Hawaii Five-O
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Hawaii Five-O was a United States television series that starred Jack Lord and James MacArthur as detectives for a fictional Hawaiian state police department.
Overview
The show was produced and aired by the CBS television network from September 1968 to April 1980. It is currently aired in syndication throughout the world. Created by Leonard Freeman, Hawaii Five-O was shot on location in Honolulu, Hawaii and throughout the island of Oahu — with occasional filming in Los Angeles, California.Hawaii Five-O centers on a fictional state police force of the same name — in honor of Hawaii's status as the 50th State — led by former Navy officer Steve McGarrett (Lord), who was appointed by Governor Paul Jameson. McGarrett was assisted by Danny Williams (MacArthur) and a cadre of elite detectives —most notably Chin Ho Kelly and Honolulu Police Department Officer Duke Lukela. (At the time Hawaii was the only state without a statewide police agency. The Hawaii State Sheriff's Department now serves as the de facto state police.)
For 12 seasons McGarrett and his team hounded criminals and mob syndicates plaguing the Hawaiian Islands. With the aide of District Attorney and later Hawaii Attorney General John Manicote, McGarrett was successful in sending most of his enemies to prison. One such mob syndicate was led by crime family patriarch Honore Vachon, a character introduced in the fifth season. Blaming McGarrett for the death of his son, Vachon swore vengeance using all the resources available to him. Most episodes of Hawaii Five-O ended with the arrest of criminals with McGarrett's catch phrase to Williams, "Book 'em, Danno! Murder One!"
In many episodes McGarrett was drawn into the world of international espionage and national intelligence. McGarrett's archnemesis on Hawaii Five-O was an intelligence officer of the People's Republic of China, Wo Fat. The Communist rogue agent was played by Khigh Dheigh.
The show's action and straightforward storytelling left little time for personal stories such as wives and girlfriends. Occasionally a show would flash back to McGarrett's younger years and to a romantic figure. The viewer is left with the impression that McGarrett is wedded to the police force and to crime-fighting at this point in his life.
Legacy
-->The show became the longest running police drama until Law & Order broke the record almost twenty years after Hawaii Five-O ceased production. The popularity of the Hawaii Five-O format spawned various police dramas on all the major television networks since its debut. Another legacy is the popularity of the arranged Hawaii Five-O theme song composed by Morton Stevens, and performed by The Ventures, a surf music band (The TV theme sounds different from The Ventures one.), a song that is particularly popular for college and high school marching bands to play. Also, the term "Five-O" was adopted by American youth culture as a street slang term for the police.
The opening credits were no small part of the show's popularity. The show would begin with a "teaser" or prelude suggesting the sinister plot for the night's program. Cut to the big ocean wave ("Hawaii Five-O") and the start of the show's dynamic theme song. Fast-zoom-in to the top balcony of the Ilikai Hotel, where McGarrett would turn to face the camera ("Starring Jack Lord") followed by many quick-cuts and freeze-frames of Hawaiian scenery (including, memorably, a grass-skirted hula dancer from the Pilot, "Cocoon") and of the supporting players, thus setting the mood for the show, and the opening credits ending with a flashing blue light on a police car racing through a Honolulu street.
At the conclusion of the action-packed, suspense-filled episode, after the obligatory "Book 'em!", Jack Lord would narrate a teaser for the next week's episode, often emphasizing the "guest villain", especially if it was a perennial such as Khigh Dheigh, Hume Cronyn, etc, then closing the preview by saying "be there...aloha!" Unfortunately, these next episode teasers would be removed from the syndicated episodes, since most stations do not show the episodes in order of original network broadcast.
The closing credits repeated the theme music over a short film of either some outrigger canoeists battling the surf (second season onwards) or the top of a motorcycle unit (seen only during the first season) rushing through a darkened street with its flashing light in one corner of the screen. The latter image was eventually satirized in Leslie Nielsen's TV series and movies centering on a law enforcement team called Police Squad.
