Harvest of Death involves Armenians living in a farming community. Mike Connors himself is an Armenian born 1925 in the then mostly farming city of Fresno, California. Connors real name is Krekor Ohanian, and he grew up speaking both Armenian and English. The actors who play Armenians are not and would have had to learn their lines by sound. I suspect Connors also had much influence on the plot which involves poor Armenian farm hands suppressed by big farmers. Now, many of the big farms are controlled by Armenians, and they take advantage of farm laborers from Mexico.
5 Reviews
Joe has piloting skills
Guad4227 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Joe does a favor for an old military buddy and, sure enough, it goes bad. Strange plot point that they were pilots together in Korea when in all the other episodes about Korea, Joe is an infantryman. Joe was an established pilot in other episodes so there was no need to go with that explanation. Apparently, he flies everything. Anyway, two crop dusting pilots working for one man disappear and Joe is hired by the buddy to investigate. The case leads to Armenian field workers and their leader. The leader is killed and the buddy is killed. It is easy to figure out the instigator in all this as she makes a mistake that can't be explained away. Joe manages to catch the bad guys but this is the type of episode where the decent guys die and everyone loses in the end. The cast is skilled veterans, a hallmark for this series. Joe de Santis is working against type as an honorable, decent man. He is usually a criminal. Nolan, Marsh, Mantee, Beckman, and Garrison have been around awhile with many credits to their names. Garrison is a little over the top as the client but it's all good. The fate of the two missing pilots is mentioned as a throwaway line at the end. I thought they would be more integral to the plot by being prisoners or something but it didn't go that way.
Joe is knocked out but does get paid. No Peggy or Lt Malcolm but Joe makes it all work. He even speaks some Armenian. Recommended for viewing.
Joe is knocked out but does get paid. No Peggy or Lt Malcolm but Joe makes it all work. He even speaks some Armenian. Recommended for viewing.
JOE THE CROP DUSTER? INTERESTING...
tcchelsey21 September 2022
MANNIX, in a way, was similar in concept to THE FUGITIVE, only Joe wasn't a wanted man. However, through the series run he basically was on his own, encountering a multitude of offbeat characters who drew him into their own unique world -- and with dire consequences. While Richard Kimball was dodging the police, Mannix was dodging some nefarious folks and everything was on his shoulders.
Case in point, Joe takes on a gritty job as a crop duster for friend Paul Mantee, to find out why his pilots have been disappearing. There's also a bit of Mike Connors in the role as his real-life father was a lawyer who defended many poor Armenians, undoubtedly used and abused farm workers. Connors was of Armenian heritage and also spoke French fluently. Mannix, in turn, meets up with Armenian farm hands and an orange grower who may be being run out of business.
A top cast with Mantee (who took his stage name from the Humphrey Bogart character "Duke Mantee" in THE PETRIFIED FOREST). Additionally, pretty Linda Marsh makes a return appearance, popular on many cop shows, usually as a victim, and Jeanette Nolan as Mrs. Carpenter, the farm family matriarch.
The scene with Joe handcuffed and running from the police (and dogs!) in the orange fields had to have been inspired by THE FUGITIVE, along with the corrupt sheriff and his trigger happy deputy. Henry Beckman as the sheriff played many no-account lawmen on westerns and crime shows.
Classic stuff. Filmed in the scenic town of Piru, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. Piru has been used for decades in films and on tv because of its beautiful landscapes. It was used in the famous Lizabeth Scott film noir DESERT FURY (1947). The church scene was filmed at the Piru Methodist Church. SEASON 6 EPISODE 10 remastered color CBS/Paramount dvd box set.
Case in point, Joe takes on a gritty job as a crop duster for friend Paul Mantee, to find out why his pilots have been disappearing. There's also a bit of Mike Connors in the role as his real-life father was a lawyer who defended many poor Armenians, undoubtedly used and abused farm workers. Connors was of Armenian heritage and also spoke French fluently. Mannix, in turn, meets up with Armenian farm hands and an orange grower who may be being run out of business.
A top cast with Mantee (who took his stage name from the Humphrey Bogart character "Duke Mantee" in THE PETRIFIED FOREST). Additionally, pretty Linda Marsh makes a return appearance, popular on many cop shows, usually as a victim, and Jeanette Nolan as Mrs. Carpenter, the farm family matriarch.
