Mannix (TV Series) Then the Drink Takes the Man (1967) User Reviews

Mannix goes to rehab!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 19 April 2013]

This episode sure has an unusual setting! It begins with Mannix begin brought, against his will, into an alcohol treatment center in Mexico! It seems his 'wife' (Julie Adams) has signed him into the program. However, what's really happening is that Mannix is infiltrating the place to investigate a rich guy (John Anderson), as his daughter (Lynda Day George) is worried. After all, she doesn't think he's an alcoholic and why does he keep returning to the place? Because the show is "Mannix", it wasn't surprising that soon a body shows up in the place! What's going on here? Is this program on the up and up? And why is Anderson always going there?

The mystery in this one is pretty good and ultimately, the reasons for these visits are pretty interesting. I also liked the ending--it was done well and offered a nice twist. The only negative, and it's a minor one, is that when the murdered guy is found by Mannix, the guy naturally is not quite dead and dies in Mannix's arms!! This is a bit of a cliché, don't you think?

Another strong episode

[Guad42 · 9/10 · 10 July 2021]

I never watched Mannix when it was on network TV so the episodes are new to me. I am impressed by the number of strong shows at the beginning of its run. This is another one. Joe goes undercover at an alcohol recovery facility, checked in by his "wife", (Julie Adams). The client is Carol Blake (Lynda Day George) whose father, George Blake (John Anderson), is going to the facility on a regular basis but is not an alcoholic. He is also paying out big bucks to somebody. Joe runs into a bunco artist (Sean McClory) who is getting money for a oil company scam. Is he the bad guy Joe wants or a red herring? Of course, a person is murdered so you will know this is serious business. That person is Eddie Firestone, making his first appearance and death scene on the show. It won't be his last for either of those. It turns out the father is the bad guy as he is smuggling drugs through the facility and across the border. Mannix has his first client who wished she had never hired him. She won't be the last one of those. Over the next eight years, several clients will have the same wish.

Good cast. John Anderson is making his only Mannix appearance here. He is alright in his role but I've seen him better. In a few years, Julie Adams will be in the one Mannix outing that is continued twenty plus years later on Diagnosis Murder so she will appear on that show too. Lynda Day George is a good actress and quite beautiful, as is Adams. Eddie Firestone is always a good ne'er-do-well. Sean McClory plays the "not quite on the level" character well. He did it on several Perry Mason outings.

Joe gets stopped twice, once by fake cops and once by a real one and nobody asks to see the car's registration or proof of insurance. In the late sixties, they might forgo the insurance but not the registration. Joe is lucky that after shooting one bad guy, the second decided to go for a fistfight rather than just shooting him. Joe wins that battle.

All in all, a well done episode with a nice ending.

RELAX, HAVE A DRINK AND GET SLUGGED!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 5 January 2023]

Growing up MANNIX was largely due to the cool muscle cars on the show. Here... you get a glimpse of a new 1968 yellow T-bird that Joe gets to drive--- and fast. Also there's a Rolls Royce and a sleek black Lincoln. What else do you want??

In this adventure, Mannix checks out a bogus treatment center for alcoholics. His so-called "wife" (well played by Julie Adams) registers him in the place to get the low down on what's happening to his client's (Lynda Day George) father, who is being taken for one expensive ride.

Old pro John Anderson plays the man in question. There's a lot sneaking around the place, and with a large assortment of goons, who all us kids back in the day loved to watch get nailed.

Another thing is that Mike Connors could play a solid drunk. No kidding. Credit prolific director Laslo Benedek, who a decade earlier gave us DEATH OF A SALESMAN. This was the only episode Benedek directed, long associated with PERRY MASON and many other classic tv dramas.

Lynda Day George appears in an early role, as Carol, Joe's client, soon to gain tv stardom as Casey in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. Also its always fun to see Julie Adams, who plays Liza. She had a keen sense of humor, later remarking that her best friend was the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON! For decades, she faithfully appeared (especially in Hollywood at Beverly Garland's famous hotel) in sci fi conventions, signing autographs and honoring the Creature!

Long time character actor Eddie Firestone is also aboard here, one the most popular actors on tv, usually as the guy who knows something. Filmed partly in Agoura, California, at the famous "Rock" gas station. Last episode of 1967. Recommended late night fare. SEASON 1 EPISODE 14 remastered dvd box set.