It’s time for another dosage of ‘70s television fatsploitation as William Conrad returns to DVD in Cannon: Season Two, Volume 2, the adventures of an overweight Los Angeles private detective who cruises in a gigantic Lincoln Continental Mark IV (complete with car phone — which was mighty fancy for 1973). Det. Frank Cannon (Conrad) has more on his plate than he you’d think he could put away in this half-season, with exploits ranging from kidnapping to smuggling and, of course, murder. But, no matter how tense the situation gets in this classic Quinn Martin production, you can always rest assured that the wise Frank Cannon will get to the bottom of things. Among the guest stars featured in this set are Beverly Garland, David Soul, Sondra Locke, Tim O’Connor (the American TV version of James Mason), David Hedison, and more.
It’s always a delight to see William Conrad in action. His broad presence and stern voice commanded your full attention both onscreen (whether it be in his earlier days, such as in 5 Against The House, or his final series, Jake And The 
Fatman), and off (he worked as a narrator for many a TV series, and was the original Marshall Dillon when Gunsmoke began as a radio program). In Cannon, it’s apparent that Conrad was having a good time: zestfully chasing after criminals one moment, and wooing his female guest stars with promises of home-cooked Five Star gourmet dinners the next. What a guy.
Some may find that the fat jokes grow tiresome after a while. Others still may find them to be a bit on the offensive side. True, nowadays, where TV shows are only populated by “the beautiful people,” the sight of a lone fat man looks strange unless he’s on Oprah, blaming fast food companies for his condition — and actually hearing someone else joke about a big guy’s weight seems even stranger (insert Kevin Smith/Southwest Airlines joke here). But please remember that this is a TV show from the ‘70s: there were still white actors playing lead Asians, and most black actors rarely saw the outside of a pimp costume. It’s just part of the era.
Article comments