This pilot for the TV series "Cannon" is quite enjoyable, though I have to admit that with all the plot twists and characters, it's a bit hard to follow at times. It all begins with Frank Cannon in his mega-cool apartment in L.A. (it even has its own shooting range). He learns about an old war buddy who is dead and his widow is in need of help. So, he drops everything and drives to New Mexico to look into the case. As soon as he arrives, it's obvious that the town is a mess--with a very corrupt police force and the townsfolk perfectly happy with this! And, almost immediately, the towns people begin pressuring Cannon to leave. But, because he's an obstinate guy, Cannon refuses to leave and again and again gets police harassment, beaten up and accused of rape (a pretty odd thing to be mentioned on TV back in 1971). Can he sort all this out? Well, considering that plenty more shows follow this one, you can safely assume he does!
While the show had a few logical errors (such as Cannon never seeking backup or help from the state police or FBI) and the music was occasionally invasive, the show was pretty exciting. It was also nice to see fat old William Conrad fighting so much--so much that you'd think he was Mannix!! Exciting and worth seeing from start to finish, though all the exposition at the end seemed odd!
By the way, if the plot seems a bit familiar, several other series did the unfriendly small town sort of show. A couple episodes of "Quincy" and at least one "Mannix" episode had this theme.
