Not long ago here, I recommended an old TV show to you — Harry O, which starred David Janssen in what's probably my favorite detective-type series of all time. Its two seasons are rerunning now on the sorta-new TV channel, MeTV-Plus, Monday through Fridays at 4 PM in my area. Several of you have written me that you've been watching 'em and liking 'em.
Whether you've sampled it or not, I call your attention to the episode rerunning there on Monday the 17th. It's called "Mr. Five and Dime" and it guest stars J. Pat O'Malley, Glynnis O'Connor and Michael Pataki. It's probably my favorite episode of the series in one of those "the plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense but it's awfully fun" kind of ways. Part of the reason is a standout performance by Anthony Zerbe as the long-suffering Police Lieutenant who has to put up with Harry Orwell (Janssen).
But also great in it is Les Lannom (above) in the recurring role of Lester Hodges, a wanna-be detective who hangs around Harry trying to learn from the master. Lannom appeared in a different role in Show 1 of Season 1 and it's obvious someone on the series said, "We've got to use that guy again." They did — several times — and in the next-to-last episode of the second season, they had Lester get involved with a wizened criminologist named Dr. Creighton Fong, played by Keye Luke.
It was a pretty obvious pilot for a spin-off series called Fong and Hodges but it didn't spin off…and that second season was the last season for Harry O so that was also the end of Lester Hodges. A search of Ye Olde Internet suggests that Mr. Lannom had (and still has) a pretty active career guest-starring in other shows and a few movies, and that he's also quite active as a musician, especially playing the bagpipes. I have a very funny mental picture of the expression on Harry Orwell's face if Lester ever walked into his house playing the bagpipes.