Watching the Detective

<p> If you were in a jam anytime between 1967 and 1975, you could have done worse than to seek the help of a private eye called Mannix. “Mannix: Season Five,” out on DVD, reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the detective genre from an era when detectives dominated prime time. Some episodes were shot from acute angles and others were visually prosaic. The basic plots were often sound, but some of the twists were downright “Huh? Who would really do something that dumb?” </p> <p>Reminder: “Mannix” stirred controversy at first because a black actress (Gail Fisher) played the detective's secretary. Mannix himself was a ruggedly handsome, slightly swarthy man played by Armenian-American actor Mike Connors. His persona lent the show a certain air of authority. He was sympathetic, understanding and fast with his fists (and his gun) when necessary. He lived above his office in a Spanish colonial bachelor pad, listened to jazz on his turntable and drove a convertiblesometimes very fast along LA's busy streets. The great Lalo Schifrin composed the music, steeped in '50s cool jazz (even in the midst of the '60s counterculture), riding those high-hats during chase scenes which happened often. </p>