Scapegoat 

Joe Mannix is called to the office of an air freight company and asked to investigate some cargo thefts, unaware that this is a ruse to allow the operators of the company to substitute a ... See full summary »

Director:

Leslie H. Martinson

Writers:

Richard Levinson (created by), William Link (created by)

Stars:

Mike Connors, Gail Fisher, John Vernon

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Mike Connors	...	Joe Mannix
Gail Fisher	...	Peggy Fair
John Vernon	...	James Dexter
Lane Bradbury	...	Karin Gundersen
Paul Fix	...	Johnny Gundersen
Rex Holman	...	Angel
Ward Wood	...	Lt. Art Malcolm
Ivor Barry	...	Duke of Wallingford
Jean Byron	...	Helen (as Jeane Byron)
Byron Morrow	...	T.D. Simonson
Russ Conway	...	Captain Briskin
Dick Ziker	...	Mannix imposter
Critt Davis	...	Customs Officer
Maureen Leeds	...	PA Voice
Troy Melton	...	Harvey Grant

Storyline

Joe Mannix is called to the office of an air freight company and asked to investigate some cargo thefts, unaware that this is a ruse to allow the operators of the company to substitute a double in his place. When Mannix then tries to leave on a confidential trip to London, he is kidnapped by the men from the air freight company and taken to a remote old west ghost town - while the impostor takes his place on the mission to London.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1972 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although it's established that Karin is Johnny's granddaughter, Paul Fix in real life was only 37 years older than Lane Bradbury.

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Goofs

During the first few minutes and last 10 minutes of the episode the fake Mannix's voice is dubbed by another actor, but during the rest of the show Mike Connors does the voice. The difference is quite noticeable.

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Quotes

Joe Mannix: [He, Karin, and Johnny are tied to poles in an abandoned ghost town building. Karin is struggling to free herself from the ropes she is bound to] It won't do any good, Karin. Those men are professionals.
Johnny Gundersen: I guess I'm slowin' down. I can't make it out. Stealing a couple of a million dollars somewhere in England. You just don't run into that sort of thing scratching around the Paiute mountains.
Joe Mannix: I know it's hard to believe, but it is happening.
Johnny Gundersen: When they get that boodle, they won't need us anymore, ...
[...]

User Reviews

Talk about a gigantic plot hole!

When this show begins, Mannix is meeting with a new client and you KNOW the guy is evil. After all, he's played by John Vernon and Vernon is one of several frequent TV guest stars of the 70s who almost invariably turns out to be a jerk! Other similar actors of the era were John Colicos, Anthony Zerbe and Simon Oakland. When you see these folks in replays of old shows, you cannot help but think that this guy is bad to the bone!

So what is this baddie's plan? He's got an exact double (a silly plot device once used by the evil Wo Fat against Steve McGarrett on the original "Hawaii Five-O"). But what is this double going to do and how is Mannix going to extricate himself?

Much of the rest of the show consists of Mannix being held at gunpoint in an old abandoned western town. And, two folks accidentally stumble into the place and are also taken prisoner. Their fate is to be murdered and their captors don't make this a big secret. But this is a HUGE problem with the show...huge. If you are going to frame Mannix for a crime and then murder him, why not just murder him? Why go to all the trouble of taking him in the middle of the desert and holding him prisoner for a few days? Ditching the body there makes sense...keeping him alive at all just defies all logic when the plan all along is to kill him and there is no logical reason to keep him alive.

As a result of this and some plot elements involving the two other kidnapped folks that were inexplicably raised and then never mentioned again, this is an amazingly poor "Mannix". It's a shame because generally this show managed to satisfy even when the plots might have been familiar or a tad far-fetched.