Though an incredible actor, Stefanie Powers also valued her own personal peace. During an interview with director Tom Mankiewicz, Powers expressed trepidation when she was approached to star in the hit series Hart to Hart.

“You’d think with all the work and disappointment she’s had with her career, she would have jumped at the chance,” said Mankiewicz to the New York Times. “She was the reluctant debutante, though. Stefanie is one of the few actresses I know who puts her personal life first.”

However, Powers argued that the premise of the crime series was so compelling that she had to join the cast. “I really care about this show,” Powers said. “The writing is better than anything I’ve worked with before.”

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Producer Leonard Goldberg wanted to put a new spin on an old genre. Hart to Hart centered around a couple whose marriage was just as important as the crimes they solved.

“We thought the public was looking for a show with glamour, style, fun and adventure, exemplified by a married couple who were really in love with each other,” said Goldberg, “instead of the usual henpecked husband and nagging wife, a kind of Mr and Mrs. North.”

Mankiewicz, who was tapped to rewrite the original pilot script, was also chosen to direct the first episode.

“I knew Tom wasn’t interested in writing for television,” said Goldberg. “He’s a screenwriter. But I knew he was interested in directing. I told him, ‘If you do the rewrite, you can direct the pilot,’ and he went for it.”