We seem to be in full obituary mode here at newsfromme.com. Mike Connors, best known as the star of TV's Mannix, passed away yesterday at the age of 91. He had a long career as an actor and was very active in social causes such as animal rights and trying to lift some of the stigma surrounding mental illness.
I liked the Mannix series but never met Mr. Connors. Fortunately, for those who come to this blog seeking anecdotes about the departed, I have a friend who worked with him the last time he played the role of Joe Mannix. This is my buddy Lee Goldberg. He and his partner wrote the last appearance of Joe Mannix…
I'm sad to hear that Mike Connors, who played Mannix, died today. I loved the show when I was growing up and wished I could write for it. I made that wish come true. When Bill Rabkin and I were producing Diagnosis Murder, we came up with idea of bringing back Mike Connors as Mannix, continuing an old case from 20 years ago, and using an old episode for flashbacks (and bringing back the old guest cast, too).
But first we had to convince Mike to do it. So we called him up and he invited us to lunch at the Riviera Country Club. That alone was a thrill. He was incredibly nice but worried we'd make fun of Mannix instead of treating him with respect. We assured him we loved the character, too, and wanted to see how he'd changed in the decades since the series ended. He signed on. We wrote the episode…and I still remember the thrill of writing the words "Joe Mannix" for the first time in the script. A childhood dream came true.
He was an absolute joy to work with on the episode and we became friends. The episode became the highest rated in Diagnosis Murder's history and I believe it played a big part in convincing CBS to promote us to the showrunners. I still remember a wonderful lunch we had with him and Robert Stack at the Riviera Country Club. It took all of my self-control not to geek out.
We lost touch over the years, but I'm glad to say I ran into him on the street last spring and we had a nice conversation. He's a big reason why I'm a writer today and I'm grateful I had the chance to know him.
Can't add much to that except that I never heard anyone with a bad word to say about Mike Connors. Not a one. Thanks, Lee.