Mannix (TV Series) Duet for Three (1970) User Reviews

Surprisingly good!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 25 August 2014]

I have watched about half of season 4 of "Mannix" and think that this one is, so far, the best of the season. It's well written, has a nice twist ending AND offers a slight change of venue.

The show begins in Hong Kong (or at least Hollywood's version along with some stock footage). A woman is out shopping when she notices she's being followed. She returns to see her husband and he's behaving weirdly--so weirdly that he tells her to go home to the US, as he's a 'dead man'! Soon, he rushes from the room and very soon you hear a shotgun blast--and he's dead!

When the widow returns to America, she is shocked to see the same Asian man at the funeral who was following her in Hong Kong. Not surprisingly, she goes to Mannix for help. Soon, murders and attempted murders start piling up--and there's no end in sight unless Mannix untangles this mess. However, and I liked this, the main suspect turns out to be a dead end. So who is behind all this and why?

The show is exciting and well written--making it well worth your time. I usually guess the twist and didn't in this one--and I like that. Well worth seeing as well as a surprisingly chance to see Gloria Grahame in a supporting role late in the episode.

NOTE: Although I really liked this one, I must admit that the stunt doubles in the finale were awful and if you are paying attention, you'll see these are NOT the actors playing the parts doing most of the fighting!

Great sexy guest star Katherine Justice makes this worth your time but...

[belanger75 · 9/10 · 22 June 2019]

It is much better in parts than as a whole. This ep actually looks way more like an ep of Hawaii 5-0 than Mannix. Starting off set in Hong Kong and going to Los Angleles. Miss Justice is such a great luminous guest she is reason to watch and give a huge rating. The badly written idea of Mannix's secretary Peggy actually staying with her at a beach house is lousy but Miss. Justice is still a feast for the eyes in these very badly done scenes all the same. Why was she (Justice) not on TV much more often as she makes such great viewing?

MANNIX AND ONE MYSTERIOUS LADY...

[tcchelsey · 9/10 · 18 April 2023]

How many clients come to Joe with someone following them? Next, they're following him, right? Such is the case with a lady named Ellen (played by Katherine Justice) whose husband had some questionable business dealings in Hong Kong. No surprise, he's toast now she's a walking target.

One more thing, with John Llewellyn Moxey directing, stand by for some excellent performances. Mannix earns his money in this one, as there's a BIG target on his back. Justice became a staple in tv cop shows, namely COLUMBO, CANNON and BARNABY JONES. She generally played a young woman caught up in something not too good.

Special guest star is none other than Oscar winner (THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) Gloria Graham, playing Mae Darling. Was that a play on words? Graham was enormously popular on tv as she was on the wide screen, having recently appeared on THE NAME OF THE GAME. Watch her, one classic actress from Hollywood's golden age who worked steadily, even when battling breast cancer in later years. She is missed.

Popular actor John Considine plays Mart and Robert Reed returns to Tobias, taking turns with Ward Wood as the law. Yes, I took a star off as the story does get ahead of itself; beware there are questions. I also agree with the last few reviewers, the stunt doubles are fairly obvious, but again you have to file that under "tight budget". Paramount seemed to be famous for that kind of stuff, also repeat stock footage of crashes and explosions, much the same on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.

That all said and done, this adventure has its moments, and how can it miss with Gloria Grahame. SEASON 4 EPISODE 13 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set.

I guess I just wanted to write this to defend some stuff in the review that pops up on the main screen

[glitterrose · 10/10 · 21 July 2022]

I did think this episode was interesting and I honestly didn't see the twist coming with the husband faking his own death. The actor does a great job playing a jerk.

I don't see anything wrong with the guest actress (Katherine Justice). Although I'm relieved she's playing a character with a brain this time around. Although I'll be quick to say that the story I'm referring to isn't her fault. She's the actress and isn't responsible for any crappy writing.

I don't see anything wrong with the way John Considine looks. I feel like his looks tie in with him playing a jerk. You know what I mean? Look at Dennis Patrick...I've seen him pop up on a few shows I watch and I don't think I've ever seen him play a nice guy. He's got a look to him that's perfect for being a mobster or sleezeball. He might;ve been the nicest guy in real life but he plays a perfect heavy.

As for Gail Fisher...A person can't help the cards they're dealt in life. I enjoy Mannix but I also can't help but see that it wasn't a case of Mike Connors career continued to climb while Gail Fisher's career declined. No, imo it looks like both of them declined. I'm not gonna pretend to know either one of these people. No doubt neither one of them was able to bring in the type of money celebrities make in today's times. I have no idea if somebody like Mike Connors was able to invest Mannix money so he could still life comfortably or if he was basically working from paycheck to paycheck as he bounced from guest appearance to guest appearance.

It does seem like Gail Fisher wanted more. I won't fault her for that and I also won't fault her for turning to drugs. You never know what a person's going through or how they feel about what they're doing. Maybe Gail didn't see a problem with using drugs but at the same time perhaps there's shame attached if anybody saw her out and about while under the influence? Makes me think of when Dana Plato robbed that video store and the person said she was just robbed by Kimberly from Diff'rent Strokes. No doubt that kinda judgement would be used against Gail. "Peggy's high as a kite over there! Hardy har har" Anyway, I'm not poking fun. I just hope the lady's at peace now. Yes, I know she's deceased. But the sentiment is still there.

