MovieChat Forums > Harry O (1973) Discussion > Bought BOTH seasons on DVD, I don't reme...

Bought BOTH seasons on DVD, I don't remember it being this BAD!

posted 10 years ago by PERRO315
6 replies | jump to latest

...In fairness, I've so far only watched up to the ep with JOHN RUBINSTEIN and the late DIANA HYLAND, where Rubinstein's character is set up for murder! I used to watch HARRY O when it was first on, and liked it then (I was about 10 or 11 at the time), but---for one, HENRY DARROW (almost always a very good actor) is particularly bad in this! The "clever repartee" that goes on between "Harry" and "Lieutenant Quinlan" is hardly clever, TOM ATKINS' character is an unbelievable one-note dim bulb! At the time I'm watching now, ANTHONY ZERBE has appeared a few times as "Lt. Trench"! Zerbe also is an exceptional actor, and it seems as if he's a much better foil for Janssen than Darrow was (a point even brought out by the writer of a somewhat in-depth Television Chronicles magazine article about the show!) I'm in no way sorry I paid the money for the complete series (especially since, with Zerbe, it DOES seem to be getting better!), but I guess memory plays funny tricks on people! Right after I bought HARRY O and started watching it, I went out and bought the complete series of THE ROCKFORD FILES (a similar show, though immeasurably superior to HARRY O in EVERY imaginable way!)

[–] loughsprng 10 years ago

Well that's your opinion and one that this fan doesn't share. We're about the same age - I was 10 or 11 when HARRY O premiered and I remember watching it as a kid and liking Janssen's character. However I was too young to appreciate alot about this series that I do now watching it again as an adult. Very good show IMO.

HARRY O along with THE ROCKFORD FILES, CANNON and COLUMBO were among the best detective/police shows of the 70s and I have each of them on DVD. The actors in these shows - DAVID JANSSEN, JAMES GARNER, WILLIAM CONRAD and PETER FALK - were all exceptional in their roles. I still get a kick out of revisiting them.

The shows are very much of their time - the 1970s - but the characters hold up well IMO.

[–] PERRO315 10 years ago

my opinion is one that 99.9% of people posting in this room don't share---hell, it's one that I DIDN'T EVEN SHARE until I bought the DVD's! Of the ones I've seen so far, probably the one I liked the best was the "Ten Little Indians"-type mystery which paired Janssen with veteran actress JEANETTE NOLAN, who was very good in this ep! As I said, I DID sense it was starting to get a little better with Zerbe! I sincerely hope it does!

[–] loughsprng 10 years ago

One thing I really like about the earlier episodes is the location. Zerbe is good in the later episodes, but I liked the feel of the atmosphere in Season One.

[–] ridge-m-1 9 years ago

I agree completely. The shot on location episodes in San Diego have a vibe to them that complements Harry's character much better than the ones shot in L.A. The only improvement in the latter episodes is the substitution of Anthony Zerbe.

The transition of the show to a different locale was handled clumsily as well. ABC had a hit on their hands but were too clueless to properly fund the series thus we get a resident of the beach lifestyle working in downtown L.A.

"The Fugitive" was also shortchanged by the network but with the noir-like lighting for all but one season the economization was not as noticeable.

[–] bpvalentine 9 years ago

That’s the funny thing for me. I’m watching the Fugitive at the same time as Harry O and it’s jarring sometimes seeing the same locations in both shows. Harry O’s suit and tie Richard Kimble uses several times, too, though harder to tell because I’m still in the black and white portion of Fugitive. Fugitive had it worse because Kimble was supposed to be all over the country and it was obvious L.A. more times than not. They always had Kimble routing towards California even though in the previous episode he’d just fled california, hah.

I have to say...Rockford Files is definitely a better show. I wasn’t born when these series aired so this is my first time seeing them. I don’t have cloudy childhood memories making them look better. Rockford Files was simply better written. Rockford had Stephen J Cannel AND David Chase as main writers (Chase created The Sopranos and this was his first TV gig). Those are two are some of the greatest writers in TV history. I love David Janssen and Harry O is definitely a blast, I love it. But if we’re being honest, it’s hard to compete against Rockford.

On the other hand, Harry O has an edge Rockford only has when Chase specifically writes the episode. And while Janssen as beach bum does seem sort of tired, Harry O uses it better than Rockford by having some actual beach culture. The running gag with the girls hanging around his pad and their tough boyfriends oddly doesn’t get old for me. Maybe that’s because when you have women like Farrah Fawcett playing the girls...

I do wonder why every girl falls over themselves for Janssen. I mean, he’s awesome. I love the guy. But man. He looks kinda rough. He was only 41 or so when the show starts and he easily looks about a decade older. I’m 37 now and I admit I’ve been looking at the mirror wondering if I look that old, haha.

That’s probably one of the reasons I’ve been fascinated by these shows. Aside from being shows I always heard about and wondered about (except for Harry O, that’s a new one for me). I’m getting to be about the age most of those guys were. Even if there are actors on TV my age, it’s like they’re trying to act like they’re 20yr olds. It’s kinda sad.

[–] The_Man_in_the_Planet 8 years ago

I do wonder why every girl falls over themselves for Janssen. I mean, he’s awesome. I love the guy. But man. He looks kinda rough. He was only 41 or so when the show starts and he easily looks about a decade older. I’m 37 now and I admit I’ve been looking at the mirror wondering if I look that old, haha.

I hope I won't sound totally silly trying to explain my impression of this aspect of the series. I think Orwell as "babe magnet" was a gentle poke at noir detectives and their attractiveness to women. It seems to be a running not-quite-gag.

It seems similar in a way to what I like to refer to as the "coffee wars." You no doubt noticed the ongoing kibitzing between Orwell and Trench regarding Trench's coffee supply.

In heaven everything is fine.