| Harry O | |
|---|---|
.png) Title screen | |
| Also known as | Harry-O |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Created by | Howard Rodman |
| Written by | Robert C. Dennis Robert Dozier Larry Forrester Herman Groves Stephen Kandel Joanna Klasson John Meredyth Lucas Howard Rodman Michael Sloan Norman Strum Gene Thompson |
| Directed by | Richard Benedict Daryl Duke Harry Falk Richard Lang Jerry London Joseph Manduke Russ Mayberry John Newland Jerry Thorpe Paul Wendkos Don Weis |
| Starring | David Janssen Henry Darrow Anthony Zerbe Paul Tulley Farrah Fawcett-Majors Les Lannom Tom Atkins Bill Henderson |
| Theme music composer | Billy Goldenberg |
| Composers | Billy Goldenberg Kim Richmond J. J. Johnson John Rubinstein |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jerry Thorpe |
| Producers | Alex Beaton Robert Dozier Buck Houghton Robert E. Thompson |
| Running time | 60 mins. (approx) |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 12, 1974 (1974-09-12) – April 29, 1976 (1976-04-29) |
| Related | |
| |
Harry O, sometimes spelledHarry-O, is an Americanprivate detective series that aired for two seasons onABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starredDavid Janssen, andJerry Thorpe was executive producer.Harry O followed the broadcast of twopilot films: firstSuch Dust as Dreams Are Made On (which aired on March 11, 1973) and second (with noticeable retooling)Smile Jenny, You're Dead (which aired on February 3, 1974), both starring Janssen.[1]
David Janssen starred as the title character Harry Orwell, aSan Diego cop forced into retirement when he is shot in the back. To support himself, he sets up aprivate investigation practice out of his beach house on Coronado Island, in San Diego.Henry Darrow (formerly of the 1967–71NBC hit Western seriesThe High Chaparral) originally starred as Lt. Manny Quinlan, Harry's friend and police contact.
For the second half of the first season, the series was retooled, with the location of the series shifted toLos Angeles, California, due to the high production costs of filming in and around San Diego.[2] The retooling consisted of more than just a location change; a revised theme song and incidental music were composed and new supporting characters were added, notably the irascible Lt. Trench of theSanta Monica Police Department, who became Orwell's new foil/contact. (Henry Darrow's character, Lt. Quinlan, was killed off in a crossover episode.) Most noticeably, a lighter tone for the scripts and acting was adopted. Harry still lived in a beach cottage−this time at Paradise Cove, just south but in sight of the trailer used inThe Rockford Files.
The second season had a further reworking of the opening credits and theme song, and recurring characters were added.Anthony Zerbe, who played Lt. Trench, won aPrimetime Emmy Award for his role on the series. Recurring characters includedFarrah Fawcett-Majors, as Harry's next-door neighbor and sometime girlfriend Sue Ingram/Ingham;Paul Tulley as Sgt. Roberts, Lt. Trench's assistant;Les Lannom as Lester Hodges, a bumbling private-eye wannabe;Tom Atkins as Sgt. Frank Cole; andBill Henderson as Spencer Johnson, Harry's frustrated car mechanic.
Harry's smallAustin-Healey, which spent almost all of the first season in non-running condition, later had more time on the road as the series progressed, though it was never entirely reliable. Also, in the San Diego episodes, the bullet in Harry's back noticeably impeded his ability to get around; by the second season, though the bullet's existence was mentioned in passing, Harry was miraculously able to run, jump, and engage in strenuous physical activity with seemingly no issues.
Ratings for the series were initially fair, and they received a boost after the series was retooled in January 1975.Harry O was picked up for a second season and continued to gain viewership and critical acclaim. Then-ABC presidentFred Silverman, though, decided to take the network in a different direction and cancelled the series in favor ofCharlie's Angels. Farrah Fawcett-Majors, supporting player to Janssen's Harry O, was selected as one of the three stars of that new series.
The last original episode aired on April 29, 1976.[3] The series' cancellation greatly disenchanted its star Janssen, who had found and shaped probably his most ideal character ever in Harry Orwell; he thus vowed never again to participate in another television series, though he later appeared in the miniseriesThe Word (1978) andCentennial (1978–79).
The series' reputation has been burnished in the decades since its cancellation. Allen Glover noted inTV Noir: Dark Drama on the Small Screen (2019) "how thoroughly Janssen 'laid the bone-weary but persevering tally of his own life right on the counter, like a bar tab covered with too many cigarette burns and glass rings'."
