Smile Jenny, You're Dead

"Smile Jenny.." was the second pilot for the "Harry-O" TV series (the first pilot, shown almost a year earlier was "Harry-O: Such Dust as Dreams are Made On"), and convinced ABC to pick up Harry-O as weekly show. A lot of economies were taken on this 2nd outing; less location shooting at the north Santa Monica (its funny the producers then set the show for most of the first season in San Diego, and then moved it back to LA for the last 6 first season episodes, and all of the second season) beach hut, fewer "name" guest stars, save Clu Gallagher (who seemed to pop up everywhere in the 70's), and a simple plot: keeping a young woman alive. This 2nd pilot was far inferior to the first, as it really doesn't delve into Harry's character (he was a likeable curmundgeon in the first pilot, as well as the show) to the degree of the first movie. This is more of a simple good guy-bad guy story. That being said, it must have done something to change the minds of ABC exec's, who then green-lited the show (truely the best TV PI show ever) which appeared in the fall of '74, and ran until August '76.

Harry Orwell (David Janssen) finds Liberty Cole (Jodie Foster) hanging out on his boat. He's a former cop who lives in a beach house. His police friend's son-in-law gets murdered. It leads to the modeling daughter Jennifer English (Andrea Marcovicci) who has a crazed stalker.

This is two years before Taxi Driver. Jodie gets to be a bratty pre-teen. I wish her story would be the A story. She is the most compelling actress in the cast despite some very good veteran actors. This is the second pilot TV movie before the series. The A story has Marcovicci playing a big time model, but I don't buy it. I don't mind her. Heck! She's Chalmers in Spacehunter. She's just not a supermodel and the story doesn't require it. Any pretty girl can be stalked. This is a fine episode that gets stretched out a little.

As a beach-front living private investigator with a bullet still lodged in his back, David Janssen made a terrific, hard-bitten crime-fighter of the Old School (not quite Bogie, maybe a latter-day Dana Andrews). This pilot for his very successful TV series "Harry O" is mostly memorable though for young Jodie Foster, playing a pre-teen street urchin waiting for her shoplifting mother to get out of jail (the movie opens with a beautiful shot of Foster asleep on Janssen's boat, The Answer). Foster has all the best lines in the movie, and she reads them straight--without a hint of precociousness. As a murder-mystery, the film lags a bit and as a film it certainly doesn't benefit from future-director Zalman King's unpleasant presence (he's like a second-rate Marjoe Gortner). But for Foster-philes it's a goldmine, and students of cinematography should study that amazing first shot. 'The Answer' indeed!

Man, do I miss "Harry O". I used to love seeing this detective series with David Janssen's gravelly charm as a cynical PI who has to take public transit to solve mysteries! It is completely antithetical to the "Magnum PI" slick cars, slick everything that now permeates the standard TV detective format. This is partially why I love the 1970's era of cop shows. They portrayed the heroes as overworked, underpaid, world-weary, blue-collar joes who are always swimming upstream. There are no super heroics here. In fact, the Harry Orwell character pushed the detective archetype back a rung or two. He shows us that being a PI isn't so bloody marvelous.

It's been a long time since "Harry O" disappeared even from filling in a time slot on the late late show, and almost as long since this TV movie (the second pilot to the series, if you will) used to fill programming on lazy Saturday afternoons on my local bands.

This time Harry O is after an obsessive nut job photographer played by Zalman King. Since BLUE SUNSHINE is one of my favourite cult movies, I have a soft spot for this interesting actor, even though he isn't the greatest thespian the world has known. Before he went behind the camera to produce the soft core fantasies of TWO MOON JUNCTION or the "Red Shoes Diaries" series, he nonetheless had his share of weird roles. Case in point, this psycho goes around with this huge bow-tie- he more resembles Bozo the clown than a stalker, but King's "edgy" acting gives the character the danger beneath the sheep's clothing.

This TV-movie also features an early performance by Jodie Foster in her "tomboy" stage (think ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE) as an urchin who sets up home on Harry O's beach property.

In all, SMILE JENNY YOU'RE DEAD is a satisfying thriller with an unusual climax. It is another nice memory of TV-films of the day. Video, please?

I agree, David Janssen was a whole lot different in this role as compared to his younger days playing ace detective RICHARD DIAMOND. For one thing, he was retired, having been shot and injured and pensioned off. That's life.

The show, which all us kids loved back in day, gave us a far different hero. He lived at the beach which was cool, however he wasn't rich, drove a COLUMBO-esq old car in addition to fixing up a stubborn boat called, "The Answer," in his spare time between cases. You felt sorry for Harry because he was the underdog, a pre-senior citizen -- not quite BARNABY JONES -- but fairly much on his own in a hustling and bustling world he wanted to forget. He had seen it all as a cop. Now he's back as a private eye, and with very little respect. What a life!

This pilot episode also holds the distinction of being an early "stalker" tale, excellently written by series creator Howard Rodman, who wrote for ROUTE 66 and NAKED CITY. Beautiful Andrea Marcovicci plays the title character Jennifer, a model and the daughter of one of Harry's cop pals. The title, while original and campy, is a bit misleading. The stalker is following Jenny -- however it's her male companions he wants DEAD.

Interesting cast of suspects (as you would expect), though the main focus is 12 year old Jody Foster playing a street smart kid appropriately called Liberty who befriends Harry. An awkward friendship, yes, however both characters rely on each other. Jody is an absolute standout and you knew she had a future, a brilliant child actress, let alone adult actress. Only debit is she should have had a recurring role on the tv series, sort of as Harry's adopted daughter, which would have been a gas! That opened the door for adult Farrah Fawcett to be cast as Harry's neighbor.

John Anderson co-stars as the colonel, and looking like one, also Clu Gulager playing detective Bosworth. Two acclaimed veterans; Howard da Silva as Lt. Kenner and Martin Gabel as Meade.

One of the best, Jerry Thorpe directed, who was also producing KUNG FU at the time.

Filmed at Warner Brothers in Burbank for a change of pace, as most of the tv shows at the time were produced at Universal City.

Always on dvd for all us fans of David Janssen and Jody Foster. Thanks to METV for running the series once again.