User Reviews

Man with a Camera was a television series starring Charles Bronson who played tough freelance photographer Mike Kovac. It was his first television show as the lead.

In the opening episode. Mike is determined to take a photograph of Joey Savoyan. A boxer who Mike grew up with in New York.

Only problem is that Joey hates the press and beats up photographers. Mike even challenges Joey to a boxing match and gets knocked out.

Mike later learns from Joey that the upcoming title fight is a fix. Joey is meant to lose with some mobsters hoping to win big by betting against him.

Mike decides to set up a trap for the fixers but he and Joey end up in a whole heap of trouble.

A brisk economical episode. It never delves too much into the complexities of the issues involved. Everything is black and white with few shades of greys.

I doubt a few photographs of the bad guys would deal with the dirty goings on in professional boxing.

Still this is a useful series to see the progression in Bronson's career. It was notable during the boxing scene that Mike was more muscular than Joey.

***SPOILERS***When photographer Mike Kovac, Charles Bronson, went up to "Killer Boy" Joey Savoyan's, Tom Laughlin, training camp in the country to take a couple of photos he ended up being the main attraction. Mike got his clock cleaned when a non-cooperating,in having his picture taken, Joey flattened him, I guess he forgot to duck, when Mike challenged him to take their disputes out in the boxing ring.

Back in town trying to forget the entire incident Mike runs into Joey's girlfriend from the old neighborhood on the lower East Side Dolly MacDermott, Ruta Lee, who tells Mike that Joey, who had just clobbered him, desperately needs his help! As it turns out Joey is not the miserable and nasty creep that he's made out to be in the newspapers but a really nice guy. It's both his manager Jasper Riken, Leonard Bell, and the man behind the boxing fixes in the state gangster Willie Fletcher, Ted Marcuse, who made,in trying to get publicity for his fights, Joey turned into the despicable and brutal low-life that he's now become! What's more the two are betting heavily against the heavily favorite Joey in his upcoming fight with the champ Sal Benning, Don Kennedy, so that they can clean up! Clean up at Joey's expense! And their coming that night to Joey's training camp to make sure,in taking a dive, that he got the massage!

Mike plans to secretly take a photo of Joey Jasper Fletcher and the champ Benning together in the same room before the fight is to take place. That would be insurance for Joey that the mob, Fletcher's boys, won't retaliated against him or his family and loved one if he didn't cooperate in throwing the big fight! Things don't turn out as planned when Fletcher suspecting something is in the works turned off all the lights in Joey's cabin making it almost impossible for Mike to get a photo, without a flash, of the three-Fletcher Jasper & Benning-as well as Joey together!

****SPOILERS**** Throwing caution to the wind Mike exposes himself by jumping out of his hiding place and taking a photo of the trio and it's then that all hell breaks loose! It was non other then Polly who had since called the state troopers who came to both Joey and Mike's rescue when things really started to get out of hand! During all this excitement Mike had his camera, with the incriminating photos, taken off him by Fletcher's hoods and the film exposed! But what Flethcher & Co. didn't realize is that Mike, no fool mind you, switched the rolls of film before Fleatcher and his boys knew what hit them!

Bronson sets up his character very efficiently in this series opener, just the way he carries himself and his attitude alert us to a special kind of guy. He resents a kid from the old neighborhood who has let fame go to his head -young prizefighter Joey Savoyan, who won't let any photographers shoot him in training camp/ The resulting scene of Chuck baring his chest to display his fine physique, and gets knocked out by the kid.

It's an interesting boxing story and Tom Laughlin makes a solid impression playing Joey (it would take hiim many years to twice become an "overnight success" with "Born Losers" in the '60s and the huge hit "Billy Jack" in the '70s).

Our fearless hero puts his life on the line when he sets out to expose criminals in the biz fixing the fight. Theo Marcuse as the heavy and Ruta Lee as Tom's love interest provide solid support in a concise half hour.