Time Out of Mind

I literally had to stop and look up because the singer was so bad. She was screaming. I didn't know why she was screaming the song. I thought she was being dramatic, but then she did it again. A pretty girl, and they made her sing, holy cow.

A decent episode. Always fun when Peggy has old friend she's trying to help. Also fun to see a Martinez so young. Brock peters, from To Kill a Mockingbird was always a welcome character on lots of shows. He's a fighter, and the plot is thin, but it's typical satisfying Mannix stuff. The first half hour manix didn't even get punched or hurt. Pretty unusual for him.

It seems that every cop, detective or medical examiner show had at least one episode about boxing. I remember seeing this on "Hawaii Five-O". "Cannon", "Quincy" and many other similar shows. So, it's not surprising that "Mannix" eventually dealt with this locale.

The show begins with a retired and punchy ex-boxer, Sonny, beating the crap out of a gambler who was trying to fix a fight. At some point, SOMEONE shoots the gambler dead--and Sonny is seen standing there holding the gun. Did he do it? And, if he did, does he even remember thanks to all the poundings he took to his head over the years? Well, he isn't sure--and assumes he'll go to jail for it, so Sonny runs. Mannix's job is to find him and convince him to give himself up-- especially because soon some goons are looking to kill Sonny and/or Mannix.

This is generally a very good episode of the series. My only complaint is the lady who was singing in the bar. She was, to put it mildly, pretty bad. While a very pretty actress and good otherwise, they asked a non-singer to sing and it showed. Still, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise decent program.

Every cop show, sooner or later, has a boxer in trouble story. Robert Pirosh, who wrote five episodes for the series, ties this together rather well, accent more on drama, and very good acting.

Brock Peters plays a once famous boxer named Sonny, now accused of murder. The dirty secret is he's burned out and set up as the perfect fall guy in what looks to be an open and shut case. Peters is best known for his outstanding role in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. He also served as the fleet admiral in two STAR TREK movie in the late 80s.

The supporting cast is also the best. Kim Hamilton plays Hallie and look for veteran actress Juanita Moore. Moore was one of a few black actresses at the time to receive an Oscar nomination, well remembered as the housekeeper in IMITATION OF LIFE.

George Tobias (BEWITCHED), a veteran of Warner Brothers war films in the 1940s, plays Dalton.

SO WHODUNIT? Watch very carefully, and for some well staged fight scenes.

The ending is classic Mannix. Climbing down the ropes to the ring is a wild trip. Love the very last "in the ring" shot.

Historically speaking, this was filmed at the legendary Olympic Auditorium in downton LA. Opened in 1925, the auditorum was the setting for the 1932 Olympics and a major hub for boxing, roller derbies and music events. In 2005 the building was purchased by the Korean Christian Church.

SEASON 4 EPISODE 3 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set. The Four Bullet Cover Box!