Cannon (1971-76)

[Little Garwood]

The DVD set was selling for $39.99, so I took the plunge. I’ve been wanting to “revisit” this series since I watched (just a few episodes) over 30 years ago, when Cannon was on in the afternoons. I’m not familiar with Cannon like I am other series from that hallowed early ‘70s era, so settling in every week will prove a somewhat “new” viewing experience, so no spoilers outside of the episodes as they are discussed from you Cannon scholars (which is 99% of all Magnum Maniacs, I’m sure) please!

Cannon (Pilot Film) March 26, 1971

Frank Cannon has been out of the country for the past two and a half months. Cannon’s fancy Los Angeles high rise apartment is seen at the start; it has a long open hallway which Cannon uses as a shooting range; the well-to-do detective also has a maid.

A longish-haired Lawrence Pressman (The Snoop Sisters pilot; McMillan and Wife; M*A*S*H) has a brief, unmemorable scene as Cannon’s attorney, Herb Mayer.

Much of the sprawling, familiar-faced supporting cast play their roles well enough, but John Fiedler, Earl Holliman, Barry Sullivan, and Lynda Day (George) are particularly good. However, the sometimes hard-to-follow story works best when focusing on establishing Frank Cannon’s character, and William Conrad is superb in the title role. The Frank Cannon trademarks of sarcasm and relentless detective work are well established in this pilot.

Cannon’s badass physical power is showcased in a fun barroom brawl scene in which our massive detective takes on at least six local yahoos before being taken down in what proves to be an interesting plot twist.

Desert scenery and ambience receive a nice scene when an energetic rendition of the Cannon theme pulsing along as Frank guns his new Lincoln Continental sedan at 90mph open-windowed down a desert highway.

The theme and music score are credited to John Parker but an uncredited Robert Drasnin provides the actual underscore. Drasnin’s effort adapts the Cannon theme in many exciting ways, with the aforementioned car-driving sequence a standout moment.

Night-for-Night sequences abound.

The pilot is set in the fictional small New Mexico towns of Gallitin and Warren Springs, in Coffey County.

My Rating: 8/10

[Pahonu]

The DVD set was selling for $39.99, so I took the plunge. I’ve been wanting to “revisit” this series since I watched (just a few episodes) over 30 years ago, when Cannon was on in the afternoons. I’m not familiar with Cannon like I am other series from that hallowed early ‘70s era, so settling in every week will prove a somewhat “new” viewing experience, so no spoilers outside of the episodes as they are discussed from you Cannon scholars (which is 99% of all Magnum Maniacs, I’m sure) please!

Cannon (Pilot Film) March 26, 1971

Frank Cannon has been out of the country for the past two and a half months. Cannon’s fancy Los Angeles high rise apartment is seen at the start; it has a long open hallway which Cannon uses as a shooting range; the well-to-do detective also has a maid.

A longish-haired Lawrence Pressman (The Snoop Sisters pilot; McMillan and Wife; M*A*S*H) has a brief, unmemorable scene as Cannon’s attorney, Herb Mayer.

Much of the sprawling, familiar-faced supporting cast play their roles well enough, but John Fiedler, Earl Holliman, Barry Sullivan, and Lynda Day (George) are particularly good. However, the sometimes hard-to-follow story works best when focusing on establishing Frank Cannon’s character, and William Conrad is superb in the title role. The Frank Cannon trademarks of sarcasm and relentless detective work are well established in this pilot.

Cannon’s badass physical power is showcased in a fun barroom brawl scene in which our massive detective takes on at least six local yahoos before being taken down in what proves to be an interesting plot twist.

Desert scenery and ambience receive a nice scene when an energetic rendition of the Cannon theme pulsing along as Frank guns his new Lincoln Continental sedan at 90mph open-windowed down a desert highway.

The theme and music score are credited to John Parker but an uncredited Robert Drasnin provides the actual underscore. Drasnin’s effort adapts the Cannon theme in many exciting ways, with the aforementioned car-driving sequence a standout moment.

Night-for-Night sequences abound.

The pilot is set in the fictional small New Mexico towns of Gallitin and Warren Springs, in Coffey County.

My Rating: 8/10

I won’t spoil anything for you Garwood, but I’ve seen the entire series in the last few years and very much enjoyed it. It started when I DVR’d an episode with one of my favorite actors, David Janssen. By time I viewed it, I realized it was a two-part episode and had missed the second part. I ended up buying that season and eventually the one prior. I recorded all the rest of the episodes and watched them over about 6 months. The show has lots of great actors from the era as guests and high production values for the time.

