The Flip Side Is Death (18 Dec. 1973)

Four men, posing as Army specialists whose truck overturned and spilled cannisters marked as deadly VX nerve gas, evacuate a small town on Oahu's remote north coast. That evacuation ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Stanley

Writers:

Leonard Freeman (creator), Glen Olson,

Stars:

Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Al Harrington

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jack Lord	...	Det. Steve McGarrett
James MacArthur	...	Dan Williams
Al Harrington	...	Ben
Kam Fong	...	Chin Ho
Peter Haskell	...	Art Walker
Don Stroud	...	Tally Green
Frank Michael Liu	...	Pahia (as Frank Liu)
Gerald Waialae	...	Keao
Harry Endo	...	Che Fong
Herman Wedemeyer	...	Duke
Larry Goeas	...	Patrolman
Robert Harker	...	Major Lang

Storyline

Four men, posing as Army specialists whose truck overturned and spilled cannisters marked as deadly VX nerve gas, evacuate a small town on Oahu's remote north coast. That evacuation includes the bank, which the criminals then saw into and knock over for a fortune. McGarrett immediately orders a roadblock on the only highway up that side of the island, stranding the bank robbers far from any point of escape. McGarrett mans Five-O headquarters (he's absent from the action for most of this show) while Danny, Chin and Ben go op to investigate. The two mainland "haoles," a music-company owner and his buddy, have prepared for this by breaking down hundreds of old 8-track cassettes, stuffing the money inside them and giving them, a few at a time, to one of the locals, a driver for the resort hotel where they are staying, who can take them out in his van on supply runs and stash them elsewhere. The question, though, is whether the other local, a bellman at the same hotel, will crack under the...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1973 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Leonard Freeman Production, CBS Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

The Trouble With 8-Track

In "The Flip Side Is Death" we find out that Art Walker (Peter Haskell) needs the bank robbery loot because his music business is in trouble. It isn't overtly mentioned, but we learn why when it is revealed that he is a distributor of 8-Track cassettes, a format that, while certainly conducive to portable listening, had a shot lifespan with consumers due to reliability and usability. One of Five-0 strengths isn't fleshing out the characters of the good guys. Al Harrington's Ben, for example, doesn't even have a last name. It is therefore refreshing in this episode to learn that one of the patrolmen is a fan of Santana. It made me wonder what Danno liked to listen to in his free time. He didn't seem to have any qualms about smashing a Bob Dylan 8- Track cassette so perhaps he was one of those die hard folk fans who would have booed Dylan when he plugged in an electric guitar at Newport. And McGarrett seemed to show interest in playing the guitar in earlier episodes, but then apparently gave it up. Don Stroud played drums in "The Buddy Holly Story" but he doesn't get to do anything musical here; he just acts real mean and makes an excellent bad guy. In keeping with the music theme it should be noted that this episode was directed by Paul Stanley. I wonder if he ever directed Jean Simmons in anything?