"Hawaii Five-O" (1968) TV series 1968-1980

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Creator:

Leonard Freeman

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Release Date:

26 September 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

The investigations of Hawaii Five-0, an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police answerable only to the governor and headed by stalwart Steve McGarrett.

Plot Keywords:

Hawaii | Police | Investigation | Archenemy | Book Em Danno

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Jack Lord	...	Det. Steve McGarrett (282 episodes, 1968-1980)
James MacArthur	...	Det. Danny Williams / ... (260 episodes, 1968-1979)
Kam Fong	...	Det. Chin Ho Kelly / ... (241 episodes, 1968-1978)
Herman Wedemeyer	...	Edward D. 'Duke' Lukela / ... (153 episodes, 1968-1980)

Also Known As:

McGarrett (USA) (rerun title)

Runtime:

60 min (284 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Hawaii Film Studio - 18th Avenue & Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

'P.I. (1980) Magnum' began production soon after this series wrapped its last episode. In order to keep some sort of continuity, reference to characters from this show were included in early episodes of Magnum. However, a plan to have Jack Lord appear as McGarrett never came to pass. Lord retired from acting after the series went off the air. Second half of first episode of 'P.I. (1980) Magnum' makes reference to McGarrett when speaking about the bad assignments for Dan: "Putting Dan on this stuff is like making McGarrett the meter maid on Waikiki."

Goofs:

Continuity: In "The Capsule Kidnapping", the kidnappers are attempting to flee from McGarrett in a private airplane. When they board the plane and while McGarrett's chasing them around on the taxiways of the airport, the plane is a twin engine propeller aircraft. When it becomes airborne, the aircraft shown is a twin engine jet.

Quotes:

Det. Steve McGarrett: Aloha. Aloha, suckers.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Earthquake (1974)

Aloha!

Arguably the greatest of all the American cop shows of the seventies, Hawaii Five-0 ran throughout this decade, though actually started and finished its run outside of this era (1968 and 1980 respectively). At its peak (season five, in my opinion) it was unbeatable entertainment. Though entertainment it was and always will be if you learn not to take the show too seriously and realism isn't your bag! Seasons one to six represent the show's golden age, seasons seven, eight and nine show a noticeable deterioration in quality and the final three seasons aren't worth setting the video for! One of the primary reasons for the show's success can be attributed to Jack Lord's inimitable portrayal of tough no nonsense cop Steve McGarrett. From its inception in the 1968 pilot movie 'cocoon', McGarrett pitted wits with villain 'Wo Fat' and continued to do so on numerous occasions until the series ended in 1980. Other regulars included James MacArthur as Danny 'Danno' Williams (1968-1979) and Chin Ho Kelly played by Kam Fong (1968-1979) The show exuded coolness in every frame shot, the opening title sequence today looks as fresh and as exciting as it ever did - thirty years on! Morton Stevens' pulsating theme tune without doubt is one of the most vibrant pieces of music to ever accompany a television series. In short, the show is pure escapism that has never and may never be rivalled again. Notable episodes are: Over Fifty? Steal (episode #59); No Bottles.....No Cans......No People (episode #74); and the Vashon trilogy from season 5 (episodes #105, #106 and #107).