Cannon

Why hasn't anyone reproduced this series for sale by season?? I know many people that would buy it as it was a fantastic show. Possibly one of the best series ever. The show had character, and great action. The star William Conrad was so believable. Yet they produce old shows like "I married Joan" from the early 50's and not this one in color from the 70's. I don't understand. This show, CANNON, and The Rockford Files, and Mannix are just not available for sale by anyone that I can find. I have often wondered if someone, the producer or maybe even William Conrad had a rider in their contract that these shows could not be re-sold?? Does anyone know??

I agree with the others about the quality and the care that each episode of Cannon had. A memorable TV show that only ended because William Conrad grew tired of doing it and wanted to end it on a high note. There was a "reunion" TV movie called "The return of Frank Cannon" done around 1980 as I recall. Perhaps it will see the light of day again in reruns.

Unlike more recent detective series that are little more than an hour of car chases, graphic bomb scenes and other gratuitous violence, Cannon showed a detective carefully and cleverly going about the business of solving perplexing crimes. Moreover, unlike The Rockford Files and others which strain credibility by portraying a supposedly successful detective as always having trouble paying his bills, Cannon shows a very successful detective surrounded by the trappings of success such as a beautiful Mark IV and an expensive penthouse apartment. All in all a great series.

I agree, I think Cannon was one of the best series ever made. The early 70's era was the best for guest stars, and Cannon had its share of famous actors. It was about something different every time. Cannon carried a gun, but he could also disarm a enemy with either a fist or a menacing sneer. The series hasn't been on in my area in a few years, yet I still remember particular episodes in great detail. I put the show on the level of Columbo, which was another series put together with great care. You can see the same episode several times over, and still not be bored. Also, there are a few episodes you need to see a few times to really get them. This is quality, something Quinn Martin did so well.

Once upon a time you weren't a real TV detetctive unless you had a gimmick; Banacek was Polish, Barnaby Jones was old, Pepper Anderson was a "Police Woman," Ironside was in a wheelchair, Longstreet was blind, McCloud was a cowboy, Kojak was bald, Starsky and Hutch were "cool" (I HATE that word!), Columbo was polite and persistent...

Cannon, who left the force after his wife and child were killed (a plot thread tied up in one of the later episodes), was fat. And like Sammo on "Martial Law" nearly thirty years later, he didn't let his excess avoirdupois hinder his getting results. Unlike Sammo, however, he was hopeless when it came to the rough stuff - watching him get physical is embarrassing, and you suspect he and everyone else involved knew it, which is why hand-to-hand fight scenes were kept to a minimum throughout. (Scenes of him scuba-diving were also kept to a minimum of one episode of the entire run - William Conrad in a wetsuit is not something you want to see.)

The series was more reliant on stories than gimmicks, however, and it was William Conrad's show. No sidekicks, no best buddies, no revolving-door love interests, no down-at-heel stuff for him; he was good value, and so was the series.