Of Mike Connors and Mannix

We have multiple reasons for wanting to do a little tribute to Mike Connors (Krekor Ohanian, Jr., 1925-2017) over and beyond his most famous role on the tv show Mannix (1967-1975).

To wit:

-Early career Connors was a B movie stalwart at Columbia, Universal and AIP, appearing in things like Roger Corman’s Five Guns West (1955), The Day the World Ended (1955), Swamp Women (1956), Shake, Rattle and Rock! (1956), and Live Fast, Die Young (1958).

-He has walk-on role on The Ten Commandments (1956)

-He’s in the Italian comedy Panic Button (1964) with Jayne Mansfield, Maurice Chevalier, Eleanor Parker, and fellow Armenian Akim Tamiroff. (Of Armenian parentage, Connors changed his name from Ohanian so he wouldn’t be confused with George O’Hanlon.)

-Middle phase Connors was in a number of mainstream films, including Good Neighbor Sam (1964) with Jack Lemmon; Harlow (1965); the 1966 remake of Stagecoach with Ann-Margret,Red Buttons,Bing Crosby, Bob Cummings, Van Heflin, Slim Pickens,Stefanie Powers, and Kennan Wynn; and the James Bond parody Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966).

-As for Mannix, I grew up watching it, along with the many similar cop shows so in vogue during the ’70s, such as Kojak,Columbo,Cannon,Harry O,Ironside, Banaceketc etc. What I didn’t know at the time is that Mannix premiered in 1967, meaning it practically launched the genre! That is to say: middle-aged movie star plays crusty detective who feuds all the time with his supervisor (Joe Campanella, in this case). In early seasons he was forever arguing the suits who wanted to solve crimes with computers. It was none other than Lucille Ball (co-producer of the show through Desilu) who thought of cutting the computer gimmick to save costs. Mannix was also much more physical than a lot of the other shows. Connors was a former college athlete, and he did all his own stunts.

-Connors was also a frequent guest star on other TV series from the ’50s through the ’90s, and starred in two other short-lived series, Tightrope! (1959-60) and Today’s FBI (1981-82).

He was 91 when he passed away in 2017.