A few weeks back, I posted a link to the schedule of upcoming Classic and Cult Television (CACTV) programs we'll be showing at the library. That link can be accessed from our home page. Simply pass over the "Our Libraries" button with your mouse on the left side of the page, underneath where our street address is posted. A drop down menu will appear. On the third option, "Calendar of Events", another menu appears, on the right. Click where it says "Classic and Cult TV" and you'll get this link detailing the shows and times of the series.
Coming up January 14th, CACTV kicks off its latest season of programs with the showing of the 1967 pilot episode (relax; it's in color) of the private eye series Mannix, starring Mike Connors. The show, created by Richard Levinson and William Link (creators of such shows as Columbo and Murder She Wrote) and "developed" by Bruce Geller (creator of the original Mission: Impossible), was recently released on DVD, along with the rest of the first season episodes from the '67-68 season. These Mannix shows are slightly different than the ones that came along in succeeding seasons (the series ran on CBS until 1975).
For one thing, in these early episodes, Joe Mannix is an investigator working for a "high-tech" (for 1967, anyway) detective agency called Intertect. Joe, a "regular guy" type (the loud sport jackets are a dead giveaway), always prefers using his wits (and fists) instead of the room-sized IBM computers back in the office (which also has closed circuit cameras overlooking every operative's desk; maybe the agency was a little too high tech), and often gets in hot water with his boss. (Which begs the dramaturgical question: What did Intertect and Mannix ever see in each other in the first place?) At the end of the first season, Mannix the malcontented quits the agency and becomes a private operator (getting his own secretary in the process) and concentrates on more standard mysteries for the rest of the show's run.
The series ran successfully for eight years and is still a favorite of TV detective fans. Several sites on the show can be accessed, including Fan Files and an episode guide on TV.Com . There's also a review of the first season DVD set here. (There's another link on the CACTV entry on the show as well.)
So please join us for the premiere showing of CACTV's 2009 season January 14th at 7:30 pm in the second floor Meeting Room for Mannix. There's no fee and all are welcome. -Ed
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