Trivia
- It has been rumored for many years that Jack Lord was a silent partner in all aspects of the production of Hawaii Five-O, even more so as the series grew in popularity during the 1970s. To critics and viewers, there was no question that Jack Lord was the center of the show, and that the other actors frequently served as little more than props, standing and watching while McGarrett emoted and paced around his office, analyzing the crime. But some episodes would focus on the other players, and let them showcase their own talents.
- Jack Lord was the only actor to appear in all episodes of Five-O and was the only original cast member remaining when its last episode aired in 1980.
- Today, James MacArthur is the only surviving original Five-O cast member, as Lord, Zulu and Fong have since died.
- The silent film actress Dorothy Mackaill was occasionally coaxed out of retirement to make appearances on the series.
- When the show was still on the air, the syndicated reruns were titled McGarrett.
- The show continues to be seen in Hawaii since it left the air thus making it the longest running show to continue airing in the state after it ceased production. It is currently seen on Honolulu independent outlet KWHE.
- The external shots of the fictional building of the Five-O squad was in actuality the I'olani Palace, which was the original home of the Hawaiian Monarchy.
Cast
- Steve McGarrett played by Jack Lord
- Danny "Danno" Williams played by James MacArthur
- Kono Kalakaua played by Zulu
- Chin Ho Kelly played by Kam Fong
- Attorney General John Manicote played by Glenn Cannon
- Ben Kokua played by Al Harrington
- Che Fong played by Harry Endo
- Doc Bergman played by Al Eben
- Duke Lukela played by Herman Wedemeyer
- Governor Paul Jameson played by Richard Denning
- James "Kimo" Carew played by William Smith (actor).
Supporting actors
- Wo Fat played by Khigh Dheigh
- Jonathan Kaye played by Lyle Bettger(season 10)
- Doc Bergman played by Al Eben
- Jonathan Kaye played by Bill Edwards (seasons 5-10)
- Lori Wilson played by Sharon Farrell (season 12)
- Che Fong played by Danny Kamekona (season 1)
- Truck Kealoha played by Moe Keale (season 12)
- Lieutenant Kealoha played by Douglas Mossman (season 1)
- Frank Kemana played by Douglas Mossman (season 7)
- Danny Williams played by Tim O'Kelley (pilot)
- May played by Maggi Parker
- Jenny Sherman played by Peggy Ryan
- Jonathan Kaye played by Joseph Sirola (season 2-5)
- James Kimo Carew played by William Smith (season 12)
- Luana played by Laura Sode
- Walter Stewart played by Morgan White (season 1)
References in popular culture
- "Five-O" has become popular slang for the police.
- Another measure of the show's continued high popularity is that it was lampooned in Mad Magazine, in a typical not-very-subtle satire called "How-Are-Ya Five-O", which appeared in 1971. The characters were renamed Steve "McGarrish" and "Dummy" Williams.
- The legacy of Five-O continued on into the series that replaced it, Magnum P.I., with many of the characters often referring to both Five-O and McGarrett. (Also, the show was filmed in Hawaii and many of the sets were re-used in Magnum)
- In a three-part episode of the situation comedy "Sanford & Son" set in Hawaii, the fictional Five-O bureau is referenced several times. Although no "Five-O" cast members appear, the bureau members that are portrayed mention McGarrett and a running joke about his hair while the show's famous theme song plays in the background.
- Australian punk band Radio Birdman wrote a song inspired by Hawaii Five-O entitled "Aloha Steve & Danno". It is the first song on their 1977 debut album Radios Appear and contains the chorus "Steve, I want to say thank you for all you've done for me. My night is dark and empty when you're not on TV."
- For many years after the show finished its run, GTE Hawaiian Tel included a warning to tourists in its phone books that in an emergency, they should dial 911 and not Hawaii Five-O. The AAA auto club provided a similar warning in its Hawaii Tourbook.
External links
- [Hawaii Five-O Home Page] at mjq.net
- [Hawaii Five-O information]
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