The show was rerun late at night onCBS during 1979-1980 as part ofThe CBS Late Movie. It was run in syndication in the late 1980s on a few stations around the U.S. and had a short-lived run onGoodLife TV Network in the early 2000s. The first pilot movie still receives occasional airings.
The series was occasionally presented in weekend binges on theOTA television network Decades (nowCatchy Comedy) and currently airs weekdays onMeTV+. The series began airing onMeTV in January 2025, following Janssen's previous seriesThe Fugitive late night Sundays at 4am ET.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | 1 | "Such Dust as Dreams are Made On" | Jerry Thorpe | Howard Rodman | March 11, 1973 (1973-03-11) | |
Harlan Garrison (Martin Sheen), a member of the gang that shot Harry in a drugstore robbery four years earlier, hires Harry to find Garrison's two accomplices. It starsSal Mineo,Will Geer,Margot Kidder andMel Stewart. Portions of this movie were re-edited and reused (in a very different context) in the first-season episode "Elegy For A Cop"; the two stories are not compatible within the same series continuity. | ||||||
| Pilot | 2 | "Smile Jenny, You're Dead" | Jerry Thorpe | Howard Rodman | February 3, 1974 (1974-02-03) | |
Harry is hired to protect Jennifer English (Andrea Marcovicci), a model being tailed by a deranged stalker who also appears to have murdered her estranged husband. It starsJodie Foster as Liberty Cole (a homeless girl who takes up residence in Harry's boat),Clu Gulager, andZalman King. | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Gertrude" | Jerry Thorpe | Howard Rodman | September 12, 1974 (1974-09-12) | |
The sister of a sailor absent without leave, Gertrude (Julie Sommars) hires Harry to find him, and the only clue is that his left shoe was mailed to her. However, another clue then arrives in the form of two fakeshore patrol officers. Les Lannom, later a series regular in the role of Lester Hodges, plays the AWOL sailor. Henry Darrow debuts as Lt. Quinlan. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Admiral's Lady" | Paul Wendkos | Del Reisman | September 19, 1974 (1974-09-19) | |
Harry is hired to find an admiral's wife, who is presumed dead by the police, but who turns out to be alive and in genuine danger. WithLeif Erickson andSharon Acker | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Guardian at the Gates" | Jerry Thorpe | Stephen Kandel | September 26, 1974 (1974-09-26) | |
Harry must protect an obnoxious, self-centered architect (Barry Sullivan), who witnessed a murder and is oblivious to attempts on his own life. This was the first episode filmed for the regular series. WithLinda Evans,Anne Archer,Richard Kelton andGordon Jump | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Mortal Sin" | Paul Wendkos | T : Stephen Kandel S/T : Robert Malcolm Young | October 3, 1974 (1974-10-03) | |
A man confesses to murder to a priest, and Harry is brought in to help stop the man from killing again. WithLaurence Luckinbill | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Coinage of the Realm" | Richard Lang | Elroy Schwartz | October 10, 1974 (1974-10-10) | |
Harry must find a man who is needed to donate a kidney to his daughter (played byDawn Lyn), and who also has two hired killers on his trail. WithKenneth Mars,Joan Darling, andFlorence Stanley | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Eyewitness" | Richard Lang | Herman Groves | October 17, 1974 (1974-10-17) | |
A blind teenager is the only witness to a murder. It starsJames McEachin andRosalind Cash.Margaret Avery, later a series regular in a different role, plays the teenager's elder sister. BothHal Williams andBill Henderson, who later play Harry's mechanics in the Los Angeles episodes, also appear in this episode as different characters. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Shadows At Noon" | Paul Wendkos | Robert Dozier | October 24, 1974 (1974-10-24) | |
Harry infiltrates a mental hospital that holds people as prisoners, and then finds that he cannot get out, either. WithDiana Ewing andGuy Stockwell, it aired one year before the movieOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but 12 years after the eponymous novel that inspired the movie. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Ballinger's Choice" | Jerry Thorpe | Gene Thompson | October 31, 1974 (1974-10-31) | |