Welcome back Katherine Justice

[george_cherucheril · 9/10 · 3 April 2024]

Katherine Justice made this episode of Mannix great. Katherine's hairstyle in this episode does not do "justice" to her exquisite beauty. In Season three's episode eight, Memory: Zero Justice paraded around most of the episode in a bikini. She is definitely a woman I would travel back in time to meet. I would have to because Memory Zero was shot in 1969 and I was a baby at the time.

I love watching Ms. Justice on the screen and listening to her silky smooth voice. Fortunately, she lounges around in the hideout in a lovely outfit. I do not understand why she was not a bigger star in the 1970s. I understand she is still alive but there is hardly any information on her such as who the lucky guy was who either married or dated her.

If I produced Mannix, I would have made her Joe's love interest. She would have been a great regular. There is no way that a guy like Mannix would not have a woman by his side. It would have given more depth to the character to have a regular girlfriend and even a wife. Anyone who does not like Ms. Justice is jealous.

I was happy to see Gloria Grahame in this episode. Gloria was another amazing beauty whose life was cut too short from cancer. She died at age 57 in 1981. I know Gloria Grahame had a scandalous personal life but there was something charismatic about her. She's another one who I would love to travel back in time to meet.

Okay but the twist is clear from the start

[Guad42 · 7/10 · 22 January 2021]

A decent episode that is a bit different in that it begins in Hong Kong with the suicide of a woman's husband. The woman (Kathy Justice) hires Mannix once she realized she is being followed. Seems the husband (John Considine) stole millions from his shady employers and they want it back. Then the people following her start dying. Who is killing them? Good supporting cast. Kathy Justice is a good actress who is very pretty. Robert Colbert makes a return appearance. Before he was Joe's old army war buddy and now he is John Considine's Air Force war buddy and also chasing his wife. Gloria Grahame, Oscar winner, spills the beans about the whole story regarding all the players. John Considine is a good criminal type. Spoiler: The solution is that hubby is not dead and is the one cleaning up the loose ends with extreme prejudice. This ending was obvious from the beginning but I was surprised that neither the best friend nor the wife were in on it. Overall, a good episode but the cliché of "it's the presumed dead guy who did it" is probably an episode in every police/PI/lawyer series. Perry Mason did it at least twice. Cannon, Hawaii 5-0, and Magnum come to mind also. Peggy gets drugged but Joe is not shot or beaten up and he probably got paid for this case. Hallelujah!

Katharine Justice ruins yet another show!

[imdb-25288 · 1/10 · 21 October 2021]

Can't stand her. Those creepy eyes. That snooty face. The "she thinks she's all that" (but she's so very hideous and repulsive!) demeanor is cringeworthy from the start. A face only a mother could love and she makes me feel like vomitting whenever she appears on TV. And why has she been in every very late night show for the past 2-3 weeks?! (Cannon, B. J. and this like 3 times already!)

John Considine: I can't get past the bad "too narrow" nose job and the awful overbaked tan which is nearing the kind of face that is banned these days! If you catch my drift and if you don't, check with Julianne Hough. This gives him creepy eyes. His bushy eyebrows are distracting. Just no! They are so different those two, yet so similar in creepy vibes!

What can you say about the plot? Mannix is so boring a show, I check out, when I come back mentally it's long in progress and I have no idea what's going on. Who can keep their attention on this snoozefest? Who can understand what is going on? Who cares?! Really, the characters are all so boring. Mannix was so violent in S1, couldn't stand him. Seems he calmed down quite a bit. I liked Pretty Peggy. Then I learned what she turned to and what a damper that put on all her scenes! (PS: She's a druggy! Or was. She's dead now. Or should be.)

1/10 because I can't stand Kath Jus and she should have never been an actress. Just a shampoo girl who got lucky, boffing some prod, no doubt! The 1 star goes to the cool lampshade somewhere in the mix!

Not only do the bodies pile up but so do the plot holes

[pkfloydmh · 6/10 · 1 August 2021]

This one is about a woman who thinks her husband committed suicide and she hires Joe to find out why.

The episode is pretty good up until the ending, which is ludicrous and filled with plot holes. First of all, Mart apparently knew where Ellen was staying because he followed Joe there because Joe says he knew he was being followed. WHAT??? Let me repeat that - Joe said HE KNEW HE WAS BEING FOLLOWED. So why didn't he do anything to lose whoever was following him??? And why didn't he look around to see if anyone was lurking around the hideout? And why did he leave if he knew he was followed there? And how did he know to come back? And how in the world was he suddenly able to just stand up RIGHT AFTER HIS HEAD WAS SMASHED WITH A FLOWER POT??? All of Joe's actions at the end are just appalling and take this one down several notches. Then earlier in the episode, when he's talking to Mae in the hospital, he says to Lt. Tobias that Mart committed suicide, then IN THE VERY NEXT SCENE he says Mart was murdered. What??? How would he know that? Where's the evidence of that? And why would he suddenly change his mind from one scene to the next with no explanation provided? Doesn't make any sense.

For the first time ever, neither Joe's client nor Peggy leave the hideout after Joe tells them to stay there, so that overused cliche is not seen here, which is refreshing.

This one sets the record for the number of bodies that pile up, with a total body count of four, which is the most of any episode to date.

Joe gets shot at several times and, as mentioned earlier, gets his head smashed in by a flower pot, but he was able to stand up right afterwards, so no harm no foul there.

So a mixed review on this one. The ridiculous ending ruins what was otherwise a good episode.