Cannon: The Endangered Species (1972)
Season 2, Episode 12
10/10
CAN YOU KILL SOMEONE SLEEPWALKING?
30 August 2022
There was a lot going on with the series at this time. Ratings show that CANNON was going up about a point with each episode, which was historic, and would be in the top ten soon. This story shows why.

10 Stars, thanks to Del Reisman.

This was the only episode written by Del, at one time president of the Hollywood writers guild. Reisman was long associated with PEYTON PLACE, and put together a superior mystery.

The opening scene is Classic Cannon. Series regular Andrew Duggan is on a camping trip. He takes a nap and wakes up a murderer --suspected of killing his son while he was asleep? This is not all that unusual, as doctors have long debated the issue, but the big question here is not psychological, rather why was this poor guy set up? It was dirty, dirty trick, and you feel sorry for him. Andrew Duggan is really convincing here.

A top cast; Carl Betz (best known for the DONNA REED SHOW), plays the atypical tricky lawyer. He has some sharp exchanges with Cannon. His best scene comes at the very end, somewhat with a PERRY MASON slant. Watch for Neva Patterson (usually playing tough cookies ), this time as a judge. Katherine Justice, long in soap operas, plays the victim's fiancee.

This episode definitely ranks at the most scenic, at least for the second season. The crew flew up to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, approx. 400 miles north of Los Angeles, bordering the state of Nevada, near Donner Pass. Without fail, a nasty guy tries to dump Cannon on a cliff and is awarded a choke hold. Cannon or William Conrad also gets to smoke his famous pipe. I guess the writers long dropped the idea of Cannon munching on candy canes, which was in the pilot episode, remember?

SEASON 2 EPISODE 12 CBS/Paramount dvd box set 1 of 2. Box 2 continues with Episode 13. 3 dvds per box.
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