A slice of TV cheese typical of its late-1960s origins, Mannix was eight seasons’ worth of crime-busting, tyre-squealing adventure following the proven car-chase/punch-up formula.
Deemed worthy only of insomniacs in the UK, this glossy action series always drew big primetime ratings in the USA, right through to when it was pulled in 1975, despite a general move towards grittier, more realistic ’70s heroes.
Korean War veteran and karate black belt Joe Mannix was an LA-based private eye played by Mike Connors (1925-2017), who by 1967 had appeared in more than 20 films and made hundreds of TV appearances.
With his lopsided smirk, the 42-year-old was a familiar face rather than a household name. It was television that made Connors famous, mainly thanks to Mannix.
Featuring one of Lalo Schifrin’s less memorable theme tunes, the series was produced by Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions and emanated from the same CBS/Bruce Geller stable as Mission Impossible.
In real life, Connors had a weakness for interesting cars and was squiring around Hollywood in a Derby Bentley at the time he was offered the lead in Mannix.