Mannix (TV Series) Man in a Trap (1975) User Reviews

Mob Whodunit?

[steelblue55 · 7/10 · 16 October 2017]

This one starts out with a PI getting shot by Erik Estrada, a druggie crook with a blinding red check jacket!!! The investigator is a friend of Joe's and when he wakes up he tells him his client, a syndicate leader, is going to be killed. Joe gets there too late. The brother tries to hire Joe to clear him but he's working for nothing - of course - to catch who shot the other PI.

This one did a good job of throwing clues around but not making it so obvious early on who is behind it. It leads up to a syndicate meeting to punish the killer, of course Joe busts in to set them straight.

The last 30 seconds of it are way off, multiple people have been shooting and are shot and the police just run right in the middle like no one has guns expecting no one will resist. Well no one does, but it's a stupid way to run into a room during a shootout. Except for that a pretty good last season episode.

Classic Whodunit Lineup

[rkrossfan · 7/10 · 5 December 2017]

A very nice episode that keeps you guessing til the very end.

It all starts out when a PI and former friend of Joe is shot by a villainous Erik Estrada (2 years before he turns to good as CHiPs member Ponch). Soon after a mob boss who had employed the PI is murdered and it's up to Joe to figure out just what in the heck is going on. We are presented with suspect after suspect who all have the means and motive including Stafford Repp, better known as Chief O'Hara from Batman (1966). This one truly is a mystery as we the audience aren't given any hints or behind the scenes info on who actually did it. Seems that after the mob boss was killed another higher up in the mafia must come down and decide who will take over this branch of the "Syndicate".

In the end they all literally line up and make their cases and just as the mob boss is about t decide and pass sentence, Joe bursts in at the nick of time to solve the mystery.

A very fun and exciting show that's wrapped up extremely hastily but he 55 minutes before it are top notch.

Well worth your time

[Guad42 · 7/10 · 10 June 2021]

Have you ever noticed that Joe's PI friends have about the same survival rate as Joe's Korean War buddies? This is another such episode but I'm happy to report the PI friend (John McLiam) survives being shot in this particular outing. The plot has been covered by others so I will simply agree that this is a nice mystery that is one of the highpoints of season 8. This plot also has the well known Mannix technique of Joe jumping to a conclusion based on no actual evidence and turning out to be spot on. This happens when Joe finds a thousand dollar bill clenched in the dead hand of Tropic (Erik Estrada). He figures it is part of the payoff for Tropic's services in killing people. Joe knows that such large bills are hard to get so concludes whoever was paying Tropic had been keeping them in a safe deposit box at a bank. Say what? Apparently, keeping the bills in a private wall safe, under the mattress, or in the cookie jar is not allowed. Anyway, Joe goes to a bank where one of the mobsters is on the board of directors, sweet talks his way into viewing the logs of who has visited their boxes, and, lo and behold, one name pops out and Joe has the killer. What are the odds?

At the court of inquiry being held by Don Vincent Demorra (Peter Brocco), Joe bursts in to reveal the killer. It is the wife and the Don responds by giving a loaded pistol to the husband and telling him to take his wife out and shoot her. To nobody's surprise, the husband shoots the Don instead and then the police come in and Lt Malcolm shoots the husband. Art Malcolm is racking up kills on some criminals in this season 8.

These are minor quibbles and, if you're not used to the Mannix deductive technique by now, you haven't been playing attention for eight seasons. This is a good story with a fine guest cast. As an aside, Peter Brocco always reminds me of Sam Jaffe of Ben Casey fame.

Joe doesn't get paid yet again. That happens a lot. Peggy makes a remark about her last raise while discussing the $1000 bill. With all this free work Joe does, I am surprised she gets a raise ever. Oh well, Joe did get a nice dinner out of it with his detective friend and his wife so it's all good. Hopefully, he brought Peggy along.

IS THE FOOD REALLY GOOD AT MOB MEETINGS??

[tcchelsey · 9/10 · 2 December 2022]

I agree again with the last few reviewers this episode is a solid whodunit to who, written by Oscar nominee Bernard Schoenfeld. It's no surprise he cranked out many fine mysteries for Alfred Hitchcock's tv show and wrote the five star classic women in prison film CAGED (1950).

Just before his top cop days on CHIPS, Erik Estrada (as Tropic) plays a sharp looking hitman who complicates Joe's job in trying to piece together the murder of his colleague. Of course, the proverbial question is what did this guy get himself into??? Wait and see. Joe had a host of friends and co-workers who obviously were not church goers?

An A-plus for a Supreme cast, lead by the incomparable Madlyn Rhue (as Nedda). Not too long after this episode she was diagnosed with crippling MS and spent the rest of her years in a wheelchair, still determined to turn in a grade A performance, which she will always be remembered. Look for Staffard Rapp (Commissioner O'Hara on BATMAN). Soon after this he appeared on M. A. S. H (as a military officer) and died suddenly.

Cannot forget Harriet MacGibbon (playing Addie) famous as bickering Mrs. Drysdale (THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES), a popular actress and you can tell she is having fun. Also enjoying his role is noneother than beedy eyed Peter Brocco as "Don" Vincente, definite GODFATHER material. You can bet these guys had a blast behind the scenes, preparing for roles and looking and acting tough, and kidding around too. That's all acting 101.

And yes, there is a mob meeting and shootout.

For all of us muscle car addicts... Joe's sleek blue Camaro is sandwiched between two trucks (and it really is) and comes out lookin' pretty darn good. Say what??? There had to be duplicate cars, just like Cannon's indestructible Lincoln. Take off one star, ya think? I did the same for Cannon, as I am NOT playing favorites, after 50 years!

For all amateur interior decorators... check out Madelyn Rhue's so 70s and exquisite Hollywood apartment. What a life! The set decorators must have had an unlimited budget.

SEASON 8 EPISODE 14 remastered CBS dvd box set. Get it.