Such Dust as Dreams Are Made On

Bear with me. Obviously Harry O is not Columbo. But this TV movie, the first pilot for the Harry O TV series, will remind you of some of the best of 70's Columbo, and even of modern shows like "Better Call Saul." While there are chase scenes and shootouts, sure, the film is not rushed and allows the viewer to seep into the story and the character. The beginning and ending are great examples: The opening scene, with Harry asleep and Garrison sitting in the foreground and all you see is his gun, blurred, and then the alarm goes off...and the final scene where the credits roll while Harry is sitting on the bench at the bus stop. Wonderful.

Another reviewer criticizes the Heroin making scene with Will Geer. This is the type of scene that generic shows don't have, but it's beauty is in it's detail and length.

The link to Columbo is that Janssen establishes a character, like Columbo, that is unique and interesting and mysterious (i.e. He doesn't reveal what he knows and what he's thinking) and both demonstrably think things out. In this film there's a great scene where Harry sits on the beach and has his lover ask him "obvious" questions to try to suss out some answers, just like Columbo often does (although Columbo usually quizzes himself!).

And I liked how throughout the film they show Harry jogging every morning, with the payoff being that he can outlast the younger Sal Mineo in the ending chase scene.

All in all, excellent!

"Such Dust as Dreams Are Made On" is the first pilot movie for the show which was to become "Harry O"...a detective show starring David Janssen. Apparently, the network saw enough promise in this movie to okay another pilot...and then the series. I have not seen the series nor the second pilot, though based on this film, I could see why the network liked it...and saw it could use a lot more work.

There is MUCH about this pilot that made no sense..much. It begins with Harry being woken up by a guy (Martin Sheen) who makes an odd admission--he was the guy who shot Harry four years earlier during a holdup and apparently this is why Harry was pensioned off the police force. Now the guy wants Harry to help him (??)...to find the guy trying to kill him as well as find his junkie girlfriend.

In addition to this assignment making little sense, Harry meets a woman in a bad (Margot Kidder) and then borrows her car...and she lets him. Nor do many of his sudden deductions make much sense...they just seem to come from out of no where.

Overall, this isn't a bad film but plot problems abound...as if the writers didn't spend enough time thinking through all the details. It is enjoyable...but easy to skip.

This made for TV movie was the first pilot for the "Harry-O" tv series, but didn't sell the show. Another pilot was commissioned (Smile Jenny, You're Dead) and aired a year later and it got "Harry-O" picked up as a weekly series. "Such Dust..." introduced Harry Orwell (PI, womanizer and curmundgeon) that we liked so much during the series; a guy you wanted to go out and have a beer with. Like in the TV show, Harry's little Austin-Healy sports car was perpetually broken down, and Harry used the bus to get around LA to solve his cases. In this instance Harry meets up with Harlan Garrison (Martin Sheen), the fellow who shot him (and caused Harry to have to retire from the police force) several years earlier. Harlan wants Harry's help to find the other fellow (played by Sal Mineo) who was involved in the shooting, who is also trying to kill him. Sounds sort of complicated, but it made for an interesting plot. This movie was far more dark than the second pilot, and the series for that matter, which may explain the second pilot with its retooling. I like it alot, and try to catch it when it is shown from time to time on sunday afternoons. Last note; it was originally a two hour movie, but was edited down to 1 1/2 hours for syndication.