I agree with the last reviewer, Bill Conrad did put on a few pounds as the series continued. Later there was a gag story going around that WEIGHT WATCHERS would not honor customers who watched Cannon! That all said, let the record show that Conrad was also an extremely agile actor and, to a degree, did many of his own stunts (which caught everybody by surprise!) A Hollywood original.
Also not to forget producer Quinn Martin was a fantastic host and everyone ate well between fights, stranglings and gunfire. This was a rare tv show with a lot of fun behind the scenes.
Allen Reisner was called in to direct. Reisner was behind such series as THE GREEN HORNET and IRONSIDE, to name a few. This episode may have also inspired the classic tv movie HIJACK (1973) (now on dvd) starring two of William Conrad's pals, David Janssen and Keenan Wynn. It's an exciting trucking adventure where Cannon becomes a driver, investigating some deadly hi-jackings. Wayne Rogers co-stars (shortly before his association with MASH). Rogers began his long career in tv westerns and probably worked with Conrad during his years at Warner Brothers/ABC.
Patricia Smith, a popular actress who was a regular on the DEBBIE REYNOLDS SHOW, plays Cannon's make believe wife ( Mrs. Polaski). They make a very good team and compliment each other. Interesting scene where Patricia asks Cannon (who is sleeping on two chairs!) if he's comfy --and she has a queen size bed! Hmmmm.
The garage chase with creepy Charles Cioffi, had to have been inspired by MANNIX. It's a gem. And, especially, do not miss the wild, wild ride ending. Some real good air shots also. Great directing by Reisner.
David Moessinger wrote this episode, who later served as a co-producer for Bill Conrad's next series, JAKE AND THE FATMAN, which was a lighter version of Cannon in disguise.
For all of us bowling fans, we get a glimpse of the famous PICWOOD BOWL, on Pico Boulevard in LA. The place is now partly a parking structure. In it's day, Picwood was a top bowling alley, open 24 hours. All that's left are the memories and some vintage clips in this episode. If you do a Google search, there are some well done articles on the history of Picwood, and with vintage pictures, also showing it being bulldozed. It's a shame because the building was beautifully designed.
10 STARS.
Recommended for all of us armchair truckers. SEASON 1 EPISODE 3 remastered CBS and Paramount dvd box set (2008).