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

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:

Gregory Peck was offered the lead role of McGarrett. He turned it down.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the original 1968 Mercury was retired, and replaced with a '74 Marquis Brougham 4-door hardtop, some stock footage was used of the '68 passing or in traffic.

Quotes:

Det. Steve McGarrett: Aloha. Aloha, suckers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '70s: Volume 2" (2006)

Too Good Not to Be on DVD

It is hard to believe that years after the development of the DVD, that this great series has not been released on this format. Personally, I think Five-0 was one of the best ensemble shows of all-time. Steve McGarrett was a larger-than-life (and too good to be true) character that you could root for in all occasions. The remainder of the team was cast with varying results, with both James McArther as Danno, and Kam Fong as Chin Ho Kelly being excellent in their roles. Even the mediocre Zulu as Kono would share the occasional "Hey brot'r". I personally feel that the long-time nemesis Wo Fat, played to the hilt by Khigh Dhiegh, is one of the best bad guys of all time TV. The running clash between McGarrett and Wo Fat always made Steve's life interesting. My favorite episode is the light and comical, "Over Fifty? Steal!" starring Hume Cronyn as Lewis Filer. Also exceptional was the 3 episode block, "V for Vashon" starring Harold Gould. This is one TV series that I will definitely be purchasing if it is ever available in the DVD format. For my money, I place my Top 3 all-time TV series as: 1) X-Files; 2) Hawaii Five-0; and 3) The Dick Van Dyke Show. The other two are available; hopefully the folks holding the current rights to Five-0 will realize there is a huge pool of people ready to spend their hard-earned $$ once available. Thanks for reading, I hope this was beneficial to you.