Cannon’s apartment is in the Sunset Tower in Hollywood, a historically designated landmark in the Art Deco style. I’ve been there a few times over the years. Once when it was still apartments in the 90’s and a friend of a friend lived there. Then a couple of times since it has been converted into a hotel.

https://www.sunsettowerhotel.com/

I’d love to discuss any episodes you enjoy… if I remember them. I’ve seen many just once, but have rewatched several favorites over the last couple of years, including one with Keenan Wynn filmed on Santa Catalina Island, known as Catalina to everyone here in SoCal.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I like Cannon too.
Garwood, William Conrad is never bad or gives a half-assed performance in anything. In the all star classic film noir "The Racket"(1951), for my money he
steals every scene he is in from the likes of Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan. Plus he was the original Matt Dillon on the radio, I started listening to rebroadcasts about
two years ago and was surprised to find both Conrad and the radio series are superior to the better known TV version.
The quality of the Cannon guest stars such as David Janssen, George Maharis, etc was consistently higher than for most series of the era, higher than for Mannix for example.
Not a knock on Mannix, rather I think it's because William Conrad was highly respected and liked by his movie and TV peers and they wanted to appear on his series.
Conrad and Jack Webb took over as producers on the last year of 77 Sunset Strip. The amount of big stars on the opening 5 episode arc was amazing.
There was no way el cheapo Warners was going to lay out all the money to get such stars even for cameo bits, they had to have worked for the standard
guest star fee as a favor to Conrad as this was a last gasp effort to save the series.
Carl Weathers guested on one Cannon where he sarcastically tells Frank Cannon that he ought to be able to solve a problem as Frank was "free, fat and 21".
He of course was referencing the old saying that one should be able to handle a issue if one was "free, white and 21".
Going by Conrad's amused reaction it would seem Weathers ad libbed the line.

[Little Garwood]

Cannon’s apartment is in the Sunset Tower in Hollywood, a historically designated landmark in the Art Deco style. I’ve been there a few times over the years. Once when it was still apartments in the 90’s and a friend of a friend lived there. Then a couple of times since it has been converted into a hotel.

Thanks! I was just about to ask if anyone here was familiar with the building. The Art Deco details were immediately noticeable when I watched a S4 episode, the quality of which “moved” me to get the entire series. I had a William Conrad-sized void in my life, but not anymore!

[Little Garwood]

The quality of the Cannon guest stars such as David Janssen, George Maharis, etc was consistently higher than for most series of the era, higher than for Mannix for example.
Not a knock on Mannix, rather I think it's because William Conrad was highly respected and liked by his movie and TV peers and they wanted to appear on his series.

Interesting observation, Dobie, Mannix and Kojak are two series I notice having the most recognizable guest performers. Kojak is especially eyebrow raising, as the show only ran for only five seasons. Both of those series were packed with recognizable, working actors and future stars.

Cannon, from the few episodes I’ve seen so far, also occupies that rarified air. S4’s The Deadly Trail had a cast consisting of Kevin McCarthy, William Smithers, Dennis “Richie Brockelman” Dugan, and Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Janice “Basket Hair” Rand from Star Trek)

[Little Garwood]

The Salinas Jackpot S1 Ep1
Original Airdate: Sep 14, 1971

An insurance company hires Cannon to track down the men who robbed a rodeo (and murdered 4 people!) of $100,000.

Guest Stars: Tom Skerritt, Sharon Acker, Vincent Van Patten

The episode opens with extensive rodeo stock footage though there is later a scene with Cannon among a crowd asking questions to one of the rodeo clowns. 1972 alone saw rodeo films Junior Bonner, The Honkers, and J.W. Coop in theaters.

The heist is clunkily pulled off and poorly acted by the shooting victims. However, the pan shot of the dead victims is chilling. The woman victim’s foot is partially out of the shoe…pretty graphic for a 1971 TV series.

Cannon is quite animated when showing his frustration after having watched reels of filmed footage of the rodeo.

Glinda Donaldson (Sharon Acker) husband was killed in Vietnam.

Cannon uses the alias Elmer Hopkins, a rodeo promoter.

John Parker’s score includes an intrusive country and western source music cue heard at the bar.

A good scene is the pool table exchange between Cannon and Bud. Cannon appears to lose the billiards game to Bud (Tom Skeritt) on purpose in order to get info, but Skerritt ambushes Cannon.

“I don’t like ‘Uncle’ Bud. He smiles a lot but he doesn’t mean it.”

~Shaun Donaldson (Vincent Van Patten)

Sharon Acker is a beautiful goddess, though her performance here isn’t among her best. In one scene Acker looks to be wearing a body mic tucked under her jeans when she runs into her trailer; the mic is gone when the cut shows her inside of the trailer.

