Cannon (TV Series) Duel in the Desert (1974) User Reviews

A different twist on the old hit over the hit cliché....

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 7 June 2016]

One of the most useless clichés in old detective shows is being bonked over the head. In most cases, only moments later the detective is just fine and suffers no ill-effects from this...whereas in reality, a blow hard enough to knock you out would likely cause serious permanent injuries. On the show "Mannix", he was routinely bashed over the head- -perhaps as often as a hundred times and by then he should have been a drooling guy in some sort of long-term care facility! Well, while the injury isn't exactly permanent, in this episode of "Cannon", Frank Cannon is bashed over the head and he is a mess. It's not so much that he just has amnesia...he cannot think straight and obviously has a serious concussion. This is a big problem, as he was taking money for a ransom and now he isn't sure what he's now doing in a crappy little town...and the greedy townsfolk and the kidnappers are more than willing to do anything to get their hands on a briefcase filled with cash that Cannon has on him.

Overall, this isn't exactly a brilliant episode but it's a good one and at least doesn't show the detective as being resilient when it comes to being bashed over the noggin by baddies. Worth seeing.

HANG ON TIGHT. THIS IS THE REAL.

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 20 April 2022]

Outstanding.

DUEL IN THE DESERT was one of the highest rated episodes of the season, and with good reason. Everyone talked about this story in high school, even our teachers. This probably was a close second to the two hour season premier with Anne Baxter and David Janssen. What brought in millions of viewers on Wednesday nights, just what CBS wanted.

Cannon is driving FAST in the desert in the middle of the night with a briefcase full of cash. What more can you ask for? It's also a bit creepy, thanks to writer Robert C. Dennis. He wrote a record 30 tv episodes for ALFRED HITCHCOCK, also working with William Conrad at Warner Brothers/ABC tv on 77 SUNSET STRIP. A ton of other shows, including sitcoms. The best at what he did.

Writers for both MANNIX and CANNON kept tabs on each other, and this story HAD to be inspired by the famous episode where Joe Mannix is left temporarily blind. No question. I think CBS looked the other way, even the very same actors bounced back and forth between shows. The difference -- without being too, too obvious -- Cannon is bopped on the head, instead of being shot, but his vision is blurred, there's dizzy spells, coupled with amnesia. At least Joe had Peggy to help him, while Cannon is all alone in the desert. His mission is to deliver a small fortune in ransom money to kidnappers, and he's obviously not alone. What a situation to be in, and you really feel sorry for him.

By the way, the wealthy gentleman Cannon is working for is none other than Daniel Lewis, who played the warden on many episodes of BATMAN and was a regular on GENERAL HOSPITAL.

Joan Van Ark, one of the most popular actresses on tv at the time, plays the proverbial mystery lady called Nona. Rough and tough Denver Pyle plays the sheriff, who has doubts about Cannon and what the heck is going on. Also look for James Wainwright, a top dramatic actor for years.

William Wiard directed 19 episodes for the series, and got some terrific performances here. William Conrad should have won an Emmy for this role. Wiard would later direct many episodes for the ROCKFORD FILES.

Super late night entertainment. Filmed in Lancaster, California, which has some fairly remote desert locations. Everything clicks

One goof: watch for the shadow of someone (probably the sound guy) while Cannon is talking in the phone booth. It's still kind of eerie anyway, and you wonder if that was left in by William Wiard. I think so. It fits.

What a treat, and especially following the famous Jack Cassidy episode. Thank you METV.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 18 remastered CBS dvd box set. 21 hrs length/ 6 dvds. 2012. This box is a collectors item.

What a treat

[v8powerage · 10/10 · 16 October 2021]

With two guest stars like this; Denver Pyle aka Uncle Jesse from the Dukes of Hazzard and Paul Brinegar, Wishbone from Rawhide it had to be a good episode. I liked the filming locations with chase action through the desert and some shoting, making it feel like modern day western.