A plane crashes in the desert and Joe is hired to find the missing pilot. He finds a small town with a big secret.A plane crashes in the desert and Joe is hired to find the missing pilot. He finds a small town with a big secret.A plane crashes in the desert and Joe is hired to find the missing pilot. He finds a small town with a big secret.
- Peggy Fair
- (credit only)
- Sandy
- (as Karen Huston)
- Mrs. Slocum
- (as Carol Lawson)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Sandy - pretending to be Mrs Slocum - hires Mannix to find Mark Slocum, she mentions "those people, the ones in Chile, who lived for 67 days after their plane crashed." She's referring to the flight disaster involving a Uruguayan aircraft that was carrying a Uruguayan rugby team and crashed in the Andes mountains in October 1972. Sixteen of the passengers survived the freezing conditions and lack of food for over 2 months before they were rescued, just under one year before this episode aired.
- GoofsWhen Mannix is flying the airplane during the search, they show the altimeter, which reads 14,500 feet. At the end of the scene with the airplane, the altimeter is shown again. This time it shows approximately 3,000 feet, and then nearly sea level. Since the Denver area is at an altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level, the altimeter was indicating between two and five thousand feet below ground level in the final airplane scene.
- Quotes
Reverend Walker: [catching Joe digging up the grave they buried the previous day] Hold it right there, Mister! Now, drop the shovel... and turn around real slow.
[Joe faces Walker and Gillis]
Reverend Walker: You were warned to leave town.
Ward Gillis: You ain't very smart, Mister.
Reverend Walker: See if he's got a gun.
[Gillis hands Walker the rifle he's holding and finds Joe's gun]
Reverend Walker: Can you think of any reason why we shouldn't shoot you? Grave robber.
Joe Mannix: I wasn't planning to rob it, just open it.
Reverend Walker: Why?
Joe Mannix: Curiosity.
Ward Gillis: Just who are you?
Joe Mannix: A private detective.
Reverend Walker: Who hired you?
Joe Mannix: Mark Slocum's wife is worried about him. Afraid his plane may have crashed.
Reverend Walker: Well, what makes you think that Mark Slocum is here in Gopher Flats?
Joe Mannix: Because Jeb Carter isn't.
[Gillis cocks Joe's gun]
Joe Mannix: I wouldn't pull that trigger. You don't think I'd come up here without some backup muscle? You'll never get away with it.
Ward Gillis: What if we try?
Joe Mannix: You'd be making a big mistake. You're not in any real trouble yet. Not murder, anyway, the way I figure it. Now, why don't you tell me exactly what happened? Maybe I can help you figure a way out of it.
Ward Gillis: Mister, you ain't gonna live long enough to help anybody.
[a gunshot fires; Joe pushes Walker and Gillis to ground and flees]
- ConnectionsEdited from Mannix: Portrait of a Hero (1972)
Not really that spooky, but the air of mystery, coupled with the usual remote trappings keep it all on track, and with some very devious characters. One of the best western bad guys, John Doucette (TRUE GRIT) co-stars, along with the pioneer lady of tv westerns, Jeanette Nolan playing Granny. Series regular Ford Rainey plays the local reverend for a change of pace.
All about a lost plane and its pilot, leading to this ominous little town where the bodies are buried and lots of money. I agree with the last reviewer, director Leslie H. Martinson did some interesting moody camera work. There's scenes that will jump from dusk to broad daylight and then back.
Martinson directed everything from sitcoms to dramas, and he leaves his trademark here.
Old hat, but fun to watch Joe arm wrestle with the strange folks of GOPHER FLATS. Look for James Sikking (as Sketchley) in an early role, pre HILL STREET BLUES.
There are no notes, but the crew probably filmed in the High Desert, around Lancaster, CA, or the old Paramount movie ranch.
SEASON 7 EPISODE 6 remastered color CBS dvd box set. 6 dvd set.
- tcchelsey
- Oct 19, 2022