MANNIX: THE WORLD BETWEEN (TV)

Summary

One in this series of dramas about the cases of hardboiled Los Angeles private detective Joe Mannix.

Mannix obtains photographs which invalidate a criminal’s alibi, but he and Peggy are held up by a gunman demanding that he hand them over. They manage to knock him unconscious, but Peggy gets shot in the struggle and collapses. Mannix gets her to a hospital, where the doctors remove the bullet from her shoulder; she is expected to make a full recovery. Mannix thanks Peggy for her help but warns her not to put herself in danger again. The next morning, Peggy’s son Toby goes to the hospital to visit her. The receptionist accidentally gives him the wrong room and he walks in on a man recovering in a hospital bed; he secretly has a handgun underneath his pillow and asks Toby to approach him. Soon afterwards Toby is shown to the correct room along with his nanny, Mrs. Frost. She learns that he got chocolate from the man in the other room, although Peggy recalls Mannix pointing out that the patient in the other room was catatonic when he was brought in. Peggy is concerned about Toby’s interactions with the man, whom he describes as seemingly perfectly healthy and as asking questions about her. Later Peggy tries to call in to Mannix’s office and has a conversation with a young woman claiming to be his secretary, puzzling her. She speaks to Mannix about this later, and expresses dissatisfaction that she is apparently being replaced. She mentions Toby’s encounter with the patient in the other room, and admits that she is afraid that the man is an assassin sent in to kill her. Mannix believes that she is imagining things and that she will be perfectly fine, and that her job will be waiting for her when she gets out.

That night, Peggy has great difficulty sleeping, suffering from nightmares. The patient in the other room enters and Peggy awakens and screams. He places his hand over her mouth and says he only wanted to see if she was all right. She tells him to get out and he leaves when a nurse comes in to the room. Peggy is frightened and believes the man intended to kill her, but the nurse insists that this is not the case, but she does not explain how she knows this to be true. Alone, Peggy sneaks out of bed and arrives at the other man’s door. She asks him what he was doing in her room and he reiterates that he genuinely thought she was in danger, and explains how her son described her as regularly fighting gangsters. She discovers that the man is African, and describes the fight between Mannix and the gunman to him. She also discovers that he is in the hospital to be treated for an unspecified form of chronic pain. He claims that he is in the country “in cognito” and that the hospital staff is not permitted to refer to him by name. However, he reveals his identity to Peggy as Minji Obuko, leader of a newly-independent African nation; he asks her to keep this information secret so as not to expose his presence in the United States. Peggy feels somewhat flustered at meeting him, but they are both friendly towards each other. He explains that he must remain hidden due to a faction within his new country which is attempting to execute a military coup of the government, which Obuko hopes to install as a democracy. Obuko asks about her husband, who she says died several years ago. They bid each other good night as Peggy returns to her room.

Peggy visits Obuko the next morning, chiding him for not getting enough rest or food. She discovers that the hospital staff is referring to him as “Mr. Smith” as part of his disguise. After she leaves a doctor comes to see Obuko, telling him that his condition requires exploratory surgery in order to determine the exact cause of his condition. He tells Peggy about this and she offers him some comfort. Mannix visits Peggy later and says he is concerned about her, warning her not to fall in love with Obuko and that she shouldn’t alter he life dramatically just to be with him. However, Peggy does not believe that Obuko necessarily reciprocates her feelings. A hitman is secretly paid by one of Obuko’s enemies to assassinate him, using a bomb hidden in a large bouquet of flowers. Obuko spots the ruse and manages to hurl it out the window just before it explodes. In light of the attempt on his life, Obuko’s surgery is moved up several days. Mannix investigates the matter and promises to determine the identity of his would-be assassins, as well as calling for more security at the hospital. He leaves as Obuko tells Peggy how he was able to spot the bomb. The conversation turns to Obuko’s marital status, and he says he is unmarried. They admit that they have feelings for each other and share a kiss.

Later Peggy’s aunts come to visit her in the hospital and she introduces them to Obuko. They are quite curious about him and ask him many questions, and he answers truthfully, sometimes to their surprise. That night, Peggy and Obuko have a meal together and discuss his upcoming surgery, although Peggy is gravely worried that he may not come out of it alive. He insists that he will be fine, but suddenly collapses from a spasm of stomach pain. He is operated on immediately as Mannix and a nervous Peggy await news on his condition. The hitman, disguised as an orderly, reports back that Obuko’s surgery was successful, and plans to make another assassination attempt against him. Peggy is anxious to learn more about Obuko’s progress and argues with Mannix about it before apologizing and admitting that she cares deeply about Obuko. Mannix comes to suspect that Obuko’s assassins will attempt to poison his supply of replacement blood. The surgeon, Dr. Linkram, visits a newly-conscious Obuko and tells him that they removed a carcinoma at the base of his pancreas, but that he will have to return regularly to treat the cancer cells they were unable to remove. However, Obuko believes that he is obligated to return to his country; Dr. Linkram warns that without treatment he will have only a short time to live before the cancer takes its toll.

The hitman attempts to drop off the poisoned blood in Obuko’s room, but the bottle is intercepted by the police before it can get to him. Mannix disguises himself as an orderly and helps to transport Obuko, claiming to the hitman that Obuko had a “bad reaction” to the blood. He manages to subdue the hitman as the police enter to arrest him. Mannix interrogates him and learns the identity of the man who paid him, and gets him to lead the police to him. Peggy visits Obuko, who says he will send for her once he stabilizes his country in about a years’ time. She accepts this explanation and nearly leaves until she notices him suffering from further stomach pains. He attempts to explain it away as muscle cramps, but Peggy sees through this and realizes that he is dying. She is saddened by this realization, and he says that he must use the time he has remaining in service to his country. Peggy leaves the hospital and returns to work, insisting that she is fine but still saddened at having to part with Obuko. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: CBS
• DATE: 10:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:51:09
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 122033
• GENRE: Drama, police/private detective
• SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; Drama, police/private detective
• SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1967-1975
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Bruce Geller … Executive Producer, Developed by
• Ben Roberts … Producer, Writer
• Ivan Goff … Producer
• Barry Crane … Associate Producer
• Paul Krasny … Director
• Richard Levinson … Created by
• William Link … Created by
• Lionel E. Siegel … Writer
• Lyn Murray … Music by
• Lalo Schifrin … Theme Music by
• Mike Connors … Cast, Joe Mannix
• Gail Fisher … Cast, Peggy Fair
• Hari Rhodes … Cast, Minji Obuko
• Ford Rainey … Cast, Dr. Linkram
• Jerry Douglas … Cast, Lt. Mitch Webster
• Scottie MacGregor … Cast, Nurse Evans
• Maidie Norman … Cast, Aunt Frances
• Mark Stewart … Cast, Toby Fair
• Virginia Capers … Cast, Mrs. Frost
• Albert Popwell … Cast, Kenoto
• Lillian Randolph … Cast, Mrs. Harmon
• Gil Perkins … Cast, Tom Smith
• Lisa Moore … Cast, Nurse Fubata
• Chuck Hicks … Cast, Morgan
• Jocelyn Peters … Cast, Norma
• Mary Ann Beck … Cast, Receptionist