The scene with Joe handcuffed and running from the police (and dogs!) in the orange fields had to have been inspired by THE FUGITIVE, along with the corrupt sheriff and his trigger happy deputy. Henry Beckman as the sheriff played many no-account lawmen on westerns and crime shows.
Classic stuff. Filmed in the scenic town of Piru, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. Piru has been used for decades in films and on tv because of its beautiful landscapes. It was used in the famous Lizabeth Scott film noir DESERT FURY (1947). The church scene was filmed at the Piru Methodist Church. SEASON 6 EPISODE 10 remastered color CBS/Paramount dvd box set.
Very good except for one cliché....and it's a bad one!
planktonrules6 June 2015
While I enjoy "Mannix" and even went so far as to buy all 8 seasons of the show, it does suffer from a few clichés. To some degree I can accept them as they made so many episodes but a few are annoying. The worst is Mannix getting bashed over the head. In the first season, this happened something like 278325 times--and, while not quite as often in subsequent seasons, he STILL got bashed so much that you'd have expected him to have a brain like tapioca!! Another is someone who is Joe's friend. Again and again, friends are introduced...only to be killed only moments later!! Here in an otherwise decent show, "Harvest of Death", Joe meets up with an old friend...and soon assumes room temperature!! This alone is why I cannot score this one any higher than a 6.
As for the show, its plot is actually rather interesting. A rich guy keeps hiring guys to crop dust his fields--and each of these guys disappears! Obviously someone doesn't want the crops touched and is out to ruin the rich guy. So, our indestructible Mannix volunteers to dust the crops...and investigate.
In this show, you get to hear Mannix speak a bit of Armenian. This is in line with his character and in a couple previous shows you heard him speak a bit of the language with his father (Victor Jory). I liked this as it gave depth to the character. Too bad the show is too clichéd to be a great episode.
As for the show, its plot is actually rather interesting. A rich guy keeps hiring guys to crop dust his fields--and each of these guys disappears! Obviously someone doesn't want the crops touched and is out to ruin the rich guy. So, our indestructible Mannix volunteers to dust the crops...and investigate.
In this show, you get to hear Mannix speak a bit of Armenian. This is in line with his character and in a couple previous shows you heard him speak a bit of the language with his father (Victor Jory). I liked this as it gave depth to the character. Too bad the show is too clichéd to be a great episode.
Has almost every cliché imaginable
pkfloydmh16 November 2021
In this one, Joe is hired by a crop duster to investigate the disappearance of two other crop dusters.
This is yet another episode set in a small town and it has all of the worn out and aggravating clichés that go along with it and have been seen many times before - the town is hiding some kind of secret and the sheriff is nasty and corrupt and arrests Joe on phony charges and then tries to run him out of town. If that wasn't bad enough, Joe gets clobbered over the head again and shot at but not hit, so two additional clichés for good measure. All of it is very tedious and unimpressive.
The Clint Carpenter character (played by Sean Garrison) has a bad attitude throughout and the idea that Joe would continue working for him with his attitude is not credible. Also not credible is the motive provided at the end for the disappearance of the two crop dusters.
The Sheriff Simkins character (played by Henry Beckman) is way over-the-top and is absolutely revolting.
This is a very depressing episode with very little action and clichés everywhere. It's easily the worst episode of the season so far.
This is yet another episode set in a small town and it has all of the worn out and aggravating clichés that go along with it and have been seen many times before - the town is hiding some kind of secret and the sheriff is nasty and corrupt and arrests Joe on phony charges and then tries to run him out of town. If that wasn't bad enough, Joe gets clobbered over the head again and shot at but not hit, so two additional clichés for good measure. All of it is very tedious and unimpressive.
The Clint Carpenter character (played by Sean Garrison) has a bad attitude throughout and the idea that Joe would continue working for him with his attitude is not credible. Also not credible is the motive provided at the end for the disappearance of the two crop dusters.
The Sheriff Simkins character (played by Henry Beckman) is way over-the-top and is absolutely revolting.
This is a very depressing episode with very little action and clichés everywhere. It's easily the worst episode of the season so far.
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