tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post3778354423697022008..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: Mannix - the detective who put his best fist forwardMitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-34546665477738674602017-03-15T01:18:54.059-04:002017-03-15T01:18:54.059-04:00I'm 23 years old and just discovered Mannix th...I'm 23 years old and just discovered Mannix this year on late night reruns. I'm in love. As far as a detective show goes, It's pretty unrealistic, but in a good way. It's aged well because it never was about realism to begin with. It often focused on stylized violence and action scenes where our protagonist escapes danger and catches criminals all while having great detective hair and wearing fashionable sport coats. But Mannix has both the smoothness and class of James Bond and the grit and perseverance of John McClane(and he gets beat up about as much). The show looks great; california sunshine, car chases, and shadowy streets. Mannix is handsome, Peggy is beautiful, and the music is a fantastic blend of late 60's pop and jazz. It's an entertaining show that still holds a great deal of violent, stylish, charm. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-82875272877836874072016-02-28T04:49:27.052-05:002016-02-28T04:49:27.052-05:00They are tearing down the bridge Joe runs across i...They are tearing down the bridge Joe runs across in the opening credits...Paul Ducanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-58677944550599882352015-09-05T09:00:58.581-04:002015-09-05T09:00:58.581-04:00Loved the music by Lalo and his endless collection...Loved the music by Lalo and his endless collection of snazzy sport coatsKramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09006183139948257357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-41076488093446817382015-09-04T21:09:12.336-04:002015-09-04T21:09:12.336-04:00As threatened:
Mike Connors's name at birth w...As threatened:<br /><br />Mike Connors's name at birth was Krekor Ohanian Jr.; his father was an attorney in Fresno, Cal., servicing that area's large Armenian community.<br />Connors's lifelong friend was Ross Bagdasarian, creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks.<br />In an early <i>Mannix</i> episode, Krekor and Rostom (their given Armenian names) get to exchange a brief spate of dialog in their mother tongue.<br /><br />In one of his many interview books, Tom Weaver spoke with Mike Connors, with his long-time friend Paul Picerni (<i>The Untouchables</i>) in attendance.<br />Quote from Picerni:<br />" ... When he was doing <i>Mannix</i>, he would give his casting director a list of his friends like Paul Picerni, Dick Bakalyan, Tige Andrews, whoever, and he'd say 'If ever a part comes up that these guys fit, I want you to put 'em in.' As a result, every year I would do a <i>Mannix</i>..."<br /><br />After <i>Mannix</i> went off, Mike Connors decided a year or so later to try another series, playing a character with his own name, <i>Ohanian</i>.<br />To create the format and produce the pilot, Connors engaged Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts (see above).<br />To write the script, he hired Cliff Gould (also see above).<br />ABC took a look at the pilot, but didn't pick it up.<br />Them's the breaks.<br />But the story shows that Mike Connors is a stand-up guy, which is the point, isn't it?Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-73141752207761517912015-09-03T23:17:09.413-04:002015-09-03T23:17:09.413-04:00First things first:
The original Mannix format (m...First things first:<br /><br />The original <i>Mannix</i> format (man vs. machines) was created by Richard Levinson and William Link. When they moved to Universal TV, they sold off their property to Bruce Geller at Desilu, where the first CBS season was spent "on the bubble".<br />Reportedly, Lucy Ball strongarmed the network into a renewal, and Geller brought in a writing team to overhaul <i>Mannix</i> <b>in toto</b>: Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts.<br />Goff and Roberts were Old Hollywood veterans. Their Films included several James Cagney vehicles, the best known being <i>White Heat</i> ("Top of the world, Ma!" was theirs.)<br />They also had extensive TV credits, such as creating a series from a few years before - <i>The Rogues</i>. (A bunch of others, too, but you've still got that character limit.)<br />It was Goff & Roberts who were the de facto creators of the <i>Mannix</i> that we know and love -<br />the whole human PI who ran for eight years on CBS (and would have run longer if Paramount and CBS hadn't gotten into a money grab).<br /><br />It was a few years ago that I wrote about a <i>TV Guide</i> profile of "The <i>Mannix</i> Writers", six scriptwriters whom Goff & Roberts engaged to do much of the writing for the series (circa 1970).<br />The Six:<br />Ed Adamson<br />Cliff Gould<br />John Meredyth Lucas<br />Harold Medford<br />Stephen Kandel<br />and Chester Krumholtz (he's the one I couldn't remember last time)<br />Most of these eventually left <i>Mannix</i> to write and produce their own shows, but many other top TV writers came in to take up the slack.<br />(Check IMDb for a list of names that will boggle your mind.)<br /><br />Talking about names:<br />You also left out music man Lalo Schifrin, who composed Joe Mannix's jazz waltz, and Reza Badiyi, who came up with that opening title that grabbed you back in the day.<br />Themes and titles - two lost arts.<br /><br />I think I may be hitting my character limit, so I'll stand down for now.<br />I might come back tomorrow with more, if you'd like ...<br />Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-79411070512889864132015-09-03T09:09:34.447-04:002015-09-03T09:09:34.447-04:00I'm not sure there's ever been a more like...I'm not sure there's ever been a more likeable character on TV than Joe Mannix. I was pleased to see that Mike Connors is still with us. He turned 90 in August, and has been married to the same woman since 1949. <br /><br />The first two seasons of Mannix were up at YouTube (I watched them all earlier this year) but I don't know if they're still there. jabartletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12856624710742851189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-3497542929689352972015-09-03T08:47:04.118-04:002015-09-03T08:47:04.118-04:00Since I was just a little kid when Mannix debuted ...Since I was just a little kid when Mannix debuted (I was 6) I probably didn’t start watching the first run episodes until 1970 or ’71, so most of my memories of the show has to do with any time I caught the reruns. Though, I’m sure you know, hour long dramas were never rerun as much as half hour comedies. <br /><br />I recall the opening credits and especially that great jazzy theme song (which I have loaded on my iTunes and iPod) in fact, your Saturday night lineup has some memorable theme songs.<br /><br />Like I mentioned earlier, I recall Mannix mostly because of reruns, so you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that I’ve never seen ANY first season episode. I realize that there are specific rules and conditions on TV reruns and syndication, but for the life of me, I don’t know why Mannix season one never reran (or if it did, not often). It wasn’t B&W so they couldn’t use that excuse. Is it because it was so different compared to the rest of the show’s run?<br /><br />Oddly enough, I had the same problem with another of your Saturday shows. Prior to my getting the first season of Mission Impossible on DVD I’d never seen any of those shows. When MI was ever rerun it was always the Peter Graves seasons. I never got to see the young Steven Hill’s Briggs lead the team. Maybe the syndication rights only included the Phelps seasons? Who knows.<br /><br />TV can be confusing at times. Richard John Marcejhttp://www.theblabbingbaboon.comnoreply@blogger.com