Harry is hired to track down a wealthy missing pal with a penchant for extramarital affairs, but the investigation soon reveals a number of sordid -- and deadly -- details. WithJuliet Mills,Paul Burke, andLisa Gerritsen | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Second Sight" | John Newland | T : Gene Thompson S/T : Barry Trivers | November 7, 1974 (1974-11-07) | |
Fay Conners (Stefanie Powers), an apparent psychic, predicts a series of murders that all come true amid Harry's search for a missing psychiatrist. Also starring Robert Doyle. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Material Witness" | Barry Crane | Richard Danus | November 14, 1974 (1974-11-14) | |
Dr. Noelle Kira witnesses the killing of a witness to crimes by one Joe Kiley. SDPD Captain Pete Jaklin, because of the killing of other witnesses, hires Harry to protect Kira. She dislikes Harry, but when they are followed to a beach house, Harry realizes amole is in the department, so Jaklin and he have to find the mole. WithBarbara Anderson,James Olson, andMike Farrell | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Forty Reasons to Kill (Part 1)" | Daryl Duke | Stephen Kandel | December 5, 1974 (1974-12-05) | |
A friend of Harry's is framed for drug dealing when he tries to purchase a parcel of land. WithJoanna Pettet,Broderick Crawford,Craig Stevens, andPaul Benedict | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Forty Reasons to Kill (Part 2)" | Daryl Duke | Stephen Kandel | December 12, 1974 (1974-12-12) | |
Harry finds himself framed for murder as his investigation of a 40-acre purchase continues. With Joanna Pettet, Craig Stevens andBill Quinn | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Accounts Balanced" | Robert Michael Lewis | T : Herman Groves S/T :Michael Winder | December 26, 1974 (1974-12-26) | |
Harry is hired by a woman who believes her husband is having an affair. WithLinda Marsh,Robert Reed,Gerrit Graham, andJerry Hardin, this was the last episode shot in San Diego, and the final episode for Lt. Quinlan as a regular. | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 14 | "The Last Heir" | Richard Lang | Gene Thompson | January 9, 1975 (1975-01-09) | |
Harry is hired to smoke out a killer of a woman's heirs. WithJeanette Nolan,Clifford David, andWhit Bissell | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "For the Love of Money" | John Newland | S :Skip Webster T :David P. Harmon | January 16, 1975 (1975-01-16) | |
A woman helps her boyfriend steal $25,000 and now the boyfriend has disappeared. This is the first episode withAnthony Zerbe as Lt. Trench and Paul Tulley as Sgt. Roberts, and the first episode actually set in Los Angeles. The opening theme song is also completely reworked for this and all future season-one episodes. WithMariclare Costello,Bernie Kopell,Sabrina Scharf, andSharon Farrell | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "The Confetti People" | Richard Lang | T : Herman Groves S/T :Mann Rubin | January 23, 1975 (1975-01-23) | |
An arthritic painter and his wife frame his brother, a mental patient, for murder, until the plan goes awry and the painter is shot dead by the brother. WithDiana Hyland,Scott Hylands,John Rubinstein, andMarsha Hunt | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Sound of Trumpets" | John Newland | T :Larry Forrester S/T :Robert Pirosh | January 30, 1975 (1975-01-30) | |
A recently released jazz trumpeter is pursued by a vengeful record executive who has a left-handed knife killer take the trumpeter's daughter hostage. WithJulius Harris,Brenda Sykes,Jim Backus, and jazz legendCab Calloway | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Silent Kill" | Richard Lang | S :John Meredyth Lucas T : Steven Kandel | February 6, 1975 (1975-02-06) | |
A deaf-mute janitor is framed for arson. WithKathleen Lloyd,Gail Strickland,Lawrence Pressman, andJack Riley | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Double Jeopardy" | John Newland | M. Gluck | February 13, 1975 (1975-02-13) | |
A former crime boss mistakenly believes Todd Conway, an aspiring actor, killed the man's daughter, and Harry smokes out the real killer when the girl was found to be pregnant. WithKurt Russell,Will Kuluva andBen Piazza,Linda Dano appears very briefly as the murder victim. This is also the first episode with Farrah Fawcett-Majors, who plays the semiregular role of Orwell's neighbor, Sue. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Lester" | Richard Lang | Robert C. Dennis | February 20, 1975 (1975-02-20) | |
