The American television series Cannon, produced from 1971 to 1976, presents the cases of private detective Frank Cannon.

The heavily overweight Frank Cannon (portrayed by William Conrad) was formerly employed as a police officer at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). After his wife and son lost their lives in a traffic accident and he was let go from the police force due to his figure, he decided to settle down in Los Angeles as a private detective.

As time went on, Cannon became a specialist in criminal case investigations. The private investigator fulfills his work alone, without anyone’s colaboration, and, if need be, is not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

Cannon’s work as a private detective has proven to be so successful, that he could also afford a luxurious penthouse apartment with a wonderful view of Los Angeles. Since Los Angeles is a big city with wide roads, Cannon has invested in a Lincoln Continental, that would help him cover all roads in the most enjoyable way possible.

Frank Cannon loves luxury and, luckily, he can also afford it thanks to his extraordinary salary. This luxury consists of his apartment, car, excellent food and a good glass of wine, since the private detective satisfies his passion for culinary specialties either in first class restaurants or cooking such meals in the comfort of his own fantastically equipped kitchen. The famous investigator therefor considers himself an overfed walrus.

The successful detective does not mind that his addiction to good food has a negative effect on his figure, since the process that leads to solving a case does not entail that he follow the fleeting criminal by foot or that he undergo any other kind of athletic activities. Neither do shooting and punching of a suspect belong to his prefered methods of solving a case.

Like famous detectives Sherlock Holmes from London or C. August Dupin from Paris, Cannon solves his cases mostly through intelligence and perspicacity. Despite the fact that not only his figure allows parallels to private detective Nero Wolfe to be drawn, Cannon is ready to leave his house or office in order to pursue an investigation on scene. However, this research is often coupled with good food or other amenities.

Thanks to his work with the LAPD, as well as his later investigations, Cannon could establish connections with important public figures from Los Angeles, with whom he still gladly keeps in touch. Every now and then, these contacts from the high society prove to be of great help in solving current cases.

Although Frank Cannon does not have an athletic figure and therefore may not correspond to the general image that people have of a private detective, the television series was highly successful. Due to the corpulent built of the starring actor the series has gotten away without the usual fights in this genre and, if need be, Cannon can always reach for his Colt. Moreover, pursuits also rarely take place, although the private detective does not hesitate to undergo surveillance work with the help of his trusty Lincoln Continental.

In addition William Conrad’s performance, the great scenarios also contributed to the success of the series. Famous actors such as Stefanie Powers, Nick Nolte, Anne Baxter and David Jansson were to be seen in some individual episodes.

Frank Cannon returned for one more case in 1980, when he wanted to investigate the alleged crime of one of his friends.