Harry O

1 9 7 4 – 1 9 7 6 (USA)
2 x 120 minute episodes
43 x 60 minute episodes

Harry Orwell was a very unconventional private detective. He lived in a bohemian beachfront cottage near San Diego, California and often used a public bus for transportation because his MG sports car never seemed to be working.

An ex-Marine and ex-cop pensioned from the LAPD after being injured in the line of duty (he took a bullet in the back which is lodged too close to his spine to be removed), he supplemented his disability pension by taking cases that interested him enough to drag him away from restoring his sail-boat, The answer, and which usually always involved beautiful women.

Harry’s sometime nemesis, sometime ally was Lt. Manny Quinlan of the San Diego Police Department (who was killed off in February 1975). After that, Harry moved his agency to Santa Monica, California where he inherited a new enemy in Lieutenant Trench.

Helping him with his cases were amateur criminologists Lester Hodges and Dr Fong.

Seldom seen but highly visible when she was, was Harry’s girl-next-door – none other than Farrah Fawcett in her first TV role as air stewardess Sue Ingrim.

Harry O debuted on ABC on Thursday 12 September 1974. David Janssen was 43, looked 53, was drinking like a fish and smoking three to four packs of cigarettes a day.

It was to be his last starring role – save for the epic historical drama Centennial – before his death from a heart attack in 1980, aged 48.

Harry Orwell 
David Janssen
Lt Manny Quinlan 
Henry Darrow
Lt K.C. Trench 
Anthony Zerbe
Sgt Don Roberts 
Paul Tulley
Lester Hodges 
Les Lannom
Dr Fong 
Keye Luke

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