Mannix
| Mannix | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by |
Richard Levinson William Link |
| Developed by | Bruce Geller |
| Starring |
Mike Connors Gail Fisher Joseph Campanella (season one only) |
| Theme music composer | Lalo Schifrin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 194 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | approx. 50 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Desilu Productions (1967) Paramount Television (1968–1975) |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution (2007–present) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 16, 1967 – April 13, 1975 |
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors.
During the first season of the series, Joe Mannix works for a large Los Angeles detective agency called Intertect, which was the planned original title of the show. His superior is Lew Wickersham, played by Joseph Campanella, with the agency featuring the use of computers to help solve crimes. As opposed to the other employees who must wear dark suits and sit in rows of desks with only one piece of paper allowed to be on their desks at one time, Mannix belongs to the classic American detective archetype, thus he usually ignores the computers' solutions, disobeys his boss's orders, and sets out to do things his own way. He wears plaid sport coats and has his own office that he keeps sloppy between his assignments. Lew has cameras in all the rooms of Intertect monitoring the performance of his employees and providing instant feedback through intercoms in the room. Unlike the other Intertect operatives, Mannix attempts to block the camera with a coat rack and insults Lew, comparing him to Big Brother.
To improve the ratings of the show, Desilu head Lucille Ball and producer Bruce Geller made some changes, making the show similar to other private-eye shows. Ball thought the computers were too high-tech and beyond the comprehension of the average viewer of the time and had them removed.
From the second season on, Mannix works on his own with the assistance of his loyal secretary Peggy Fair, a police officer's widow played by Gail Fisher – one of the first African American actresses to have a regular series role. He also receives help from the Los Angeles police department, the two most prominent officers being Lieutenant Art Malcolm (portrayed by Ward Wood) and Lieutenant Adam Tobias (portrayed by Robert Reed). Other police contacts are Lieutenant George Kramer (Larry Linville), who had been the partner of Peggy's late husband, and Lieutenant Dan Ives (Jack Ging).
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