with the "INTERTECT" angle, a high-tech crime-solving corporation headed by an egg-head, played by Joe Campanella. Over and over we see his character peeking into Mannix's office using a closed-circuit television system (I think that may be illegal, how many workers would want their bosses spying on them?). Campanella always has the bemused look as if thinking to himself "what am I going to do with this guy...he is so unorthodox, yet I can't get by without him!". After the first several dozen times we see this, it gets tiresome. Also, part of the charm of private detective stories is the sleuthing the PI's do in order to come up with clues. Here it seems INTERTECT and its army of egg-head intellectuals and their computers seem to be able to spew out mountains of information about every person in the United States, if not the world, making Mannix's job too easy.
In the early shows we see poor acting on the part of numerous supporting characters and an episode where Mannix's foot is injured, yet manages to gimp aroudn for miles and miles around a rural town without a car. He is even chased by tractors and manages to survive.
A couple of interesting things we see in these early episodes is a cameo appearance by producer Bruce Geller playing a movie director, who might have been very talented as a creative person, but certainly was no actor. We also have a scene where Mannix gets to speak Armenian.
I must admit that as the season wore on the quality did improve and part of the reason was that we saw less of INTERTECT and Joe Campanella stopped showing up miraculously when Mannix was in deep trouble. The dialogue also improved and became more Raymond Chanlerish with interesting quips commenting on life, the world and human nature.
Maybe it would be worthwhile for someone who is not sure whether they want to see this series to start with the second season, where he becomes a more convention PI with his own office and secretary.

DVD Review: Sullivan Mannix Review
Summary: 5 Stars

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the DVD.
My recollection of the 60's detective show was far different from what I watched recently. It was so good that I would recommend it even for younger people who want a quality show with none of the modern morality concerns. The writting, acting and directing are superb.
I thank you, Amazon, for making such quality tv viewing available to the public.
Sincerely,
Dennis Sullivan

DVD Review: Classic television
Summary: 5 Stars

Mannix was an excellent series which I thoroughly enjoyed growing up. It was exciting to see the first season again, and I hope more classic series are re-captured on dvd.

DVD Review: Mannix looks great !
Summary: 5 Stars

Pure and simple - the DVD transfer of this show is incredible.

I've just watched the first disc, and the quality for a 40 year old show is amazing - better than most newer shows, and even a lot of movies from the last decade.

You'll catch a few blemishes (scratches) from the original films, but overall the colors pop and the images are crystal clear...I only wish everything was done this well.

If you're a fan of this show (or the 60's and 70's detective/cop genre) you won't be disappointed.

DVD Review: Loved it as a kid
Summary: 3 Stars

I remember how I used to love this show as a kid. I liked Mannix's style. I enjoyed the dvds alot. Especially looking at the cars back then. Of course the stuntmen are alot more obviouse now then when I was little but still a good show to watch.

Description of Mannix - The First Season

From the dynamic opening credits to the closing shootout, Mannix crackles with excitement, and is finally available on DVD for the first time ever! Cool, no-nonsense private detective Joe Mannix (Mike Connors) is a tough-talking loner within the large detective agency Intertect. He has street smarts and class, but he constantly fights with his boss, Lou Wickersham (Joseph Campanella), over how to conduct their investigations. Lou relies on the company's computers, but Mannix has to go with his gut. And that's just what he does every time! One of the most popular crime shows ever, this long-running series was developed by executive producer Bruce Geller (Mission: Impossible), and features all 24 Season One episodes on 6 discs, including the rarely-seen series pilot. Brace yourself for unbeatable action - Mannix is back!

One of the most fondly remembered and action-packed detective series of the late '60s and early '70s, Mannix was the brainchild creators Richard Levinson and William Link (Columbo, Murder: She Wrote) and executive producer Bruce Geller (Mission: Impossible). Mike Connors won an Emmy as the title character, a tough, streetwise private eye whose hands-on approach to cases raised the hackles of his employers, the scientific-minded Intertect, and his no-nonsense boss Lou Wickersham (Joseph Campanella). Episodes generally saw Mannix taking his share of licks, either from or in the service of that week's guest star (celebs on display in this debut season include Tom Skerritt, Karen Black, Julie Adams, William Windom, and Neil Diamond in Episode 4, "The Many Deaths of Saint Christopher"). The on-screen violence, which earned the show its devoted audience as well as critical outcry, is fairly tame by today's standards, though it preserves the show's energy and drive; the chemistry between Connors and Campanella and especially Emmy winner Gail Fisher as secretary Peggy Fair (one of the first African-American characters to appear as a regular on a television series) also keep the episodes moving at a crisp pace. Modern audiences used to more high-tech crime shows like Num3ers and the CSI franchises may find Mannix's methods sort of quaint, but those who favor classic TV fare or who remember it from its lengthy network and syndicated runs will enjoy tagging along with Joe Mannix all over again.

All 24 episodes of the 1967-1968 debut season are featured on this six-disc set, including the 1967 pilot "The Name is Mannix." Connors himself is all over the DVD--not only is he interviewed with Campanella in a loose but informative featurette about their time together on the show (Wickersham was phased out by its second season in order to let Mannix work for himself), but he provides commentary on several episodes and audio introductions for just about every supplement. These include a promo clip for the show in a CBS TV special announcing the fall 1967 lineup; an interview with Connors on a 1969 episode of The Mike Douglas Show; a Paramount sales reel for prospective syndication broadcasters (with voice-over by the legendary Ernie Anderson); and a clip from a 1997 episode of Diagnosis: Murder in which Connors reprised Mannix to investigate a unsolved murder that was introduced in a '70s-era episode of that series. It's an impressive package, and should give Mannix devotees much to look forward to in regard to upcoming DVDs. --Paul Gaita

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