User Reviews

Julie Sommars plays Gertrude, who hires Harry O to find her brother Harold and clear his name. Before he went missing, Harold sent Gertrude one brand new left shoe. What follows is one of the funniest hours of TV I've ever seen. This is a drama show, but the dialogue between Harry and Gertrude is so unique and snappy. It is laugh out loud hilarious. Much of the humor comes from the fact that Gertrude is so quirky. She's also straight-laced in direct contrast to Harry who drinks and who she considers to be immoral, at least at first. Sommars is a fantastic guest star and this episode kicks off this first season of Harry O on a high note.

David Janssen plays Harry O as a very, very smart, introspective guy who doesn't miss anything. He is perfect in this role. This is a lovely script and there is a wonderful delivery of lines by Janssen and Sommars. Janssen's narration is a strong enhancement to the show.

This is one of those shows that I can watch again and again. If you're going to spend an hour in front of the TV, this is a good way to do it.

HARRY O was a grown up MOD SQUAD detective, of sorts. We loved him. He lived at the beach, drank a lot, worked on his beat up boat called "The Answer", and took the bus, although he had a old muscle car to boot. Harry was a vet of the LAPD, discharged on disability due to a bullet in his back. That did not stop him. David Janssen was the whole show, a natural for this role, and he was later quoted that there was a lot of Harry in him. You can believe it. This was the first episode of the series, which won the coveted Edgar Alan Poe award for best tv mystery. It's offbeat and fun with Julie Sommars playing a kook who hires Harry to find her AWOL Navy brother, who it turns out is mixed up with smugglers. Sommars is hilarious playing Gertrude, her character possibly inspired by all the goofy types who hired Joe MANNIX. Remember? Sommars later went on to co-star on MATLOCK. Les Lannom plays her lost brother, Harold, likewise off kilter. He asks Harry, "Do you know what it means if someone sends you a right shoe?" alluding to the fact that he sent his sister one of his shoes as a clue. Les later became a regular on the show as he was so likable, playing Lester Hodges, sort of Harry's side-kick. In real life, he's an accomplished musician; guitar, trumpet --even bagpipes! Jerry Thorpe directed this episode, the man behind the dynamic pilot, SMILE JENNY, YOU'RE DEAD. Thorpe was also producer for OUR HOUSE and FALCON CREST. SEASON 1 EPISODE 1. FINALLY on dvd, but the box sets are expensive. Shop around fellow fans!