Mark Turner *This review is written about the release of the complete series on disc* Once again the best bet this week is the release of a complete series on disc for a reasonable price and size that won't fill your shelf. This time around we return to the sixties and seventies with a private eye that took the country by storm, breaking down at least one barrier of the time and lasting 8 seasons, all collected here. The show and the main character was named MANNIX.Starring Mike Connors (who just passed away this last year) as Joe Mannix, the show focused on a detective in the old school tradition. The first season had Mannix working for a high tech computerized private detective agency called Intertech. Run by Lew Wickersham (Joseph Campanella), the agency used computers to siphon through data to find their man. Mannix instead chose to follow his gut instinct, walk the streets and often take a beating in pursuit of the truth. The only reason Wickersham keeps him on is that he gets results, sometimes even when the computers think otherwise.Viewers weren't as keen on this format as was thought and with the second season Mannix went into business for himself. One of the first changes was to hire a girl Friday, someone to take calls and run the office. This part was filled by Gail Fisher as Peggy Fair and a more loyal employee would be hard to find. Most notable about this role was that Fisher was one of the first black actresses to star in a major role in regular television at the time. Several other recurring characters were added to assist Mannix, most working for the police force.The format of the show was usually the same, a situation which required Mannix to mount his white steed and go forward into the fray to save whoever was in need. He was not just a detective but a hero as well, following his own personal strict code of honor in an attempt to discover the truth. This also made the show different from most at the time. Rather than a series that revolved around the story being told it was character driven, as much about Mannix and those who hired him as it was the situation he was handling.Another thing that made the show different was that Mannix wasn't infallible. He often found himself on the wrong end of a physical confrontation being beaten by the bad guys as often as he dished it out. During the time the series was on the air Mannix was knocked unconscious dozens of times and shot and wounded at least 10 times. He was cool, he was intelligent and even though he could handle himself in a fight those fights were more realistic than most on TV since he didn't always win.Running from 1967 through 1975 the series was not known for being topical and yet it did touch on subjects in the news. A Korean War veteran, Mannix dealt with repercussions from his time in the service. Topics like handicapped characters who helped in spite of their disabilities, racism and the effects of PTSD on returning Vietnam vets were included in various episodes.So now you know what the series was about if you weren't beforehand. Also note that it featured one of the best TV series theme songs composed by the great Lalo Schifrin. But what's in this box set? And why this rather than the separate seasons already released? To answer that last question the size. This box set will take up far less room on the shelf. The price when compared to buying each season separately is a savings worth taking advantage of. And the extras are nice worth taking the time to enjoy. They include: Interviews with Mike Connors and Joseph Campanella, Mike Connors on THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW, TV Land promos, a DIAGNOSIS MURDER clip (his character returned for a part in an episode of that series), audio commentary on the pilot by co-creator William Link, audio commentary on "Another Final Exit" by Connors and Campanella, Mike Connors audio introductions on the episodes and a photo gallery. If the name William Link sounds familiar it should. In addition to creating this series with co-creator Richard Levinson the duo created COLUMBO.So here you have it, all 194 episodes contained on 48 discs, 163 hours and 44 minutes of pure Mannix. Fans of sixties TV will find this a must have for their collection. If you don't add it to yours hopefully you'll find someone who did to borrow it from. In going back and revisiting the series I found that they were as enjoyable today as when first viewed long ago. Take a trip back in time with MANNIX.

zugtoo I thought that I recalled that I liked Mannix when I watched it in my teens, but my wife and I caught some episodes a few nights ago and it struck me that Mannix is quite dated. Maybe for its time, it was groundbreaking or whatever but that cachet has vanished. Aside from the great theme music and the charismatic masculine leading man who smoked too much, the acting is often wooden as if unrehearsed or like the director simply didn't care that much. The similarities of the writing to Mission Impossible are obvious --both Bruce Geller productions. The much ballyhooed violence which was an attraction to viewers back then, looks pretty darn tame today. One repetitive theme that we chuckled about was that so many episodes featured someone being killed by falling from a height (with the accompanying scream); usually a high rise or a cliff. In one episode a guy who had been shot fell back out of a fully open window. How many people living 5 floors up keep their windows fully open?? It was a formula I guess, to inject something exciting and violent. Oh one more thing...Compared to Columbo? Forget it.

beseke1 Mannix, by far, is still the best PI series ever produced.The grittiness is fantastic, and Mike Connors adds such a real, human touch. Gail Fisher also makes the show very worthwhile. I just bought the Season 2 DVDs, and they bring me back to my youth as I was glued every week to watching this wonderful show!I can only hope that those who did not grow up with this show are able to see and appreciate the great work. While the CSIs of the this TV generation are interesting, Mike Connors showed how a true star can make a show excel.Great job, again.

Ben Burgraff (cariart) Despite over thirty films to his credit, Mike Connors will be best remembered for his television work. In 1959, he created a sensation as the undercover agent with the hidden gun behind his back, in "Tightrope", and in 1967, at 42, he introduced one of the most popular detectives in television history, "Mannix". The initial concept of the series was intriguing; a high-tech investigative agency, Intertect, headed by Joseph Campanella, possessed all the tools to analyze and fight crime, except one; a P.I.'s instincts, that ability to play hunches and make correct decisions by 'gut feeling'. So they hired the best veteran private eye in the business, Joe Mannix, and utilized his services whenever the 'human touch' was required, while backing him with all their resources.While the Intertect episodes were often imaginative, and Connors and Campanella had good chemistry, CBS quickly realized that the program's fans were watching because of the rugged Mannix, who, each week, despite being beaten, tortured, drugged or worse, managed to emerge victorious. So Campanella and Intertect were dropped by the second season, and Mannix returned to more traditional digs, accompanied by a new secretary, Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher), the widow of a cop. With aid from his 'buddies' on the Force (Robert Wood, Jack Ging, and "Brady Bunch" patriarch, Robert Reed), Joe Mannix would take on cases as simple as petty theft, to unsolved murders, while still taking more than his share of abuse each week.With his chiseled features and thick jet-black hair, Mannix was a hero attractive enough to appeal to women, yet tough enough to keep men watching, as well. Fiercely loyal to his Greek heritage and many friends, a sucker for a 'hard luck' story, and with a well-stocked (and used) medicine cabinet, the series 'fit' like a pair of well-worn, comfortable shoes, and audiences quickly developed a viewing habit that would last seven more seasons, until 1975. The success of "Mannix" would open the door for a whole new generation of 'gumshoes' that followed, from "Cannon" and "Barnaby Jones", to "The Rockford Files" and "Magnum, P.I."It is a heritage that Mike Connors can be proud of!