In Shades housekeeper Clara Wooster is found by the police in the apartment of a dead man, Alex Deckard, we know she is innocent but the police arrest her for murder and she even admits to doing it.
Clara’s employer Grace Duvall hires Harry to investigate. Harry becomes convinced she is covering up for someone. Harry talks to Cleon Jackson a well known gangster in the area, and it’s way more complicated than that as it turns out. Clara is actually Grace’s mother and Grace was being blackmailed over the knowledge and the gun that killed Deckard actually belonged to Grace. The police then let Clara go and arrest Grace instead.
Meanwhile Harry learns that Alex Deckard was a debt collector for gangster Peter MacNamara, it seems a book of Deckard’s, listing all of the people who owed MacNamara money, was stolen when he was murdered.
A nicely complicated episode with an excellent guest appearance from Louis Gossett Jr as Cleon and some nicely humorous touches in the scenes with Harry and his car mechanic Nat Collins (played by Lincoln Kilpatrick).
production details
USA / ABC / x minute episode / Broadcast 2 Oct 1975
Writer: Michael Sloan / Story: Eugene Crisci, Ron Jacoby / Director: Richard Lang
Series: Harry O Season 2 Episode 4
cast
David Janssen as Harry Orwell
Anthony Zerbe as Lt. K.C. Trench
Louis Gossett as Cleon Jackson
Lincoln Kilpatrick as Nat Collins
Linden Chiles as Raymond Duvall
Maidie Norman as Clara Wooster
Paul Tulley as Sergeant Roberts
Anjanette Comer as Grace Duvall
Bill Henderson as Spencer Johnson
Thayer David as Peter MacNamara
David Moody as Steele
Junero Jennings as Tremaine
G.W. Bailey as Garner
