Product Description 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. .com With his impressive girth and balding pate, no one will mistake insurance investigator Frank Cannon (William Conrad) for, say, Jim Rockford, or any other of TVs more conventionally handsome PIs. But with his imposing size and resonant growl of a voice, Cannon could throw his weight around with the best of them as he so ably demonstrates in these 13 episodes that concluded Cannon's impressive first season. The pipe-smoking gourmand has a style all his own. In one episode, he quotes famed critic Alexander Wolcotts classic bon mot that everything he likes is either "illegal, immoral, or fattening." But underestimate him at your peril; The tough-talking Cannon can dish it out as well. He threatens an uncooperative biker in "Devils Playground" with hospitalization, and in "Death is a Double Cross," he nimbly gets the drop on a hit man. Cannons salary is as ample as he is, but he doesnt let that influence his investigation. To an acquaintance who wants Cannon to learn the truth about her husbands death (which the insurance company has ruled a suicide), he states, "The truth is like rain. It doesnt care who gets wet." He is also thorough. "When I look at a picture straight on and don't get it, I try looking at it sideways," he tells another client. Cannon boasts solid writing ("Double Cross" is adapted from the Thomas B. Dewey novel, Every Bets a Sure Thing) and some great guests before they were stars. Martin Sheen is featured in "Devils Playground" as a vengeful disabled ex-cop who wants Cannon to help him prove that the supposedly dead thief who shot him during an armored car robbery actually faked his demise (this episode also costars future Hill Street Blues costars Daniel Travanti and James Sikking). Just as Cannon performs a firemans carry on one injured party, so does Conrad bear the weight of this tailor-made series that provided the character actor (who voiced Matt Dillon on the radio incarnation of Gunsmoke) with a long overdue leading role. --Donald Liebenson
C**R
Would be five stars if the they didn't split the seasons.
The heading gives practically the whole review. Cannon is a very good,and different sort of tv action show. Frank Cannon is always poking fun of his own weight, but when the chips are down he mixes it up with the bad guys like his athletic tough guys brethren. The picture and sound quality is excellent and I like the way it is packaged as well. My only complaint I have is the same I have with to many series releases. To squeeze every dime out of the buyers they can, they have split the season in half so you will spend twice as much to get the whole season. I only bought the half seasons because I shopped around and bought it cheap after it had been on the market a while.
B**A
THE FAT MAN!
I only started watching Cannon because I saw him on the originalpilot of Barney Jones! My dad was a big Cannon fan and after thefirst show I loved it! Like Jones Cannon wasn't like your typicalyoung good looking PI and that's what made those shows work!Yeah they were funny at times but more like real life! Not every guyor policeman or PI are Burt Reynolds! I hate that they divide theseasons up like they did with Streets of San Francisco! what abunch of money grubbing Hollyweirdos! and where's the restof the Barnaby Jones series? Anyway Cannon is a great 70'sdetective show that gets overlooked but it's a must for any fanof 70's cop and PI shows. First rate writing and acting!
G**E
Love it...brings back memories....
Really enjoying seeing these old shows again. My grandfather and I used to watch Cannon together and when I saw the first volume of Season 1 become available I put it in my wishlist and my son bought it for me for Christmas last year. I then ordered the 2nd volume a month or so later.My only complaint is that I wish the studios would put ALL of Season One in ONE set vs. breaking them into 2 volumes -- just because NOW we only get 10-12 episodes of a show in one entire season doesn't mean we've "forgotten" the good old days of 30-35 episodes in a season....would rather pay a bit more to get full seasons, than have to order 2 different sets (and it takes up more space on the DVD shelf).
C**N
The 70's Personified
This show is a great example of 1070's popular culture. From the far-out plots to the funky hairstyles and clothes to the big Detroit cars with velour upholstery, this series can't be beat. And William Conrad as Frank Cannon is icing on the cake! He definitely doesn't fit the normal image of a suave, handsome private eye like Mannix. Just a plump guy who's on top of everything and is quite athletic to boot. You will enjoy every minute of these well-produced DVD's.
R**.
Sample case of Frank Cannon, P.I.
In this 1971-76 crime drama, William Conrad (Marshall Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke" and narrator for TV's "The Fugitive" and "Rocky & Bullwinkle") plays moustache, rotund, pipe smoking private investigator Frank Cannon. The 13 episodes in this 4 disc set include "To Kill a Guinea Pig" with Vera Miles as a doctor being intimidated into accepting a prison inmate she formerly rejected for a medical research experiment. The intimidation includes the horrifying discovery the villains have killed a monkey by hanging. The gruesome scene is shown in silhouette. John Rubinstein, son of Classical concert pianist/composer Arthur Rubinstein, plays a cult leader in "A Deadly Quiet Town". Martin Sheen is a disable ex-cop in "Devil's Playground", a role he later reprises in "A Flight of Hawks". Frank Cannon was not only a detective, he was also a food connoisseur. In "The Island Caper", Cannon uses an electric fan to aid in preparing Peking duck. 1970's TV detective buffs should fare quite well with this DVD set.
O**R
Old Favs
This was the best ever it brought back times when tv was great. Good clean tv when you knew the good guy was going to win. Not like the shows of today where you know the plot already. Old tv had great old actors who had movie, and acting training not like now. I buy these old shows because I grew up on them my parents loved old tv very much. My parents are gone but I remember them though old tv shows. And it makes me smile when I think back of them and their old tv shows. Thanks for the memories.
R**T
perfectly frank
loved this series as a kid and it was good to see an old friend,frank cannon! this is great! just to see the old cars and some of the styles of the 70's was great to see again. the quality of the dvd is very good i gave it five stars because the audio and the video was top notch. i highly recomend this to anyone. i'm going to purchase season 2 next so i can continue to be on the job with frank.
C**S
Frank Cannon
The image is good, not excellent. I think it could be improved for this release. Anyway a great series for those who appreciate this cop shows from the 70's. This one includes the promos for each episode
L**O
Great show but too expensive
Never watched Cannon as a kid but am enjoying it now. Show is great but it should be priced a lot lower considering it's from the 1970s. Very good quality picture and sound.
M**.
Great entertainment!
I was waiting for this to come out because I remember really enjoying them when they were on tv. And I was not disappointed. Great entertainment, and good clean fun.
J**E
Five Stars
have always love canon. great show
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