User Reviews

Good plot setup with the rancher getting bit by a rattlesnake that somebody planted in his liquor cabinet.

But the story is off a little bit, largely because actor Andrew Prine (as character "Jim Howard") is not at his best in this show. He is over-acting, he comes across very stilted and artificial, and there is absolutely no chemistry between "Jim Howard" and his new wife "Liza Mills" (actress Katherine Justice).

The human-interest story with adopted son "Kevin Mills" (actor Vincent Van Patten) adds a nice touch. Is it possible that Kevin killed his foster father?

Barnaby Jones had to know from the start who the killer was... he just needed the motive and the proof. Some predictable action, nothing spectacular.

An entertaining show, but I can only rate it 7 stars.

I haven't seen this episode in decades, but remember it well. Barnaby right off the bat seems to know who the killer is, but drops those "little" hints along the way to make the guy sweat it out, which is always fun. Tag it the Columbo method. Actually, if you are a TRUE mystery fan, the idea originated with the great CHARLIE CHAN movies. Nobody did it better than Charlie. Also watch Barnaby's facial expressions, his eyes narrowing, when his suspicions begin to set on a certain suspect. They're toast.

The villain is well played by tall, lanky Andrew Prine, one of the master tv villains. The clever death trap here is a rattlesnake on the loose, killing rancher Ford Rainey (a regular on MANNIX). Young Vincent Van Patten, who was growing up fast, plays Kevin, caught up in the homicide and scared out of his boots. I always thought he was a terrific young actor, a natural. He had an impressive role in the very first episode of CANNON a few years earlier. Sharon Acker played his mom.

Also look for Katherine Justice as Liza, Prine's new wife, and veteran Arch Johnson, usually playing a sheriff.

Not a classic, but I would still rate it at least a 9 for a solid cast. Best of the rest pits Barnaby against the snakes in a cave. Watch that scene, and well directed by Walter Grauman. Written by Barry Oringer, long associated with the hit series, HOTEL.

Production notes indicate filming at both Griffith Park and famous Bronson Canyon in Hollywood, the perfect place to meet and greet snakes. For decades, the Canyon was host to westerns and a ton of classic sci fi films. If those caves could talk.

SEASON 2 EPISODE 4. Remastered CBS dvd box set.

"Day of the Viper" is an episode from season 1 that looks as if it came from season 7. What I mean by that is that the story idea is poor and the murder weapon is VERY improbable and unlikely to actually kill....and such ridiculous plot ideas are what you usually see when a show has run its course and the writers are running out of good ideas.

When the story begins, a rattlesnake jumps out of a man's bar and bites him....killing him in seconds. Soon Barnaby Jones is hired to determine if this was a freak accident or the result of foul play.

Just because a rattlesnake is left in someone's house doesn't mean the snake will try to bite anyone. And, if it does, determining WHO will be bitten is far from certain. And, if a person is bitten, they nearly always survive. If they do die, they die hours later. But in this episode, the snake bit an intended victim AND he died only seconds later....which really makes no sense at all...especially because they show the guy panicking (which would speed up the venom getting into the system) but the victim was an expert rattlesnake wrangler! In other words, the writer really didn't know what they were writing here and the episode exploits folks' fear of snakes. And, it's obvious the writer did zero research before writing this.

In addition to badly handling the snake angle, the show also was very poor for a few other reasons. The biggest problem was that the killer was OBVIOUS....and every time you see him, he acts incredibly guilty. Another problem, though much smaller, is the checkers scene--which was cliched and dopey. As for the finale, it was also just plain dumb. All in all, an incredibly disappointing episode....probably the worst of season 2.

By the way, this episode features Vince Van Patten....the son of Dick Van Patten. He was also a professional tennis player as well as an actor on many 70s TV shows.