Vincent Van Patten, who plays Shaun Donaldson, gives a good performance.

Energetic music cue when Skerritt and company pursue the wounded Frank Cannon out in the country.

Cannon receives a lot of physical abuse in this episode. He survives his car rolling over, a gunshot wound to the knee, and a brutal fight with Tom Skerritt. Cannon’s blue eyes menacingly bulge while he wraps Skerritt up from behind and crushes him to unconsciousness.

Nice ominous, low-piano cue at the 41:00 mark when Skerritt leaves the camp.

Another good cue is heard when Cannon sets the trap for Skerritt at episode’s conclusion.

My Rating: 7/10

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

The episode opens with extensive rodeo stock footage though there is later a scene with Cannon among a crowd asking questions to one of the rodeo clowns. 1972 alone saw rodeo films Junior Bonner, The Honkers, and J.W. Coop in theaters.

A 1974 episode of THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO ("The Hard Breed") also had a rodeo theme, with a rodeo clown playing a major part. Noah Beery, Jr. played the rodeo clown. Also in the guest cast were Sam Elliott, Jim Davis, and Harry Carey, Jr.

[Pahonu]

The episode opens with extensive rodeo stock footage though there is later a scene with Cannon among a crowd asking questions to one of the rodeo clowns. 1972 alone saw rodeo films Junior Bonner, The Honkers, and J.W. Coop in theaters.

A 1974 episode of THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO ("The Hard Breed") also had a rodeo theme, with a rodeo clown playing a major part. Noah Beery, Jr. played the rodeo clown. Also in the guest cast were Sam Elliott, Jim Davis, and Harry Carey, Jr.

That episode was filmed largely at the Cow Palace. Despite it’s agrarian name, it has been home to the Warriors in the NBA, briefly the San Jose Sharks, and two GOP National Conventions. I saw Pearl Jam and Nirvana open for the Chili Peppers there on New Year’s Eve in college, I’m thinking ‘91 or ‘92.

Noah Beery was always so enjoyable to watch, including here.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

The episode opens with extensive rodeo stock footage though there is later a scene with Cannon among a crowd asking questions to one of the rodeo clowns. 1972 alone saw rodeo films Junior Bonner, The Honkers, and J.W. Coop in theaters.

A 1974 episode of THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO ("The Hard Breed") also had a rodeo theme, with a rodeo clown playing a major part. Noah Beery, Jr. played the rodeo clown. Also in the guest cast were Sam Elliott, Jim Davis, and Harry Carey, Jr.

That episode was filmed largely at the Cow Palace. Despite it’s agrarian name, it has been home to the Warriors in the NBA, briefly the San Jose Sharks, and two GOP National Conventions. I saw Pearl Jam and Nirvana open for the Chili Peppers there on New Year’s Eve in college, I’m thinking ‘91 or ‘92.

Noah Beery was always so enjoyable to watch, including here.

Yep, Noah was always very good. Playing his benign persona here with a bit of a dark side to him. Have you seen him in the BONANZA episode "The Crime of Johnny Mule"? He plays the titular character - a mentally slow character who is accused of a murder he did not commit. He plays the sympathetic character very well, with Hoss being his only friend and hope to save him from a hanging.

[Pahonu]

The episode opens with extensive rodeo stock footage though there is later a scene with Cannon among a crowd asking questions to one of the rodeo clowns. 1972 alone saw rodeo films Junior Bonner, The Honkers, and J.W. Coop in theaters.

A 1974 episode of THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO ("The Hard Breed") also had a rodeo theme, with a rodeo clown playing a major part. Noah Beery, Jr. played the rodeo clown. Also in the guest cast were Sam Elliott, Jim Davis, and Harry Carey, Jr.

That episode was filmed largely at the Cow Palace. Despite it’s agrarian name, it has been home to the Warriors in the NBA, briefly the San Jose Sharks, and two GOP National Conventions. I saw Pearl Jam and Nirvana open for the Chili Peppers there on New Year’s Eve in college, I’m thinking ‘91 or ‘92.

Noah Beery was always so enjoyable to watch, including here.

Yep, Noah was always very good. Playing his benign persona here with a bit of a dark side to him. Have you seen him in the BONANZA episode "The Crime of Johnny Mule"? He plays the titular character - a mentally slow character who is accused of a murder he did not commit. He plays the sympathetic character very well, with Hoss being his only friend and hope to save him from a hanging.

