Les Lannom (far left) with Lee Marvin (far right) in Prime Cut (1972), Les’ screen debut as an actor
Les Lannom today
Les Lannom, Prime Cut, and the smell of a good pipe
Original Airdates: Nov. 14-17, 2025
TVC 714.3: Ed welcomes Les Lannom, the actor known around the world as Lester Hodges on Harry O (ABC, 1974-1976), and a man who has worked with such movie and TV legends as Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Joe Don Baker, Sissy Spacek, Dennis Weaver, Pat Hingle, James Garner, David Carradine, and David Janssen in the course of his career. Topics this segment include the appeal of the smell of a good pipe, the merits of pipe smoking versus cigar smoking, and the bad experience that Les had while smoking a cigarette in 1971 during production of Prime Cut, his first film credit as an actor.
Les Lannom (right) with a pre-Dallas Jim Davis in “The Soul is the Warrior,” the episode of Kung Fu from February 1973 that played a direct role in Les being cast in “Such Dust as Dream are Made Of,” the first pilot for Harry O (and, eventually, landing the recurring role of Lester Hodges on the Harry O series)
Les Lannom, Kung Fu, and Harry O
Original Airdates: Nov. 14-17, 2025
TVC 714.5: Les Lannom talks to Ed about how his penchant for performing cold readings stems from his longtime passion for reading out loud; how his youthful appearances has sometimes worked in his favor (and sometimes not); and how a guest appearance on Kung Fu in 1972 not only put him on the radar of producers Jerry Thorpe, Alex Beaton, and Robert Dozier, but paved the way for his being cast in “Such Dust as Dreams Are Made Of,” the first pilot for Harry O.
Les Lannom (right) with David Janssen in a scene from “Such Dust as Dreams Are Made Of,” the first pilot for Harry O, which originally aired in March 1973
Les Lannom on working with David Janssen
Original Airdates: Nov. 14-17, 2025
TVC 714.6: Les Lannom talks to Ed about how he and David Janssen bonded almost immediately when they worked together on Harry O, partly because they shared an ability to laugh at themselves and not take themselves too seriously. Les not only wrote the foreword for The Harry O Viewing Companion by Steve Aldous and Gary Gillies, but contributed many behind-the-scenes anecdotes about production of the series. The Harry O Viewing Companion is available wherever books are sold through McFarland Books.
Les Lannom and David Janssen in a scene from “Mister Five and Dime”
Les Lannom, David Janssen, and “Mister Five and Dime”
Original Airdates: Nov. 21-24, 2025
TVC 715.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Les Lannom, the actor known around the world as Lester Hodges on Harry O (ABC, 1974-1976). Topics this segment include a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes about filming “Mister Five and Dime,” Les’ favorite episode of Harry O, including a funny story about an ad-lib in a scene near the end of the episode that originated with Les, but which David Janssen appropriated.
Les Lannom on why playing the bagpipes requires a strong stomach
Original Airdates: Nov. 11-14, 2025
TVC 715.5: Actor and musician Les Lannom talks to Ed about learning how to play the bagpipes when he was age forty; why one needs strong stomach muscles and a strong neck to play the bagpipes; the upcoming audiobook project about explorers Lincoln Ellsworth and Raold Amundsen in which Les will provide the voices; and the events leading up to Les’ guest appearance on Kung Fu in December 1972—a role led to Les being cast in the first pilot of Harry O in early 1973. Les not only wrote the foreword for The Harry O Viewing Companion by Steve Aldous and Gary Gillies, but contributed many behind-the-scenes anecdotes about production of the series. The Harry O Viewing Companion is available wherever books are sold through McFarland Books.
Les Lannom as cowboy Rufe Coker in “The Longhorns,” Episode 6 of the epic miniseries Centennial
Les Lannom, Henry Fonda, and James Garner
Original Airdates: Nov. 21-24, 2025
TVC 715.6: Actor and musician Les Lannom shares a few memories about working with Peter Falk in Columbo Goes to College (ABC, 1990), with James Garner in the miniseries Space (CBS, 1985), with Henry Fonda in the acclaimed made-for-TV movie Gideon’s Trumpet (CBS, 1980), and with Dennis Weaver in the epic miniseries Centennial (NBC, 1978-1979).
