A Sleep in the Deep

A fairly good whodunit, but I have to agree with a few reviewers, there are some questions. As kids, we never asked anything, however as adults, that's another story...

Mariana Hill (as Ellen) hires Joe to find out who killed her husband, a famous swimmer who simply drowns? It turns out he was involved in a secret government project. Interestingly, if you keep score on most cop shows (not only Mannix), should someone be associated with ANYTHING top secret, their days are genuinely numbered.

Mannix goes up against some suspicious characters with fists and add some lovely ladies to balance out the story. Mariana Hill became a cult figure, appearing on BATMAN as Cleo and as Deanna Corleone in THE GODFATHER, PART II.

Look for Paul Stewart, obviously having fun with this role, a sly, crafty gentleman. Stewart got his start thanks to Orson Welles in CITIZEN KANE.

Yes, the curious scene bantered about has Joe beaten up in front of Peggy, who doesn't do anything? This again underlines what I had written about in past stories; Peggy should have carried a gun herself, even if she wasn't a crack shot. It would have at least scared the goons and gave Joe a fighting chance!

Look for Charles Seel playing the blind man, who turned up in dozens of tv shows. Very familiar senior actor.

Beautifully filmed at Corona del Mar, part of Newport Beach, and very, very expensive. In fact, it may be the most expensive port in the country. Also local law dictates alcohol is forbidden at the beach all summer long, until the day after Labor Day. Whether or not all beach goers respect it, who knows?

Love the way this all ends, Classic Mannix finale, and outstanding photography.

SEASON 3. EPISODE 7 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set. Collectors Edition.

Who is the woman (hostess) at the restaurant that Mannix pays to distract "Barbara Stoner / Sondra Markham" with a fake phone call?

There is no-one matching her description in the cast credits.

As for some of the discontinuities, I wonder if this is due to hack editing for syndication. Aside from the scene where Mannix is held at gunpoint, then is holding the gun, when he shows up at "Barbara Stoner / Sondra Markham"'s apartment, he is suddenly just inside, without her opening the door.

Aside for some glitches like these, a good episode, well worth watching.

The show begins with a widow hiring Mannix to look into her husband's recent death. The death was ruled an accident and the authorities think he bashed his head while scuba diving and drowned. However, the man was a fantastic swimming and very, very seasoned diver so the wife, not surprisingly, doesn't buy this official account. To investigate, Mannix heads to the marina and hangs among the yacht club set. Fortunately, he has some help, as the head of security (Milton Selzer) is an old friend--and a man whose life Joe Mannix saved years ago.

Overall, this is a very good episode because the plot is extremely novel. However, while I'd like to score this one higher I can't because of a couple stupid little scenes. In one, Mannix is being attacked by a guy named Gordon (who has a gun) and Peggy just stands there doing NOTHING--a horrible cliché. Another time, a baddie captures Mannix but inexplicably doesn't kill him--planning on killing him a bit later! Such sloppy scenes just should have been written better

Mariana Hill, Sivi Aberg and Angel Tompkins are beautiful and on full display. The marina setting is picturesque. The plot is good with the "who done it " much less obvious than usual. A bevy of Star Trek actor crossovers, just enough martial arts fighting and secret government projects to keep the whole thing interesting.