A Catalogue of Sins

A crook (Joe Mantell) breaks into a psychiatrist's office and steals client files. Using this information, he begins blackmailing patients NOT to divulge their secrets. When Mannix is hired to make one of these payoffs, he takes it on himself to not just make the delivery but to investigate and stop this creep. Things get really serious when it turns out that one of the patients whose records were stolen turns out to be a dangerous mobster--and then things get really interesting.

I loved the plot of this show. A similar but better version of the story was done on "Hawaii Five-O"--where instead of a guy stealing patient records, a sociopathic creep places listening devices all over a psychiatrist's office and learns all kinds of secrets. Both are very compelling but a minor quibble I have with "Mannix" is that in reality, most therapists (at least the competent ones) keep minimal notes and should not have any documentation of incriminating information--in case of burglary or court subpoena (which was definitely the case when I was a therapist). But, most folks wouldn't know that and it doesn't negatively impact this exciting episode.

By the way, in keeping with tradition, Mannix gets knocked out in this episode. In fact, it happens twice!! Considering he was knocked unconscious over fifty times in the series AND suffered countless other head injuries, his brain should have been the consistency of tapioca!!

This was the only episode Lee H. Katzin directed, and its a shame because he was tops in the field. He worked on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE at the time, also filmed at Paramount. Katzin was the dean of tv movies in the 70s.

A crafty thief (noneother than Joe Mantell) lifts some secret files from a psychiatrist's office. Objective: Blackmail. Joe is hired to make a payoff, but everything goes haywire (a typical Mannix problem), including some files on a mob boss. Do mobsters see psychiatrists? Good question.

This is interesting and with an outstanding cast, including 50s cult stars Fay Spain (as Gladys) and Richard Bakalyan (as Frank).

Former model and accomplished actress Kim Hamilton makes her first appearance, playing Alice. Percy Rodriguez is also memorable, who decks Joe a couple of times.

I agree with the last reviewer, the writing was above average for the first season, laying the frame for what to expect in the many seasons ahead. Walter Brough wrote this episode, who like Lee H. Katzin, was associated with MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. Yes, many ideas borrowed from M. I. Most obvious were explosions (how the production crew loved blowing up cars in garages!) Secondly, cars sailing off cliffs. NOT to forget slow acting poisons yet to come. We kids loved this stuff.

Good scene between Joe and sculptor Audrey, played by Jennifer Billingsley, and love her outfit. It wouldn't be too long before the show began a fashion trend, particularly when Gail Fisher joined in Season Two.

Beautiful on location work at the old Paramount Ranch at Agoura Hills, CA. The site for so many western classics, notably Randolph Scott, and a ton of tv westerns like BAT MASTERSON. SEASON 1 EPISODE 11 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set. 6 dvd. Released 2008.