A college student who wants to be a detective becomes a suspect in the murder of two female students. WithRichard Schaal andScott Newman, Les Lannom's character of Lester Hodges, who became a recurring character in the series' second season, makes his debut. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Elegy for a Cop" | Jerry Thorpe | Howard Rodman | February 27, 1975 (1975-02-27) | |
Harry pursues the killer of his former police friend, Manny Quinlan. About 15 minutes of this episode (all contained in the show's second half) consists of reused and repurposed footage from the pilot filmSuch Dust as Dreams are Made On. Kathleen Lloyd and Sal Mineo appear in both newly shot and recycled footage; Henry Darrow receives "Special Guest Star" billing for his reprisal of the role of Lt. Quinlan (all in newly-shot footage). Also in newly-shot footage, Margaret Avery debuts as Ruby Dome, who will become a recurring character in season 2. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Street Games" | Richard Lang | Herman Groves | March 2, 1975 (1975-03-02) | |
The mother of a teenaged girl who is an addict hires Harry to find her after her boyfriend is murdered by a narcotics dealer. WithMaureen McCormick andPhilip Sterling | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "Anatomy of a Frame" | Jerry Thorpe | S : Herman Groves T : John Meredyth Lucas | September 11, 1975 (1975-09-11) | |
An informant for Lt. Trench is murdered; Trench himself is implicated and must hire Harry Orwell to clear his name. WithRené Auberjonois,James McEachin,Gordon Jump,James Hong,Harold J. Stone, and an unbilledGary Sandy | ||||||
| 24 | 2 | "One for the Road" | Harry Falk | Norman Strum | September 18, 1975 (1975-09-18) | |
An alcoholic lawyer subject to memory blackouts hires Harry to investigate a hit-and-run incident, though she is aware that she may well have been the driver behind the wheel. With Carol Rossen,Larry Hagman, andRobert Loggia | ||||||
| 25 | 3 | "Lester Two" | Richard Lang | Robert C. Dennis | September 25, 1975 (1975-09-25) | |
Lester Hodges gets mixed up with Harry when diamond smugglers kidnap Harry's neighbor Sue Ingham. WithIna Balin and—extremely briefly—Loni Anderson | ||||||
| 26 | 4 | "Shades" | Richard Lang | S : Eugene Crisci, Ron Jacoby T : Michael Sloan | October 2, 1975 (1975-10-02) | |
A housekeeper is accused of killing a small-time hood; Harry is hired to clear her name and must work with the hood's ex-partner to find the real killer. WithLou Gossett, Jr.,Linden Chiles andAnjanette Comer.G.W. Bailey, seen occasionally as Officer Remsen during the San Diego episodes, also plays a police officer in this episode, identified in the credits as "Garner". | ||||||
| 27 | 5 | "Portrait of a Murder" | Richard Lang | Robert C. Dennis | October 9, 1975 (1975-10-09) | |
Harry attempts to clear a developmentally disabled young man accused of a series of murders he says were committed by "a lion"—a clue to the murderer's actual identity. WithAdam Arkin andKatherine Helmond | ||||||
| 28 | 6 | "The Acolyte" | Harry Falk | T : Larry Forrester S/T : Robert Blees, Dorothy Robinson | October 16, 1975 (1975-10-16) | |
Harry must rescue a woman taken in by a religious cult. WithBettye Ackerman,Severn Darden,Barry Atwater,Clyde Kusatsu, andSam Jaffe | ||||||
| 29 | 7 | "Mayday" | Jerry London | John Meredyth Lucas | October 23, 1975 (1975-10-23) | |
A pilot friend of Harry's dies in a plane crash, and Harry discovers he was involved in an attempted murder. WithBruce Kirby,Maggie Blye,Linda Kelsey, andGeoffrey Lewis | ||||||
| 30 | 8 | "Tender Killing Care" | Richard Lang | Norman Strum | October 30, 1975 (1975-10-30) | |
Harry investigates the shady nursing home where Spencer's parents live, while Sue has Harry look for the missing father of three children who have just arrived from Hong Kong. WithKenneth Mars,Howard Hesseman,Jester Hairston, andRobert Ito | ||||||
| 31 | 9 | "APB Harry Orwell" | Richard Lang | S : Alfred Brenner T : William R. Stratton | November 6, 1975 (1975-11-06) | |
Harry is framed for murder, and must escape his cell to find the real guilty party. WithLesley Ann Warren, andMichael C. Gwynne | ||||||
| 32 | 10 | "Group Terror" | Russ Mayberry | Dennis Landa | November 13, 1975 (1975-11-13) | |
A psychiatrist hires Harry to pose as a patient, to help smoke out a killer among the members of her therapy group. With Joanna Pettet andLinda Lavin | ||||||
