Harry O

I first remember seeing this show in the late '70s on BBC - I was (and am) a big fan of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and Harry Orwell was as close to a modern-day version as I could imagine.

Taciturn and laconic, David Janssen's portrayal of the world-weary detective was far above the quality of many other shows of the day, and a marked contrast to one of my other favourites, The Rockford Files, where every week Jim got knocked on the head, argued with Dennis and got in a car chase, although, granted, his car was always in good shape.

The stories were intelligently-written, the supporting cast always first-class (Henry Darrow and Anthony Zerbe providing excellent foils for Janssen), and guest artists either well-established or up-and-coming stars.

'Harry O' is a show that deserves a DVD release - when one considers the availability of more obscure shows it's difficult to understand why it hasn't had its turn.

Like Harry, I'm a patient man, but I'd like to see this show again before I die...

As someone who grew up with Starsky and Hutch, it might seem odd that I'm also a Harry O fan, but in an era of crap formula shows that were usually split into acts and epilogs it was a standout. There were only two shows of that time that both me and my dad could agree on: Kojak and Harry O; and of the two, I think Harry O was slightly more consistent.

David Janssen carries the world-weary lead with considerable panache, paving the way for later shows such as the Rockford Files, and Anthony Zerbe is an excellent foil as the long-suffering cop-who-secretly-likes-him-but-will-never-say (cf. Joe Santos and James Garner). Played out against the backdrop of San Diego in the 70's, the main thing that stretched belief was the number of gorgeous birds that wrinkled old Harry used to pull. But then, I was in my teens and the hormones enjoyed them...

Harry O is being rerun on cable channel Good Life on Monday nights at 8:00pm and again at 11:00pm. They are still doing the Lt. Quinlan days. This is as of November 29, 2005. Harr O was a great show (actually, still is). It was David Janssen at his best. His rapport with Anthony Zerbe as Lt. Trench is wonderful. Les Lannom had David/Harry down to a "T". Question: Did Harry ever wear anything other than the tweed sport coat, blue button down shirt, dark tie, and khaki pants - or - the shorts and jacket? And yes, a DVD of the show would be great! The show always had the cream of the crop guest stars from the 70's. Many of the younger ones became stars in their on right. What ever happened to Les "Lester" Lannom and Paul Tulley as Sgt. Roberts?

Harry-O was truely one of the greatest shows to ever grace the television medium. It combined superb acting (Janssen, Zerbe-who won an EMMY, Darrow, and guests), writing (Howard Rodman, Robert Dozier and others), direction (Jerry London, Russ Mayberry, Jerry Thorpe) and a brilliantly photographed San Diego and Los Angeles. Janssen took to this role like no others, and made Harry Orwell and understandable and beleivable character, someone you wanted to go out and have a beer with. This show lasted but two short years, (though it did have two pilot movies shown during the 1973/1974 season) and was cancelled in favor of "Charlie's Angels", a travesty of the greatest kind. Without a doubt TV's greatest detective, Harry O's adventures ended far too soon.

This series was that rare thing in the 1970s - an original and intelligently constructed mainstream US TV series.

This was due to two factors, the personality and performance of David Janssen (the word unique is grossly over-used, but it truly applied to him), and the way that the character of Harry Orwell was constructed around Janssen's screen persona. The idea of an ex cop taking up private detection was not new, even then, but the details were what made this one special. For example, Harry often travelled by bus, being unable to drive because his car was always hosed. Imagine, Kojak or Jim Rockford doing that? No, neither can I. Harry also had a family history (ex-partner, money problems etc)that we actually saw him dealing with. Very little gloss on Harry's life.

So, an intelligently constructed premise, a great central performer, superb performances from the recurring characters - notably Anthony Zerbe as the acerbic Lt. Trench (replacing Lt. Manny Quinlan half-way through series 1, when the series' location moved from San Diego to LA at the behest of the studio suits). And then, we had some interesting and well written scripts - but yes, there were some clunkers too. Harry O was well directed, very well cut in the styles of the time and oh! - those Foley sounds, loud footsteps in longshots - I love it! The sound on just one of the series one episodes is appalling, but for all the rest, they look and sound great.

Perhaps because it came in at the middle or latter end of the US boom in detective series, Harry O ran for only two seasons. A great shame, it had a lot more potential to realise - and without Janssen it can never be recreated.

2013 UPDATE: The first series is available now as a box set from the Warners online shop!

2014 UPDATE: No longer a rare series! Warners have put out box set of both series now. You can buy on Amazon or direct from WBshop.

Excellent! Just ordered mine!