10 Stars. This clicks.
Calvin Clements, Jr wrote this high adventure which finds Cannon being kidnapped by a good guy --with bad apples around him. This happened to Joe Mannix, so now it was Cannon's turn. Clements was a regular writer for BARNABY JONES (who also got kidnapped). Later he produced DALLAS.
The lead gentleman in question is a wealthy and well connected general, played by Kevin McCarthy, who looks the part. The catch is that his first wife, who he divorced decades ago, actually had his daughter, but never told him. Clements may have gotten the idea from a soap opera, it sounds very familiar. Kevin McCarthy was quite popular on tv, appearing on COLUMBO prior to this episode.
Frank has to locate the general's daughter --and he does --but is she the real deal? And there's millions in inheritence money at stake. Lots of suspicious types in this episode, which we all love. As always, the supporting cast is dynamic. Popular bad guy William Smithers plays a colonel, definitely NOT to be trusted. Smithers went onto tv fame as Jeremy, the oil tycoon on DALLAS.
Catherine Cannon guest stars, later to gain fame as the arrogant, rich mom on BEVERLY HILLS, 90210. Pretty Ronnie Troup plays the missing girl, best remembered as Chip's girl friend Polly, on MY THREE SONS. Whitney Blake (from HAZEL) plays Diana, the proverbial mystery lady. Whitney worked with William Conrad at Warner Brothers/ABC TV, an accomplished dramatic actress. She made cult history, playing Amber Forever on BATMAN. A great trivia question.
This is an exceptional story, and catch the dialogue. There are some super one liners, you will love. One for the books. Clements did his job. The climactic shootout is classic CANNON all the way. A labor of love.
For travels fans, we get a glimpse of the famous Galley West Restaurant at Marineland, Palos Verdes, California. Marineland was the first giant resort in southern California, before Disneyland. It closed and relocated to San Diego in the 1980s, although the restaurant remained until 2004, later called the Catalina Restaurant because you could see Catalina Island on a clear day from the deck. This is where Cannon meets Diana. If you shop on line, you can still find souvenier menus and postcards from the restaurant.
A must see TV episode with cookies. SEASON 4 EPISODE 5 remastered color CBS dvd box set. 21 hrs. 2016 release. The same box layout as MANNIX.
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