Mannix (TV Series) Desert Sun (1974) User Reviews

Mannix Tropes With Pretty Heavy Subject Matter

[rkrossfan · 7/10 · 20 November 2017]

Interesting episode that ticks the boxes of most of the standard Mannix tropes but takes a pretty dark turn at the end. *Contains Spoilers*

Old Korean War Buddy - Check. Mannix goes to a small town where everyone's against him - Check. Rich powerful man runs the town and tries to cover things up - Check.

Off to your basic start but this time his war buddy isn't trying to kill Joe! (And believe it or not actually survives the episode) Joe gets a call from his Native American buddy who needs his help investigating a murder in New Mexico. (Apparently the show had a much larger budget for location shoots this year. In 10 shows this season we've been to San Francisco, Phoenix and now New Mexico). Joe arrives and the locals threaten then beat him up. Seems there's a crashed plane full of money everyone's after and Mannix soon learns the small town is ruled over by a rich white man whose son is smack dab in the middle of both the murder investigation and the missing loot. But just when you think you've seen this episode many times before it piques your interest with serious discussion of Native American traditions and later turns very dark dealing with both rape and ritualistic suicide. The only downside to the show was the incredibly paint by numbers performances of the heavies in the episode. They really had nothing to offer and were incredibly vanilla. The Native American leads were really good however.

I say be patient and let the episode play out and you may just be surprised with the subjects covered and the nice handling of it by the show.

THEY'RE COMING TO GET YA!

[tcchelsey · 9/10 · 26 November 2022]

The outstanding Spencer Tracy movie, BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, may have been the catalyst for this murder mystery as one thing's certain; Indians (who know some secrets) aren't welcome in small desert towns.

Actually there are two issues at work here; prejudice and a rape incident, the latter seemingly gaining traction in the mid 1970s. CANNON actually was one of the breakthrough shows to deal with the subject. It's also another friend in need episode, where one of Joe's old pals needs backup ASAP. A homicide neatly covered up as an accidental death, the dusty town's big dark secret.

The setting is a remote western town in New Mexico, Sandoval County, about 50 miles north of Albuquerque. Love the scenery. Mannix is much the outcast as the victim was, as you will see. Credit the story to David Harmon, who wrote many episodes for IRONSIDE, also a writer for the original STAR TREK tv series.

Veteran tough hombre Leif Erickson plays the family patriarch (Yarborough), who owns most of the land and the people. Second, there's veteran Spanish actor Joaquin Martinez, best known for JEREMIAH JOHNSON as Paint His Shirt Red. He also appeared on the western tv series HIGH CHAPARRAL with Erickson just a few years earlier. Also look for Joe Moross as the small town sheriff.

Mannix gets the usual rogue's treatment here, but watching it all play out is something to see, especially if you are a long term fan. That's the clincher.

To answer the question as to why MANNIX and CANNON had similar plots (in the notes section) is because they shared many of the same writers, top writers in their day, a few having won Oscars. You had the best people on these shows, due to high ratings. These two shows were anchors in their respective time slots. Another reason why they had so many top guest stars, the biggest draw. Both CBS shows compliment each other and probably the reason why ME TV has them running at the same time. To a degree, you could also include BARNABY JONES, which was a Quinn Martin production in tandem with CANNON, but not as violent in content, though Barnaby did have his challenges through the years.

SEASON 8 EPISODE 10 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set. Released 2012.

Another hellish small western town....

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 17 April 2017]

During the course of "Mannix" and other detective shows of the era (such as "Cannon"), a common plot involved them going to a hellish and incredibly unfriendly small town. In this town, the hero gets beaten regularly, nearly killed and eventually brings the evil doers to justice. This episode is one of those formulaic episodes.

It all begins with two thugs, Cousins and Osterman, beating a poor Indian man to death. Soon Mannix gets a phone call from an old Korean War buddy (about the 40th in the series' run) asking for help. He knew the murdered man and wants Mannix to prove it was murder--though the men already were acquitted in court in the case. Well, they apparently didn't learn too much, as the pair immediately take a dislike to Mannix and try to beat him as well. When they are unsuccessful, they return later to get the job done...all as their pal, Gil Yarborough watches on in amusement. The problem is that Gil's father owns half the county and Mannix knows he'll get no justice here. What's next? See the show.

This episode was exciting but suffered in a variety of ways...and not just because of the familiarity of the plot elements. It handles rape in a questionable manner and also offers a plot hole with a phone call that is unnecessary and makes little sense. You could do better.

This episode, by the way, is set in Sandoval County, New Mexico-- located between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. It is indeed VERY rural and looks pretty much like it does in the show. I wonder how they felt about the portrayal of the folks there in this episode!

Familiar Mannix territory but a couple of nice things

[Guad42 · 6/10 · 3 June 2021]

As already mentioned, the ol' Korean War buddy and bad small town are overused plot devices on this series but I liked the American Indian involvement and the fact the ol' buddy isn't crazy nor is he killed. The bad guys are the usual idiots. Joe Maross as the sheriff has too small a part. I thought he would be more involved. Leif Erickson as the family patriarch seems to be restricted to his house as all his scenes are done there. He agrees his son is a bad person but he is all the family the old guy has left so is willing to cover for his son. The rape was too casually addressed. For such a terrible crime, everyone treated it like serial jaywalking. I think the story would have been served if the pregnancy had been the result of a forbidden love affair now long over. The son had to die in the end to ensure he got his just reward. He was a bank robber, rapist, and general coward so it had to happen that way. At the end, the old man lost his second son (first was killed in Vietnam) and didn't seem to be all that bothered by it. Stuff happens, I guess.

The phone call was unneeded and just told the bad guys where to go. Hard to believe the bad guys would use the brother of the woman one of them had raped for a integral part to their bank robbing plan. To nobody's surprise, the brother double crossed them and hid the money.

Cast is okay. Not their fault the script hamstrung them a bit. Joe gets knocked out and misses out on yet another paycheck. Not a bad episode. I think this is the only one with American Indians so see the show.