HAWAII FIVE-O: THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE LEGENDARY POLICE SERIES THAT DEFINED A GENERATION

Hawaii Five-O (known in Brazil as Hawaii 5.0 and in Portugal as Hawaii: Special Force) is an American police television series created by Leonard Freeman, starring Jack Lord, and produced by Leonard Freeman Productions (through Season 6) and the CBS television network. The series aired for 12 seasons, from 1968 to 1980, with a total of 283 episodes broadcast (284 were produced). Set against the paradise-like backdrop of the Hawaiian Islands, the series portrays a violent criminal underworld that must be fought by the famous elite Five-O division, the state police unit that confronts saboteurs, vigilantes, revolutionaries, and other criminals, including the notorious villain Wo Fat. The show's theme music was composed by Morton Stevens and remains popular to this day. ## Plot Hawaii Five-O is a government law-enforcement team whose name pays tribute to Hawaii being the 50th state of the United States. The team is led by Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord), a retired Navy officer appointed by Governor Paul Jamenson (Richard Denning). The original Five-O team includes Danny Williams (James MacArthur), Kono Kalakaua (Zulu), and Chin Ho Kelly (Kam Fong). In Season 5, Honolulu Police Department Sergeant Duke Lukela (Herman Wedemeyer) joined the team, along with Ben Kokua (Al Harrington), who replaced Kono. In Season 7, Detective Frank Kamana (Douglas Mossman) joined the team, replacing Ben Kokua. In Season 8, Sergeant Duke Lukela was promoted to Five-O detective. In Season 12, James "Kimo" Carew (William Smith), Lori Wilson (Sharon Farrell), and Truck Kealoha (Moe Keale) joined the series. The Five-O team consisted of only three to five members, making it an unusually small force for a state police agency. The secretaries were May (Maggie Parker), Jenny (Peggy Ryan-Sherman), and Luana (Laura Sode). The forensic scientists were Che Fong (Harry Endo, Seasons 1–10), Iolani (Season 10), and Henry (Seasons 11–12). The medical examiner was Dr. "Doc" Bergman (Al Eben, Seasons 2–11). The district attorney was John Manicote (Glenn Cannon, Seasons 5–9). Throughout the 12 seasons, McGarrett and Five-O investigated a wide variety of crimes, arrested international secret agents and criminals, and dismantled organized crime syndicates. To accomplish this, McGarrett and other officers frequently went undercover to infiltrate criminal organizations. McGarrett's greatest villain and number-one enemy was Chinese intelligence officer Wo Fat (Khigh Dheigh). Five-O was unable to capture him until the final episode of the series. In addition to Wo Fat, there were other major villains, including the Vashon family, consisting of Chris Vashon (killed by McGarrett), Honore Vashon (arrested), and Dominic Vashon (who died by suicide). There was also Tony Alika (Ross Martin), the head of Hawaii's largest criminal organization, known as "Kumu." In many episodes, Steve McGarrett would tell his subordinate Danny Williams, "Book 'em, Danno," a phrase that became extremely popular in the United States. ## Production CBS produced the series and broadcast it from September 20, 1968, to April 4, 1980. The series was filmed almost entirely in Hawaii. During the first season, interior scenes were filmed in a small military studio. For the second season, a dedicated facility, the Hawaii Film Studio, was built in Pearl City, near Pearl Harbor. Fortunately, the show featured many outdoor scenes filmed against Hawaii's spectacular natural landscapes. Only a few episodes were filmed outside Hawaii, most notably in Los Angeles, Singapore, and Hong Kong. It has been said that the success of the show, particularly during the 1970s, contributed to an increase in tourism to Hawaii because the series effectively served as a visual postcard for the islands. Many famous actors appeared in the series, including Ricardo Montalbán, Ross Martin, Christopher Walken, George Lazenby, Gavin MacLeod, Kurt Russell, Herbert Lom, Jeff Daniels, Tommy Sands, James Gregory, Leslie Nielsen, Nehemiah Persoff, Simon Oakland, Sal Mineo, and Victoria Principal, among others. There are also some realistic details worth noting. Unlike many television series and movies, in which fictional telephone numbers usually begin with 555, the Five-O team used an actual telephone number: 732-5577. After the series ended in 1980, CBS aired Season 12 late at night under the title McGarrett. The other seasons were already being broadcast under the original title. ## Development According to information revealed during a 1996 reunion of the series, the original concept was considerably different from what ultimately appeared on television. For example, the idea of filming the series in Hawaii reportedly came from a conversation between creator Leonard Freeman and Hawaii Governor John A. Burns. The original plan was to film the series in San Pedro, California, but a friend and the governor of Hawaii convinced Freeman to shoot the series in Hawaii instead. Before naming the series Hawaii Five-O, Leonard Freeman considered calling it "The Man." ### Cast Freeman initially offered the role of McGarrett to actor Richard Boone, a friend of his, but Boone declined. The role was subsequently offered to Gregory Peck and Robert Brown, who also turned it down. Finally, Jack Lord was approached. According to an interview with his wife, Rose Marie Lord, Jack Lord, who was living in Beverly Hills at the time, was invited to participate in the series on Tuesday. He received the script on Wednesday, read it on Thursday, flew to Hawaii on Friday, and by Monday was already in front of the cameras. Jack Lord and Leonard Freeman had previously worked together on an unsold pilot called Grand Hotel. Kam Fong, who had worked for 18 years with the Honolulu Police Department and lost members of his family in the attack on Pearl Harbor, was originally invited to audition for the role of Wo Fat. However, as soon as Leonard Freeman saw him, he cast him as Chin Ho Kelly instead. The name Wo Fat came from a Chinese restaurant in Honolulu, while the name Chin Ho was inspired by Mr. Chinn Ho, owner of the Ilikai Hotel, where the famous opening scene showing Jack Lord turning toward the camera on a balcony was filmed. Richard Denning, who played the governor, had retired to Hawaii but accepted the role and returned to acting. Zulu was a local DJ and quickly accepted the role of Kono. ## Controversy Jack Lord portrayed Steve McGarrett on the CBS television series Hawaii Five-O. On January 7, 1970, the episode "Bored She Hung Herself" was broadcast. The story features a Hawaiian therapist who developed an unusual technique combining yoga with suspension by the neck. One day, the therapist's girlfriend is found dead in what initially appears to have been an accident. McGarrett, however, does not believe that her death was accidental, and an investigation begins. According to news reports from the time, a television reporter allegedly attempted to imitate the technique shown in the episode and died by hanging. Two other people reportedly attempted the same thing and also died. Because of these incidents, CBS, the network broadcasting the series, banned the episode. It was withdrawn and reportedly locked away in the network's vault. As a result, "Bored She Hung Herself" was never again shown in reruns in the United States or included in syndication packages sold to television stations elsewhere in the world. In Brazil, episodes of Hawaii Five-O were broadcast by Rede Globo and Bandeirantes, with the exception of this episode, which remains unaired there. The Season 2 DVD release, including the edition released in Brazil, does not contain "Bored She Hung Herself." Fans have hoped that CBS/Paramount Home Entertainment might eventually include the episode in a future box set. #HawaiiFive-O #HawaiiFive-OClassic #HawaiiFive-O1968 #HawaiiFive-Ooriginalseries #JackLord #SteveMcGarrett #BookemDanno #HawaiiFive-Ofullepisodes #HawaiiFive-Ocast #HawaiiFive-Othemesong #HawaiiFive-O1968TVseries #HawaiiFive-Oepisodes #WoFatHawaiiFive-O #ClassicTVshows #AmericancrimeTVseries