I haven’t seen it but want to now! I have a handful of actors that if I see their name as a guest star on a show, I’ll DVR it. Jessica Walter and Anthony Zerbe are high on the list for me, among others. I just watched them in two Mannix episodes during my spring break.

I’ve seen Noah Beery in just a few things other than Rockford. I saw him in an episode of Police Story and Vega$ with a big beard and mustache. He was also in an episode of Ellery Queen, of which I watched the entire series last year. I seem to remember him appearing also on Love Boat or Fantasy Island or maybe both. It seems like almost everyone did at some point.

Edit:

I just looked it up on IMDB, and he was also on an earlier episode playing a character called Lothario Larkin, a serial womanizer! I’ll to see if I can find these.

[Little Garwood]

Anthony Zerbe is “must-see” TV for me! He’s a stalwart of 1965-75 television. He did multiple episodes of Desilu series Mission: Impossible and Mannix, but never Star Trek…that’s a huge missed opportunity!

Zerbe did 3 episodes of Cannon. I’m looking forward to seeing his 3 different characters there.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I just looked it up on IMDB, and he was also on an earlier episode playing a character called Lothario Larkin, a serial womanizer! I’ll to see if I can find these.

I know he was in that episode too but I haven't seen that one. Beery as a womanizer - you know that's gonna be a comedy episode and no one did those as good as BONANZA. Anyway, you should be in luck because I think all the BONANZA episodes are on YouTube.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Garwood, so now that you're watching CANNON what's your preference? CANNON or MANNIX? How would you rank those with other 70s hits like FIVE-O, STREETS OF SAN FRAN, COLUMBO, ROCKFORD?

Have you ever tried IRONSIDE? Raymond Burr is too much of a grouch/sour puss in that one. I also never understood his Emmy nominations on either PERRY MASON or IRONSIDE. He's just too one-note in his performances.

[Little Garwood]

Garwood, so now that you're watching CANNON what's your preference? CANNON or MANNIX? How would you rank those with other 70s hits like FIVE-O, STREETS OF SAN FRAN, COLUMBO, ROCKFORD?

Have you ever tried IRONSIDE? Raymond Burr is too much of a grouch/sour puss in that one. I also never understood his Emmy nominations on either PERRY MASON or IRONSIDE. He's just too one-note in his performances.

Haven’t watched enough Cannon to make that choice yet, Ivan. Cannon I only remember the odd moment here and there from when my grandparents watched it in late ‘80s syndication—they watched seemingly every detective series from the ‘70s and ‘80s—but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve seen of Cannon so far.

Mannix has a unique, poker-faced-but-batsh!t crazy element about it I’ve loved for years. I’ve yet to formulate my assesment of Cannon. I’m only watching an episode a week, so it’s still sinking in. Cannon has impressed as far as its lead actor, guest stars, musical underscore (and theme), as well as it having been filmed in the early-to-mid 1970s, which is one of my “cultural wheelhouses”; I like the Los Angeles-of-the-era backdrop. I need to reinvestigate other Quinn Martin productions, as it’s been decades since I’ve watched them.

Columbo, Rockford, and a whole slew of Universal productions (Kolchak, McMillan & Wife, et al.) are highly regarded here at the Garwood Estate.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Garwood, so now that you're watching CANNON what's your preference? CANNON or MANNIX? How would you rank those with other 70s hits like FIVE-O, STREETS OF SAN FRAN, COLUMBO, ROCKFORD?

Have you ever tried IRONSIDE? Raymond Burr is too much of a grouch/sour puss in that one. I also never understood his Emmy nominations on either PERRY MASON or IRONSIDE. He's just too one-note in his performances.

Haven’t watched enough Cannon to make that choice yet, Ivan. Cannon I only remember the odd moment here and there from when my grandparents watched it in late ‘80s syndication—they watched seemingly every detective series from the ‘70s and ‘80s—but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve seen of Cannon so far.

Mannix has a unique, poker-faced-but-batsh!t crazy element about it I’ve loved for years. I’ve yet to formulate my assesment of Cannon. I’m only watching an episode a week, so it’s still sinking in. Cannon has impressed as far as its lead actor, guest stars, musical underscore (and theme), as well as it having been filmed in the early-to-mid 1970s, which is one of my “cultural wheelhouses”; I like the Los Angeles-of-the-era backdrop. I need to reinvestigate other Quinn Martin productions, as it’s been decades since I’ve watched them.

Columbo, Rockford, and a whole slew of Universal productions (Kolchak, McMillan & Wife, et al.) are highly regarded here at the Garwood Estate.

Thanks for the rundown. What about IRONSIDE?