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(More customer reviews)Finally, "Cannon," the Classic TV private eye series that premiered in 1971 is making its debut on DVD, with a four-disc boxed set collecting the first half of the show's Season 1 episodes.
Its star, William Conrad made a very big presence as Private Investigator Frank Cannon, well beyond the veteran actor's trademark girth. His deep, resonant baritone voice, and his remarkable acting demanded viewer's attention throughout the series' five-year run - and it still does today.
Cannon was a tough L.A. sleuth with very refined tastes. But, what could have been a forgettable series became an instant Classic when the versatile Conrad portrayed the character with depth and feeling. Cannon cared about his clients and it showed, so viewers cared about him.
Since Cannon's size didn't allow for many fist-fights and gun battles, which were the staple of the TV landscape of the day (and sadly still is), the series substituted car chases and high quality and innovative production values in their place.
Cannon had once been a police officer, but was discharged from the force for being overweight. After the murder of his wife and son, Cannon tracked down the killer and confronted him in a tearful and angry scene that still resonates. That loss and a deep understanding for the need for real justice, prompts Cannon to launch his successful career as a private investigator.
Cannon charged high fees to his well-to-do clients so that he could work for poorer clients at little or no charge. He also indulges his high-priced lifestyle, which includes a penthouse on the Sunset Strip, gourmet culinary delights and cooking, expensive wine, and regular maintenance on his Lincoln Mark IV, which was frequently damaged as a result of his cases.
"Cannon" was a staple of producer Quinn Martin's popular detective shows. It was nominated for a Best Drama Emmy in 1973, and Conrad was nominated for Best Dramatic Actor in 1973 and 1974. In 1980, Conrad reprised his role in a TV-movie, portraying Cannon coming out of retirement to investigate a friend's reported suicide.
The CBS series featured many of Quinn Martin's well-known stylistic innovations. "Cannon" marked the first time a QM series aired on a network other than ABC. Also for the first time, producers made a bold decision in 1973 to try to spread the established viewership popularity of "Cannon" to another QM show. They had Conrad's character "cross over" and appear routinely on the fledgling investigative series, "Barnaby Jones," which starred Buddy "Beverly Hillbillies" Ebsen, which was a QM series that began in 1973 and ran concurrently with "Cannon" on CBS.
For his part, Conrad was a star long before "Cannon." He created the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on the original radio version of the Classic western "Gunsmoke" in the 1950's. After "Cannon," Conrad starred in "Jake and the Fatman," and was "Nero Wolfe," as well as narrating numeroust TV shows like Tales of the Unexpected, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Manimal.
But, "Cannon" is considered by many to be the greatest achievement of Conrad's distinguished career, having created a character at once genial, witty, erudite, cultured and astute - but tough-as-nails.
Guest stars in "Cannon's" first season include: Tom Skerritt, Wayne Rogers, Mark Hamill, Joan Van Ark, Tim O'Connor, Vic Tayback, Kim Hunter, Dack Rambo and the late-great Roy Scheider.
Season 1 of "Cannon" had 24 episodes, including the two-part pilot. This four-disc DVD boxed set represents the first-half of the those episodes. Expected episodes are: Pilots Part I & II; Salinas Jackpot; Death Chain; Call Unicorn; Country Blues; Scream of Silence; Fool's Gold; and The Girl in the Electric Coffin; Dead Pigeon; A Lonely Place to Die; No Pockets in a Shroud; Stone Cold Dead; and Death is a Double Cross.
Season 1 Vol. 2, yet to be announced for preorder, is expected to collect the remainder of the first season episodes: The Nowhere Man; Flight Plan; Devi''s Playground; Treasure of San Ignacio; Blood On the Vine; To Kill a Guinea Pig; The Island Caper; A Deadly Quiet Town; A Flight of Hawks; The Torch; Cain's Mark; and Murder By Moonlight.
(Special Note: After the cancellation of Cannon, Conrad starred in "Jake and the Fatman." Conrad was Jason L. "Fatman" McCabe, DA, and Joe Penny, who portrayed Jake Styles, and Alan Campbell who played Derek Mitchell, two Private Investigator who teamed up with McCabe to get the bad guys first in L.A., then later in Hawaii. The series ran from 1987 to 1992.
CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment have scheduled "Cannon - Season 1, Vol. 1," and "Jake and the Fatman - Season 1, Vol. 1," for DVD release on the same day.)
Cannon: Season One V.1 (4pc) (Full Sen)
Jake & The Fatman: Season One V.1 (3pc) (Full)
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Cannon: Season 1, Vol. 1 (1971)The weekly adventures of Frank Cannon, an overweight, balding ex-cop with a deep voice and expensive tastes in culinary pleasures, who becomes a high-priced private investigator. Since Cannon's girth didn't allow for many fist-fights and gun battles (although there were many), the series substituted car chases and high production values in their place.
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