10 Stars.
I think the series broke a record as Cannon is again hired to rub someone out? It wasn't that long ago when he was hired to kill a priest. Remember? You can file this under creative writing 101 from the Superman/Clark Kent school as you would think he'd be recognized.
The plot, though, will hold your attention. Here, Frank is hired (on the sly) by a heroic Vietnam army captain who wants to silence another man (played by Stevens Keats) because he's got something on him. The inside joke is that Keats' character is called Johnny Fogerty -- named after the lead singer John Fogerty from the band CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL? Super trivia question.
Keats was a very popular dramatic actor, appearing in a succession of classic films, including DEATH WISH with Charles Bronson, not too long before this episode. He also had a second career in soap operas. The star of the show is Peter Haskell (as Mark), and you know with him on board, there's going to be trouble. Haskell was a top tv villain and at the time this episode was filmed, guested in more than 10 cop shows and movies in a single year.
This story really moves and there's an excellent car chase (actually two) reminding you of MANNIX. Director William Wiard turned the end chase into one of the best of the season, and the stunt car comes that close to swinging into a cement wall. Earlier, Cannon does slam the Lincoln into a wall. Famous British writer Norman Hudis is behind this story. He began his career as a WWII war correspondent before writing for British films, notably the very funny CARRY ON series. He moved to Hollywood and majored in drama and cop shows, generally writing about one episode per show.
The final scene (the reveal!) is old school Cannon, and a must see. Too bad Hudis didn't commit to a second episode. His work shines. In the spot the classic actor segment, yes, that's Stanley Clements (as Hank) from the BOWERY BOYS in a small role. He was popular on tv in the 70s due to the Bowery Boys reruns, also in endless tv commercials for years. Stan worked at Warner Brothers/ABC tv, so he had a fan with William Conrad.
In the mathematics department: Cannon's hitman
fee of 100,000 dollars back then would equal over $600,000 today. Holy smokes.
Not to be confused with the SEASON 2 episode, called "Prisoners".
SEASON 4 EPISODE 12 remastered color CBS dvd box set. 2016 release.
4 out of 6 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
