Der Stich ins Wespennest

How ever did Frank Cannon manage to routinely catch assorted fleet-footed and well-motivated bad lads simply by lumbering painfully around his classic piece of early 70's, swimming pool-sized, rocking-suspensioned, Detroit iron lump? Especially with his red-faced wheezing, puffing signs of imminent cardiac disaster at the mere effort of just squeezing himself out of the door.

Then, without further pursuit (since Direction must have this week's villain keep running on the spot until our porcine pursuer catches up from around the other side the of car hood) immediately disable them with one blow on some random anatomical feature (such as a shoulder blade, say, or that well-known vulnerable bit on the top of the arm) from his flailing hammy forearm?

I'll never know. But there you go. It passed the time til Jim Rockford showed up. And it was A! Quinn! Martin! Production!

While its true cannon looked like a walking heart attack, he played a pretty good ex police lieut turned private investigator....what always amused me was how he glided around the sets with his hands in his pockets, probably because he didn't know what else to do with them...his eyes always looked like narrow slits as he squinted all the time...one of his pet dialogue lines was have i got a restaurant for you where they serve the best so and so....as hefty as he looked people had no doubts he was truly a gourmand...his choice of vehicle the fabled rincon continner was perfect but i noticed his driving was hard on the shocks and springs

I have no idea why, but there were quite a few episodes of TV detectives going to crappy towns in New Mexico where the law doesn't care about upholding the law. Mannix went to a couple of these places and so did Cannon a couple times. It makes me wonder if perhaps the state had a bad reputation back in the day...and I wonder WHY this might have been the case! The folks in New Mexico couldn't be that bad...as they actually filmed it in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I was in the state a few days ago and wasn't roughed up by police!

The story begins with Cannon returning home after an extended trip abroad. He returns to learn that an old friend was murdered...and his wife is a suspect. So, he heads to New Mexico and encounters something he never anticipated...an extremely hostile town and cops who are either on the take or who have zero interest in enforcing the law. At every turn, someone's attacking Cannon or threating him or the chief suspect...and the police do less than nothing. In some cases, they actively try to harm him or stand aside as folks are about to hurt the man! In this insane climate, is there anything this private dick can do?

This pilot episode of "Cannon" plays much like the show...so, if you love the show (like I do), by all means see it. The plot, while somewhat familiar, is well done and enjoyable. My only quibble is that in such a town, why wouldn't Cannon have contacted the FBI or Justice Department about the corrupt police force? Just an odd little omission....in an otherwise excellent TV movie.

William Conrad was a long time producer and director at Warner Brothers/ABC TV (also Columbia Pictures) and got the call to return to acting. If you're a film buff, you may remember him playing many hulking bad guys in film noirs of the 40s, much like Raymond Burr.

Interestingly, It was tv that made them heroes, and in fact, there's a connection between both actors.

Producer Quinn Martin took some notes from IRONSIDE, Burr's cop show. Why not try a scowling detective WITHOUT a wheel chair?

Seemed to be the idea that started CANNON, the show first directed by George McCowan, also working on THE MOD SQUAD at the time. Bill Conrad certainly fit the job description of the heavy set, two fisted detective, and had a lot of fun with the role. The show was also a great place to work, according to many actors through the years, all having a memorable time. I think he wanted to carry that over from his years at Warners, working with so many artists.

Here (in the pilot episode) Frank Cannon's swank Hollywood digs include a maid and a shooting gallery. He also drives a brand new sleek 4 door Lincoln (which gets smashed up). The investigation takes him outside Hollywood, looking into the mysterious death of an old friend and his widow, played by Vera Miles, who Cannon takes a liking to.

Note: No mention until the 5th season that his wife and son were murdered. This pilot episode was also way ahead of its time; Cannon deals with allegations of rape in one scene. Taboo stuff for 70s tv. The bogus attack scene with Lynda Day George and Cannon is a camp classic, and with a blazing fireplace.

The series, next to MANNIX, was also violent, but climbed steadily to the top 10 in the Nielson ratings by the end of Season 2. At times, some episodes may have ranked as high as 5 or 6 in the Top 10, and in the days without cable, meant a large portion of viewers nationwide were watching this cop show. For awhile, it was an addiction. Station breaks were added in the third season to alert everybody Cannon would return in a few minutes. Lifted from MOD SQUAD, all the rainbow colors. So 70s. The station breaks have been preserved in dvd box sets for ultimate fans, and in some tv rerun prints.

Despite his distinguished career as a director, William Conrad did not direct a single episode, opting to give someone else work, which was very noble. He also did many of his own stunts in the early years of the show, keeping up with Mike Connors -- to a degree. There's a dynamic cast in this two part episode, including Barry Sullivan (Conrad's old Hollywood pal), Earl Holliman, JD Cannon (from McCloud), Keenan Wynn and Lynda Day George (in a stand out role). Also 1940s movie star Jimmy Lydon (Henry Aldrich), who was a co-producer at WB with him in the 60s. Pilot filmed either in late 1970 or early 1971 and released March 26, 1971

Beginning a trend of pictureque locations, this was partly filmed in the small town of Las Cruces, NM. Although many episodes were filmed locally in Hollywood, North Hollywood/Studio City and Burbank, the cast and crew also filmed in other states.

Thank you to writer Edward Hume (who passed in 2023) for putting this all together, also the creator of STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO and TOMA.

Usually broadcast in two parts, and the second half really takes off with Cannon nearly getting killed in a creepy farm house. Watch for the hidden shotgun.

SEASON 1 PILOT CBS/Paramount remastered dvd box set 2008 release. Thanks to TV LAND back in the 90s for bringing the series back in steady reruns, with a lot of goofy promotions, now METV.

This pilot for the TV series "Cannon" is quite enjoyable, though I have to admit that with all the plot twists and characters, it's a bit hard to follow at times. It all begins with Frank Cannon in his mega-cool apartment in L.A. (it even has its own shooting range). He learns about an old war buddy who is dead and his widow is in need of help. So, he drops everything and drives to New Mexico to look into the case. As soon as he arrives, it's obvious that the town is a mess--with a very corrupt police force and the townsfolk perfectly happy with this! And, almost immediately, the towns people begin pressuring Cannon to leave. But, because he's an obstinate guy, Cannon refuses to leave and again and again gets police harassment, beaten up and accused of rape (a pretty odd thing to be mentioned on TV back in 1971). Can he sort all this out? Well, considering that plenty more shows follow this one, you can safely assume he does!

While the show had a few logical errors (such as Cannon never seeking backup or help from the state police or FBI) and the music was occasionally invasive, the show was pretty exciting. It was also nice to see fat old William Conrad fighting so much--so much that you'd think he was Mannix!! Exciting and worth seeing from start to finish, though all the exposition at the end seemed odd!

By the way, if the plot seems a bit familiar, several other series did the unfriendly small town sort of show. A couple episodes of "Quincy" and at least one "Mannix" episode had this theme.