Mannix (TV Series) Who Will Dig the Graves? (1968) User Reviews

Golden Age Screenwriter's Last Shot

[tardis432002 · 7/10 · 9 September 2009]

Some nice twists in this final script by the great Daniel Mainwaring, author of the classic "Out of the Past." Not in the same league, of course, but above average for '60's episodic TV. (Slightly spoiled by an all-too-typical scene in which cops pull up and, without a word, haul away only the people that need hauling away. Weekly TV heroes often seemed to have a psychic connection with local police. I would guess this scene was handled somewhat better in the script.)

Anyway, always nice to see Barry Atwater, here a few years away from playing the title role in "The Night Stalker". Harry Dean Stanton gets to sing a little and play guitar. And Linda Marsh proves that her career should have been more than TV guest shots.

By the way, the appearance here of the band Peppermint Trolley, who would go on to perform the themes for Brady Bunch and Love American Style, seems a little less historically significant than the first season appearances of Buffalo Springfield and Neil Diamond.

Pretty good...and with a nice sense of humor!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 11 May 2013]

A rich recluse (modeled somewhat after Howard Hughes) hires Mannix to find his wife. Although his wife is listed as officially dead as a result of suicide, he insists the woman has been spotted a few times and Mannix should find her. Soon, however, it becomes obvious that the man has no intention of letting the woman or Mannix live.

This is a musical episode. The missing wife is a professional folk musician and there is a performance by the small-time rock groups "The Peppermint Trolley Company". I personally hate folk music but you may enjoy her singing. But the rest of the show is quite good. And, much of it is because the show has a wonderful sense of humor. I just loved the Native American bartender--he was hilarious and makes the show well worth seeing just for his cameo.

The Recording Studio

[CherCee · 9/10 · 4 May 2022]

Would Mannix have been able to just walk into the studio where the guys are recording? Seems to me there should have been a direct door to the producer's area from the hallway, or am I wrong?

LET ME KNOW WHEN MY WIFE IS DEAD!

[tcchelsey · 9/10 · 31 January 2023]

This was the only episode written by acclaimed author Daniel Mainwaring, behind such cult classics as INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and THE PHENIX CITY STORY. He also had an extensive background in tv westerns.

It's a familiar story, yes, though it keeps your attention as there's something behind all the smoke and mirrors.

Tall, dark and mysterious Barry Atwater (who would gain fame as a tv vampire in the 1970s) plays a Howard Hughes-type recluse who hires Joe to find his wife. She presumably committed suicide, but may still be alive and comes the question -- does he really want to see her alive?

Now that Joe has taken the case, will he live? Barry Atwater turns on the menacing charm here, defintely the one to watch as you try to figure him out, which makes this story so unique.

Linda Marsh makes her second series appearance, playing Susan. Marsh gained overnight fame by marrying Richard Sinatra, cousin to Frank Sinatra, but was a very talented actress in her own right. She subsequently guested on many cop shows, usually as a client who needs a helping hand.

Allen Reisner directed with his ususal flair, best known for some classic episodes of HAWAII FIVE O. He also handled many episodes for CANNON.

For music and trivia buffs there's a scene where Joe steps into a recording studio, the group singing is none other than the The Peppermint Trolley Company. They had a song on the charts in the summer of 1968, but their real claim to fame came a year later when they sang the theme song for the BRADY BUNCH during the first season. After that, the kids sang the theme in an attempt to also sell records themselves.

Some nice twists in this one you do not want to miss, and the acting holds up. SEASON 2 EPISODE 8. Remastered CBS dvd box set.

Another lying client. Not the first and won't be the last

[Guad42 · 8/10 · 2 February 2023]

Someone with a Mannix DVD set should count how many of Joe's clients hire him with bald face lies. When it happened at Intertect, Joe still got paid. Now, nothing!

Others have covered the plot so a few comments. Linda Marsh, as Susan Ward, is pretty and a fine actress. She makes the most of her somewhat limited screen time. Barry Atwater is suitably evil, as are his henchmen. Charles Robinson as Dr Roanhorse is good, but the role would be played by a Navajo in any remake. I wonder if that is real Navajo being spoken. I assume so but don't know it for a fact. I stated in my review of the last episode that guest Timothy Scott reminded me of Harry Dean Staton and now we have the real thing in this outing. He does fine in a supporting role. I thought he might be the bad guy simply because of who he was. It is easy to forget that he toiled as a supporting player for years before getting bigger roles and the recognition he deserved. This Mannix role was before that time.

I want to echo what another reviewer noted about the cops showing up and arresting the bad guys without a word being exchanged between anybody. It stood out like a sore thumb and made the scene rather ridiculous. The invention of the character of the friendly police lieutenant will correct that problem.

Nice twist involving identities at the end. Well done, writers!

Joe gets shot at, involved in fist fights, and rolls his car. Of course, nobody is around to pay him. Since Susan Ward would inherit everything, maybe she could throw a few bucks his way. A good episode and well worth your time.

Huh?

[dudeman-13111 · 9/10 · 28 October 2023]

I guess writers have to come up with their ideas somehow, but the whole premise of this story doesn't make sense. The estranged wife had faked her own death, ran off, and was living a different life in a different state under a different name. She wasn't coming back. So if the guy who killed the millionaire and assumed his identity had not hired Mannix to find her, with the idea of killing them both, he would have gotten away with his crime and lived happily ever after. I gave it 9 stars because I like the series and I liked the episode, but this whole story, none of it needed to happen!

Another reviewer noted the appearance of The Peppermint Trolley Company and compared it to the season 1 appearances of Neil Diamond and Buffalo Springfield. This was the era when they were all young and just starting out. Who (at the time) could know who Neil Diamond, Neil Young, and Stephen Stills would go on to become!