| 33 | 11 | "Reflections" | Richard Lang | Michael Sloan | November 20, 1975 (1975-11-20) | |
Harry is forced to relive his bitter divorce when his ex-wife is involved in a murder. WithFelicia Farr,Andrew Robinson, andPeter Donat | ||||||
| 34 | 12 | "Exercise In Fatality" | Russ Mayberry | Kenneth Realman | December 4, 1975 (1975-12-04) | |
A hotheaded policeman is accused of murder when the boyfriend who fathered his daughter's unborn child is found dead; making it worse for Harry, a former lover returns to his life and gets swept into the case. WithRalph Meeker | ||||||
| 35 | 13 | "The Madonna Legacy" | Richard Bennett | Michael Sloan | December 11, 1975 (1975-12-11) | |
One of Harry's former police colleagues is killed while reinvestigating an old murder, and Harry learns that a violent man convicted of the murder was recently released. WithJohn Colicos,Christine Belford, and Jack Riley | ||||||
| 36 | 14 | "Mister Five and Dime" | Richard Lang | Robert C. Dennis | January 8, 1976 (1976-01-08) | |
Harry, Lester, and Lt. Trench run into repeated cases of mistaken identity as they pursue a gang of armored-car thieves. Harry mentions Lester's mentor Dr. Creighton Fong for the first time in the series. WithGlynnis O'Connor, Michael McGuire,J. Pat O'Malley, andMichael Pataki | ||||||
| 37 | 15 | "Book of Changes" | Russ Mayberry | T : Michael Sloan S/T : Michael Adams | January 15, 1976 (1976-01-15) | |
A witness to the murder of a gambling club owner hires Harry to find the club owner's book of clients, which has been stolen by extortionists. WithBarbara Rhoades andBarbara Cason | ||||||
| 38 | 16 | "Past Imperfect" | Richard Lang | Stephen Kandel | January 22, 1976 (1976-01-22) | |
A con artist takes his ex-partner and Harry hostage to get back a suitcase he claims contains several thousand dollars, and they are themselves pursued by two mob hitmen. WithSusan Strasberg,Tim McIntire,Granville Van Dusen, andDavid Opatoshu | ||||||
| 39 | 17 | "Hostage" | Jerry London | Michael Sloan | February 19, 1976 (1976-02-19) | |
Lt. Trench is called to a hostage situation at a local liquor store, and soon calls on Harry to act as the nonpolice intermediary the hostage-taker has demanded. WithJohn Rubinstein,George Murdock,Quinn Redeker,Colleen Camp, andTim Thomerson. Guest star Rubinstein also composed the score for this episode. | ||||||
| 40 | 18 | "Forbidden City" | Richard Lang | Robert C. Dennis | February 26, 1976 (1976-02-26) | |
Harry investigates the killing of a private detective in Chinatown. WithTina Chen,Ramon Bieri,Benson Fong,James Hong, and Jerry Hardin | ||||||
| 41 | 19 | "Victim" | Richard Lang | T : Michael Sloan S/T : John Meredyth Lucas | March 4, 1976 (1976-03-04) | |
A rape victim hires Harry. WithEugene Roche,Michael Lerner, and Cynthia Avila, this was the last episode of the series to be filmed. | ||||||
| 42 | 20 | "Ruby" | Richard Lang | S : Susan Glasgow S/T : Michael Sloan | March 11, 1976 (1976-03-11) | |
Harry must help one of his informants after a youth gets mixed up in a car theft that results in the death of a policeman. WithJoe Ruskin | ||||||
| 43 | 21 | "The Mysterious Case of Lester and Dr. Fong" | Jerry Thorpe | Robert Dozier | March 18, 1976 (1976-03-18) | |
Lester Hodges and his mentor, Dr. Creighton Fong (Keye Luke), work together to find the murderer of members of Lester's family. Harry is seen only in a supporting role, and is absent for long stretches of screen time, as this episode was abackdoor pilot intended to launch a spin-off series titledFong and Hodges. WithAnne Archer,Barry Atwater,Sorrell Booke,Dean Jagger, andRoddy McDowall | ||||||
| 44 | 22 | "Death Certificate" | Russ Mayberry | John Meredyth Lucas | April 29, 1976 (1976-04-29) | |
Harry investigates a doctor suspected by two women of fatal malpractice. WithRuth Roman andKiel Martin | ||||||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Edgar Allan Poe Awards | Best Episode in a TV Series | Howard Rodman(for "Gertrude") | Nominated | [6] |
| 1976 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Anthony Zerbe | Won | [7] |
On July 11, 2012,Warner Bros. releasedHarry O: The Complete First Season on DVD in region 1 via theirWarner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.[8] The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes of the season as well as the original pilot tele-filmSuch Dust as Dreams Are Made On. The second and final season was released by Warner Archive on February 5, 2013.[9]
