"CHIEFLY O'HARAS" - HELEN ON THE FORCE

"CHIEFLY O'HARAS"

[EPISODE EIGHT]

"POLICE WOMAN"

At some point during her four years at UMetro, Helen J. O'Hara's mother passed away. Her two younger brothers, Jim and Frank, had moved away themselves to go to college (although Frank dropped out to begin his life as a confidence trickster). And with her father eventually moving to Gotham City to accept the position of police chief, Helen had no reason to move back to Nebraska upon graduation.

(On the other hand, her second cousin Kate McShane was a native New Yorker. Once she graduated, Kate moved back to the Big Apple to go to law school there.)

Over those four years, Helen came to love Metropolis and she decided to peg her career in law enforcement there. With a glowing recommendation from Professor Hyatt, Helen was accepted into the police academy. Helen's favorite courses there brought in guest lecturers like Lt. Frank Ballinger, a private investigator named Martin Kane, and her favorite, Officer Casey Jones of the NYPD. Jones was an undercover police woman who would become Helen's role model.

LT. FRANK BALLINGER
Running late for his lecture

MARTIN KANE
Addressing the class 

CASEY JONES
Role model for Helen O'Hara

The academy also had a visitor from Scotland Yard.  Colonel March happened to be in Metropolis to work on a case with Superman which had supernatural overtones.  After they solved the mystery, the Colonel was more than happy to do the favor for Superman's friends on the force.   

COLONEL MARCH
From the Department Of Queer Complaints

(Acting as his aide was a young constable named Dirk who became absolutely smitten with Helen during the visit. It was all she could do to politely fend off his advances.)

DIRK OF THE YARD

Helen graduated from the police academy with high honors and she then joined the Metropolis police department. She quickly rose through the ranks to become a plain-clothes detective by 1958.

Inspector Henderson served as her mentor on the force and he couldn't speak highly enough of her capabilities on the job. Henderson would often recommend her for the dangerous undercover assignments, knowing that she could handle it and get the job done.

INSPECTOR HENDERSON
Helen's boss and mentor

After all, the Metropolis police department couldn't depend on Superman all the time.

HELEN O'HARA
Working undercover

But there finally came a time when Superman and this superb police woman teamed up on a case. And that union proved to be a major complication in her life.....

SHOWS CITED:

• 'Adventures Of Superman'
• 'Batman'
• 'Checkmate'
• 'Colonel March Of Scotland Yard'
• 'Columbo'
• 'Decoy'
• 'Kate McShane'
• 'M Squad'
• 'Martin Kane, Private Investigator'
• 'O'Hara, U.S. Treasury'
• 'Psych'

Coming up next: "Decoy"

BCnU!