Gary Gillies and I are delighted to announce we are working with publisher McFarland & Co. on a new book covering the history of the classic 1970s detective series HARRY O, which starred popular actor DAVID JANSSEN. Along with The Rockford Files, HARRY O is considered by historians to be the cream of the period’s TV PI crop.
The book, provisionally titled HARRY O: A VIEWING COMPANION will utilise extensive archival research to provide new detail on the series conception and development and an in-depth guide to the two pilots and each episode broadcast in the series’ two transmitted seasons. The issues surrounding shooting the series on location away from Los Angeles, which necessitated production relocating from San Diego to LA midway through the first season, will be covered too.
I was a keen follower of the series back in the 1970s when it was broadcast in the UK, haphazardly in the schedules, by the BBC. I later caught up with the series again on the Granada Plus channel in the late 90s and then on DVD, when Warner Archive released the series eleven years ago. When I shared recent research I undertook around the series’ origins with Gary it fuelled our interest in extending that into a book covering the whole series.
Gary and I are planning to undertake new interviews with series participants and engage with the fan community for help with materials that will further support this exciting new project.
Gary runs a Harry O Facebook community page, which currently has 1,500 followers and was co-creator of the Alien War ‘total reality’ experience back in 1992.