Jo Ann Harris on Barnaby Jones in 1974

1970's TV goddess Jo Ann Harris made three appearances on the popular private detective series Barnaby Jones. Her first guest spot on the show was in 1974 in an episode titled "Odd Man Loses," which also featured guest stars Dick Van Patten and Christopher Stone.

Jo Ann Harris & Buddy Ebsen

In this episode of Barnaby Jones, Jo Ann Harris portrays the young and beautiful wife of an older man (Dick Van Patten) who works as an accountant for a large company. Reluctantly, Van Patten has teamed with the two other guys from his carpool to steal a briefcase full of cash from an important executive. Of course, the robbery goes horribly wrong and, even though the trio of amateur criminals get away with the money, they have to cover-up a murder and try to keep their cool when a private investigator starts asking tough questions.

Jo Ann Harris & Dick Van Patten

The excessively lovely Jo Ann Harris does a terrific job here. She gives a strong, confident performance as a woman (perhaps unwittingly) involved in a heinous crime. In the beginning of the episode she acts like a spoiled wife and, by the end, she has had an opportunity to utilize her patented 'bad girl' persona. Overall, this can be considered yet another '70s television triumph for the talented and visually striking actress. 

Jo Ann Harris on The FBI

If you were watching American TV in the '70s, chances are that you would eventually come across the beautiful actress Jo Ann Harris guest starring on one of your favorite shows. In 1973, she made a very memorable appearance on the long running television crime series The FBI. 

For her role on The FBI, Harris utilized her 'bad girl' persona, an extension of the one she used to great effect in the feature film The Beguiled a few years before. In the episode titled 'Sweet Evil', Jo Ann Harris played Mary Ann Linden, the younger sister of Cass Linden (Melissa Murphy). Cass had turned to a life of crime following the failure of her modelling career and, along with her violent boyfriend Beau (Andrew Prine), she now steals money and other valuable objects from various people. When the outlaw couple arrives in Tennessee for a short visit to the childhood home of Cass, they end up leaving with Mary Ann.

It turns out that Mary Ann is a troubled youth and she has no problem acclimating herself to the life of a criminal. She even toys with the idea of killing an older gentleman before Beau puts a stop to it. But, of course, the FBI is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to apprehend them.

Jo Ann Harris, full of devilish grins and searing stares, perfectly portrays a youthful criminal on the loose for the first time. She's extremely physically attractive and she seems to relish playing an evil young lady. It's a chilling TV episode made even more disturbing by her haunting portrayal. Any fan of Jo Ann Harris is encouraged to take a look at her guest spot on this classic television show.  

Jo Ann Harris and actress Melissa Murphy

Jo Ann Harris on TV 1975-79

Jo Ann Harris was on TV a lot during the 1970s. Previously, we examined some of her appearances early in the decade. Now it's time to take a look at a few of her guest roles from the second half of the '70s. This is, of course, far from being a complete view of the work of Jo Ann Harris. The beautiful and talented actress was on many shows and not all of them are easy to find today. Regardless, I hope you can enjoy these snapshots of a lovely Jo Ann Harris in her prime!

---

Jo Ann Harris on Hawaii 5-O in 1975:

Jo Ann Harris and Bruce Boxleitner

Jo Ann Harris in Rich Man, Poor Man in 1976:

Jo Ann Harris and Peter Strauss

Jo Ann Harris on The Love Boat in 1977:

Jo Ann Harris on Fantasy Island in 1978:

Jo Ann Harris on BJ and the Bear in 1979:

Jo Ann Harris in The Wild Wild West Revisited in 1979:

Jo Ann Harris on TV 1968-72

Jo Ann Harris is one of those great performers that time seems to have been forgotten. The actress began working in 1967 and maintained a near constant presence on television for the next dozen years with sporadic appearances thereafter. Jo Ann Harris is a joy to watch and embodies the rare combination of talent and beauty. She was equally adept at comedy and drama, her physical attractiveness allowing her to play the pretty girl and her comedic sensibilities usually leading her towards quirky roles.

Keeping all this in mind, Jo Ann Harris is certainly worthy of a retrospective pictorial. Presented in chronological order, here are some great images of Jo Ann Harris from various 1968-72 television appearances:

---

Jo Ann Harris on Dragnet in 1968:

Jo Ann Harris on Judd for the Defense in 1968:

Jo Ann Harris on Adam-12 in 1969:

Jo Ann Harris on Gunsmoke in 1969:

Jo Ann Harris on The Mod Squad in 1969:

Jo Ann Harris on The High Chaparral in 1969:

Jo Ann Harris with Heather Menzies on The High Chaparral in 1969:

Jo Ann Harris on Medical Center in 1970:

Jo Ann Harris on The Virginian in 1970:

Jo Ann Harris on Medical Center in 1972:

Jo Ann Harris on Medical Center in 1972:

Jo Ann Harris on The Streets of San Francisco in 1972:

Jo Ann Harris on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors in 1972:

Jo Ann Harris in The Gay Deceivers

In 1969, Jo Ann Harris co-starred in The Gay Deceivers. The movie, about two straight guys who pretend to be gay in order to dodge the Vietnam draft, was a humorous, fairly liberal look at homosexuality in late 1960s California. Because it was 1969 and the filmmakers were making something for a wide audience, they couldn't really go too, too far with the material. However, they pretty much all but said that one of the two lead characters (who was supposed to be a narcissistic womanizing gigolo) was actually gay. Despite any subtext, The Gay Deceivers is a great movie, working both as a fun romp and a nice time capsule for the period.

Jo Ann Harris has a smaller role in The Gay Deceivers and she plays the sister of one of the lead characters. She has a couple key scenes and actually provides the only real female nudity in the film. The actress is quite appealing and certainly charming in her role.

In 1969, it really seemed like Jo Ann Harris was going places. Right around the time The Gay Deceivers was released was when the actress was starting to get nice featured roles in television and film projects. Though Jo Ann Harris had definite star quality and had a number of triumphs over the next decade, her career never progressed to that higher level of fame and recognition. With The Gay Deceivers, we get to see a young Jo Ann Harris, eager to conquer Hollywood and ready for bigger things.

---

Here are some images of Jo Ann Harris in The Gay Deceivers: