| “ | Harry Solomon: Vote for Harry S. Solomon! The S. Stands for knowhow ... I mean Snowhow! | ” |
–Harry Solomon | ||
Harry S. Solomon is the brother of Dick and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. In a 1998 interview French Stewart said of the character, "The way the character was originally described to me was he would be an idiot on any planet. So he's got to be the biggest idiot in the universe!"
As stated by Harry himself his role in the average American family disguise that the family had adopted was to be "the sponge". Because of this most of Harry's jobs are extremely short-lived but the longest one to date was when he became a bartender. Aside from this, a key story of Harry was when he joined night school and miraculously passed.
Harry has had a string of moderately successful relationships. The longest-standing one was with Vicki but encourages her to have a relationship with the Big Giant Head instead after the birth of their child and another one with a strong, muscular but sweet female cop.
Personality[]
Correctly described as "the biggest idiot in the universe", Harry is recognized for his comical squint, nasal voice, signature fur coat and pratfalls, commonly caused due to cranial trauma. Harry is the only member of the unit who does not play an integral factor of the common American family disguise they have adapted to, as he doesn’t have a long-term job or far-reaching prospects, simply stating that his role in the household as being "the sponge" and spends most of his time watching TV or other insignificant tasks, which only he deals with high esteem, given to him by the High Commander largely due to pity (such as testing all fluids in the apartment to test whether they toxic or nontoxic). However, Harry also has a carefree attitude for life, in spite or perhaps because of his foolishness and occasional selfishness, he does believe life has been good to him.
Despite his quirky, alien nature on Earth, Harry has exceeded on various other areas that do not entirely require intellectuality, surpassing that of Dick and Tommy in some specific regards. He was revealed to be a talented artist when he got enrolled in a class, exceeding the standards of his art teacher and Dick himself. Conversely, he’s extremely popular with women, namely Vicki Dubcek, who he’s in a passionate, long-standing relationship and Sasha, another alien who, despite being sent to Earth to control men, began to develop actual feelings for him because of his innocently charming nature. Harry can also be surprisingly perceptive, even with his foolish nature, he was able to give relevant and actually good advice to Sally and Dick during their low-points (Dick losing Mary to Tommy and Sally being sexually harassed by her boss). The end result is that with whatever brain cells he has or uses are too sidetracked due to his preoccupation and addiction with TV, but with television removed from the equation, he becomes more self-assured, correcting his superiors on their flaws and foibles and proactively enforcing them to take action during their trickier situations, that is until he watches TV again.
Arrival and life on Earth[]
On first arrival to earth, Harry, unlike the rest of the crew, didn't have a definable purpose to the mission. In the opening credits of Season 1, the Narrator (voiced by James Earl Jones) lists out each members role, when it comes to Harry he says "Well... They had an extra seat!"
Soon after arrival the family tell Harry that he has a transmitter inside his head which is used to communicate with the "home planet". After this revelation Harry assumes the title of Communications Officer. The others agree on this so Harry doesn't feel left out.
When Harry receives a message, which is usually come from either The Big Giant Head or his office and without prior warning, he is completely taken over. The first signs are always physical - he immediately shudders violently, garbles incoherently, then adopts a stance with bent knees and upraised arms, palms forward. Messages always begin "Incoming message from the Big Giant Head!" or "Transmission incoming from the Big Giant Head!". The voice used for the messages are in a more robotic voice than Harry normally uses. The messages end with Harry saying "Resume normal functions in three ... two ... one ...", or later "transmission ending in three ... two ... one ..." after which Harry will normally sneeze or belch and, as he is unaware of what has happened, will comment "So... What'd I miss?!"
Harry is also considered very handsome and at one point he even loses his signature squint in order to look more refined. During his time on earth Harry got a job as a bartender, and graduated from night school, and even learned how to panhandle. At one point he attempted to have a baby with Vicki but the Big Giant Head did so first.
Relationships[]
Despite all of Harry's peculiarity and quirkiness, he has had many dates and seems to be a very adept lover. Harry's date has included a well-toned policewoman, a woman at the laundromat, and even Mary Albright's office assistant Nina Campbell. In the episode The Thing That Wouldn't Die, Harry made a date with a clerk named Sam who he sees her again in a restaurant as a waitress using her real name 'Samantha', he makes another date with her. Unmindful that it is the same person, Harry believes he has dated twins. Also, in the series finale, it’s revealed he has had an ongoing affair with Mrs. Dubcek.
Vicki Dubcek[]
Harry And Vicki
Of all of Harry's relationships, his most successful was with Mrs. Dubcek's daughter, Vicki. The two often have conversations as if they were in a porno, similar to how Sally and Don often have conversations like an old crime drama. Their relationship was often interrupted; examples include Vicki's commitment to physical and spiritual purity to the point that she becomes celibate; and her pregnancy with the Big Giant Head's child.
Alternative Universe[]
In the two-part episode Dick'll Take Manhattan, Harry is a big shot NBC network Executive in contrast to his most known role as a total idiot. As a network executive, he splits the show "Will and Grace" into two separate shows claiming that Will will have one night and Grace the other. When Dick and Sally decide to return to their universe, Harry is resistant at first. But soon, he is told he has been replaced as network executive by Mrs. Dubcek. And then, he’s ready to go home.
Trivia[]
- Harry has the most romantic relationships out of the Solomons.
- Despite his relationships with women, he dated a few men.
- His best friend is a deputy sheriff named Micheal.
Gallery[]
