Hostage 

When a robbery goes awry, a standoff with the police ensues and Lt. Trench offers himself as trade for one of the hostages. Harry must find the thief's girlfriend before hostages are killed.

Director:

Jerry London

Writers:

Howard Rodman (creator), Michael Sloan

Stars:

David Janssen, Anthony Zerbe, John Rubinstein

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Janssen	...	Harry Orwell
Anthony Zerbe	...	Lt. K.C. Trench
John Rubinstein	...	Richard Trask
George Murdock	...	Captain Shelldrake
George Loros	...	Paul Lavelle
Ayn Ruymen	...	Virginia McBain
Quinn K. Redeker	...	Harrison Bremmer (as Quinn Redeker)
Paul Tulley	...	Sgt. Roberts
Bruce Glover	...	Nathan Carroll
Colleen Camp	...	Karen Bremmer
Priscilla Pointer	...	Constance Faraday
Linda Gillen	...	Jill McBain
Don McGovern	...	Carl Devine
Tim Thomerson	...	Reporter (as Timothy Thomerson)
Charles Knapp	...	Photo Lab Manager

Storyline

A burglar is after $10,000 that he thinks is in a liquor store safe, but because the delivery of cash was late, the money isn't there. The store owner presses a silent alarm, which brings two patrolmen to the scene. One is shot inside the store while the other policeman calls for backup. Soon, a significant police presence is summoned, with Lieutenant Trench leading the way. The burglar - now holding three customers, the store owner, and the wounded policeman hostage - makes his demands known. Harry Orwell is called in to help find the burglar's girlfriend.

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Plot Keywords:

liquor store | hold up | heroin | girlfriend | rehab | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 February 1976 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 18, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Yuro and David Janssen, who share screen time here, had something else in common. They've both been romantically involved with Rosemary Forsyth.

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Quotes

Richard Trask: I never meant it to go this far.

User Reviews

Dog Day Afternoon

Using pretty much the same premise as Dog Day Afternoon, this hour of Harry O is pretty entertaining. All the essential elements are there. Instead of a bank robbery gone wrong, it's a liquor store robbery. Instead of needing money for an operation, the burglar needs the money for his girlfriend to get into a detox program. There's a hostage situation with a cop who's been shot and needs a doctor. A team tries to bust in through the back door. Media is camped out front broadcasting the situation live.

The burglar (actor John Rubinstein) exchanges two of the hostages for Lt. Trench, so Trench is inside the store negotiating with the burglar while Harry's on the outside doing all the legwork. Harry spends most of his time looking for the burglar's junkie girlfriend. But the bad guys are looking for her too. Harry's got two hours to find her or Trench dies.