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Rating:  -
This is one of the best series of the '70s. My only complaint is Paramount didn't remaster the episodes. However, they look quite nice played on my HDTV with a Blu-Ray/Upconverting DVD player. The best thing Paramount could do is start remastering all their classic TV shows on Blu-Ray Disc. I've heard the original Star Trek looks terrific on Blu-Ray.
Rating:  -
In this 1971-76 crime drama, William Conrad (Marshall Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke" and narrator for TV's "The Fugitive" and "Rocky & Bullwinkle") plays moustache, rotund, pipe smoking private investigator Frank Cannon. The 13 episodes in this 4 disc set include "To Kill a Guinea Pig" with Vera Miles as a doctor being intimidated into accepting a prison inmate she formerly rejected for a medical research experiment. The intimidation includes the horrifying discovery the villains have killed a monkey by hanging. The gruesome scene is shown in silhouette. John Rubinstein, son of Classical concert pianist/composer Arthur Rubinstein, plays a cult leader in "A Deadly Quiet Town". Martin Sheen is a disable ex-cop in "Devil's Playground", a role he later reprises in "A Flight of Hawks". Frank Cannon was not only a detective, he was also a food connoisseur. In "The Island Caper", Cannon uses an electric fan to aid in preparing Peking duck. 1970's TV detective buffs should fare quite well with this DVD set.
Rating:  -
I love this show, William Conrad as Frank Cannon is Excellent. I'm looking forward to Remainder of the Series to come out on to DVD.
Rating: -
William Conrad, got his first lead in a television series in 1971, as an ex-LA cop turned private eye, Frank Cannon. At the time, police and crime dramas were big, and were about to explode in popularity. Following in the wake of late 60's programs like Dragnet, Mannix, Colombo, The Mod Squad, Adam-12, and Ironside (just to name a few), Cannon was part of the early wave of a genre that would soon flood the airwaves in the 70's. A Quinn-Martin Production, the program has the familiar basic packaging of the company's previous prime time successes, The Fugitive, The FBI, and The Invaders.
Bill Conrad was a big man, an obvious fact that the series' writers made a point of emphasis, and humor, for the character Frank Cannon. They put Conrad's obesity out in the open, with frequent references his size and weight, or being on a diet. Cannon blames himself for his weight problem, and being something of a gourmet cook, doesn't make things any easier. It all seems unkind, but this was a different era, and Bill Conrad appears to have taken it all in stride. He may not have had the ideal body type, but Conrad was certainly up to the physical demands of being the lead in an action series. There are plenty of fights, chases, shootouts, and car crashes, and Mr. Conrad proves to be very light on his feet, and quite a scrapper, with the muscle power to fling attackers around with ease.
Among the highlights in the second half of the first season, are `A Flight of Hawks", where Cannon is hired by an insurance company to look into the death of a man killed in a car wreck. The investigation leads to a group of mercenaries. Cannon is quite impressive, assembling and firing a machine gun, then challenging a P51 Mustang fighter plane. It's not realistic, but it sure is fun. In `The Torch', Cannon investigates a fire that claims a life. Anthony Zerbe impresses playing a high tech expert in arson, who gets tangled up in murder. `The Island Caper' provides a change of pace, as Cannon is sent to a tropical island to check into the security of a bank. In `Flight Plan', Cannon is hired by a devious and ruthless criminal (Cesare Danova), who wants to disappear, and nearly falls victim to his own ingenuity.
Smart, capable, tough as iron, and big of heart, Frank Cannon is a true pro, who operates with a unique flair. Conrad brings humanity and warmth to the character, which is a plus, as the writing is generally adequate, rather than outstanding, and Conrad's ability to win the audience over with charm and humor helps make some of the weaker stories still pretty enjoyable.
William Conrad, who had a long career in films and television as an actor, director, and producer, got his start in radio. With a powerful and distinctive voice, he was Marshall Matt Dillon on the long running radio serial version of Gunsmoke, and appeared in thousands of other radio dramas. He also did narration for numerous films, and television productions like The Fugitive, as well as voice work for cartoons like Rocky and Bullwinkle. He was posthumously elected to the Radio Hall of Fame, in 1997. Besides Cannon, Conrad also starred in the television series Nero Wolf, and Jake and the Fat Man. This very talented man, passed away in 1994 at the age of 73.
Rating: -
Cannon season one print quality was not remastered by Paramount/CBS, who did a superb job on The Streets Of San Francisco, another early '70's Quinn Martin series, when it was presented on DVD. Cannon itself had progressed, with better stories and acting for volume 2, then was seen in volume 1.
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