"Hawaii Five-O" King Kamehameha Blues (1969)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Barry Shear

Writers:

Leonard Freeman (creator)
Robert Hamner (written by)

TV Series:

"Hawaii Five-O" (1968)

Original Air Date:

12 November 1969 (Season 2, Episode 8)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A group of college students devise a plan to break into Bishop Museum and steal King Kamehameha's cloak...

Plot Keywords:

Hawaii | Police | Investigation | Book Em Danno | Archenemy

Cast

Jack Lord	...	Det. Steve McGarrett
James MacArthur	...	Danny
Zulu	...	Kono
Kam Fong	...	Chin Ho
Brandon De Wilde	...	Arnold Potter (as Brandon de Wilde)
Jennifer Leak	...	Diana Cole
Vincent Eder	...	Johnny Kalama
Randall Duk Kim	...	Eddie (as Randall Kim)
Hal Lewis	...	Announcer
Robert Dixon	...	Thorpe
Barton McCollough	...	Officer Kai
Danny Kamekona	...	Technician (as Daniel Kamekona)
Donna Kei Benz	...	Guide (as Donna Benz)
Willa-Jo Broussard	...	Little Girl

Runtime:

51 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

Leonard Freeman Production

Lightweight Entry Notable Mainly for Brandon De Wilde's Presence

This is a breezy but fast-paced entry dealing with a caper to steal the feathered cloak of the eponymous King Kamehameha. The plot devolves into an establishment-versus-rebellious-teens conflict that was probably inevitable given its 1969 origins; still, the plotting of the caper is intricately edited, and in one noteworthy scene, the discussion among the students regarding their plans is carefully inter-cut with another scene in which McGarrett reviews the museum's security system with its curator. Still, if you've seen "How to Steal a Million," "Topkapi, or "Dead Heat on a Merry-go-Round," it will look somewhat familiar.

The episode is primarily interesting today, therefore, from the standpoint of the four actors playing the college kids. Vincent Eder, as the "muscle man" of the quartet, makes his second and last appearance of the series (his earlier role, in "To Hell with Babe Ruth," was as a police officer!). Randall Duk Kim, billed as "Randall Kim," makes his third and final "Five-O" appearance as the "flyweight" member of the team; although he was later lauded as a stage performer, his film career virtually disappeared after this, until he came roaring back in the '90s and '00s with roles in the likes of "The Matrix Reloaded." Jennifer Leak, already married to her former colleague Tim Matheson from "Yours, Mine and Ours," wasn't given much to do here except react to the others; she acted only sporadically until the mid-80s.

Most noteworthy, sadly, is the presence of preternaturally young Brandon De Wilde; he had only three years to live before he would die at 30 in a motorcycle accident on his way to a theater performance in Colorado, and as he had begun acting in these out-of-the-way venues, his filmed performances were fairly rare in his last years. This isn't a particularly rewarding role as the anti-establishmentarian rich kid, but it's fun to see him sporting a thin mustache in an attempt -- at the age of 27! -- to look a little older than he almost always did. Even in a thankless role like this, mostly trading barbs with McGarrett or urging his cohorts to "stick it to the Man," De Wilde was always interesting to watch, and having this performance is just a reminder of the tragedy of his loss at so young an age.