The Capsule Kidnapping (12 Feb. 1976)

Two idealists plan to kidnap the son of a Japanese industrialist as a way to generate $1.5 million toward their dream of researching ways for man to live under the sea. They don't realize ... See full summary »

Director:

Bernard McEveety

Writers:

Leonard Freeman (creator), Jack Epps Jr.,

Stars:

Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lord	...	Det. Steve McGarrett
James MacArthur	...	Dan Williams
Kam Fong	...	Chin Ho
Bruce Boxleitner	...	Paul Colburn
Liam Sullivan	...	Dr. Tolvar
Susie Elene	...	Asuko (as Suesie Elene)
Dan Taba	...	Sunahara (as Daniel Taba)
Sam Sanford	...	Sam Sanford
Bill Edwards	...	Jonathan Kaye
Al Eben	...	Doc
Harry Endo	...	Che Fong
Herman Wedemeyer	...	Duke
George M. Kennedy	...	Comm. Fredericks
Shawn Sherman	...	Tadashi
Elizabeth Smith	...	Landlady

Storyline

Two idealists plan to kidnap the son of a Japanese industrialist as a way to generate $1.5 million toward their dream of researching ways for man to live under the sea. They don't realize their confederate is really part of a Japanese terrorist group. She has no intention of letting the boy live. Five-O has to race against time. The kidnapped child is in an airtight capsule underneath the ocean and he has only a limited air supply.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1976 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Television Network, Leonard Freeman Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams drive away from the location where the ransom money is delivered, McGarrett's car clearly has a rear view mirror. But for the rest of the episode the two of them are frequently shown through the car's windshield and the mirror is missing - apparently having been removed so that it did not obstruct the camera's view of the their faces.

User Reviews

A bit overly complicated and dumb.

Aside from being one of quite a few episodes that featured Bruce Boxleitner, there isn't a whole lot to distinguish this show. Most of this is because the plot is WAY overly complicated--showing that the plot really wasn't thought out all that well.

The show begins with a kidnapping and murder. Apparently, the child they snatched is the son of some rich Japanese industrialist. Now here is where it gets complicated and you'd think that the seemingly well-educated and smart crooks are actually idiots! First, to knock out the boy'd mother, they use a toxin derived from Lionfish!! This is WAY too complicated and also would seem to point the finger at exactly the sort of folks who had the know-how to do the crime! Second, instead of keeping the kid in a shack somewhere, they construct a VERY expensive underwater bubble in which the kid is housed. Not surprisingly, the technical sophisticated needed for this naturally ALSO leads the police to the folks who had the know-how to commit the crime!! This is like a James Bond villain who comes up with a ridiculously complicated plan--when a much easier plan would have worked much better. Eventually, the plot ended up including Japanese communist terrorists! 'Nuff said about a simple plot! Overall, reasonably enjoyable but kind of stupid at the same time.