This great collection brings back a long-lost era when TV cars weren’t allowed to come to a stop without screeching their tires… even on a dirt road, and nearly all car accidents, no matter how minor, always ended up in a huge fireball. The show had new Chevrolet police cars that would morph into older Fords and back into Chevys during a chase scene unless they were involved in a crash; then they’d turn into a badly painted 12-year-old Ford Galaxy just before impact.
Steve McGarrett’s infamous 1968 four-door black Mercury Park Lane (which he used like the Batmobile of another series) could magically lose and regain hubcaps, move its radio antenna from the front fender to the back quarter panel at will, and never, ever, ever got dusty, dirty, or even wet! Jack Lord could never park between the lines in a parking lot and usually kept a piece of chalk in the car to jot script notes on his sun visor.
This was the golden era when TV cops handled fresh evidence, plutonium in flimsy little clear plastic boxes, and even plague victims with their bare hands. It was also a time when computers with a fraction of the power of a home PC took up whole rooms.
Being produced and filmed entirely in Hawaii meant building the show from the ground up. That meant instead of using Hollywood lots, they had to build their own studios and import actors from the mainland with the temptation of a free week’s vacation in paradise. Because of the production costs, stock footage had to be used wherever possible. This saved money by not having to repeatedly film McGarrett’s Park Lane screaming down the street for every single episode.
In 1972 the executives in charge of Hawaii Five-O began fixing some of its continuity problems. Shortly after, and much to the producers’ chagrin, letters started coming in complaining that those very errors were part of the charm of the show, so in 1973 some were cautiously let back in. McGarrett would run out of his office in a gray suit, and stock footage showed him getting into his car wearing a dark blue one. “Danno” would leave alone for a crime scene in his black Ford detective car with its black interior, and show up in his black Ford with a red interior with Chin Ho Kelly at the wheel instead.
Then there were the college drinking games that depended on whether Jack Lord’s hair moved or not during a close up.
Article comments
1 - Jet Gardner
Here's some Hawaii 5-0 trivia that I decided to edit out because the article was too long...
Trivia:
In some stock footage you can spot McGarrett’s original two-door 1967 car instead of the four-door ’68 by its red interior. Until the end of the 1974 season, Steve drove a 1968 Mercury Park Lane Brougham 4-door Sedan, with power steering, power front disc brakes, power windows, power seat, A/C, AM/FM, and cruise control. For some unfathomable reason the actual “hero” car was blown up as part of the final episode of that season instead of a double. Even after it was destroyed, footage of the Park Lane flying down the street was used as stock footage in later seasons.
Jack Lord was offered the role of Captain Kirk on Star Trek and turned it down.
Sammy Davis Jr. did a vocal of the famous theme song that never aired.
2 - ok-auguste
Rah! Rah! for a new 5-0 series release!
Unhappily tantalising for us in Uk/Europe who are several months behind each release.
But...
the wadding's worth it.
3 - Jet Gardner
Thanks auguste, if you're a music lover, the "Bachish" electronic fugue used to accompany the 30,000 room episode is well worth the price and the wait.
Jet
4 - ok-auguste
"waiting's worth it" natch.
who knows though...with all the good reviews I'm reading about Hawaii 5-0 series 6, it is getting wadded up to mucho great expectations.
5 - ok-auguste
Thanks for the tip-off re "30,000" room" ep, a Bachish (the best) fugue sounds sublime.
6 - Jet Gardner
No problem, how long is the release delay in Europe?
7 - roger nowosielski
I always liked Jack Lord. Wasn't there some tragedy connected with his death?
8 - Jet Gardner
He died of what almost took me-Congestive heart failure, rumors flew that he had Alzheimer's but they were never confirmed.
At one time he ran for governor of Hawaii.
9 - Jet Gardner
Despite what you may have heard, his hair did move on occasion.
10 - ok-auguste
Aloha Jet ~ lol at the Lord's hair moving, on occasion.
Woeful blues: We seem to lag behind by about 4 or 5 months. (Could you have a word?)
11 - Jet Gardner
August; doesn't Europe have a different video format than the U.S.? That may be why there's a lag... but four or five MONTHS????
Wow!
12 - ok-auguste
Yes, Jet ~ it's a BIG lag. Especially when you look up Amazon and see a film/DVD set - then see it's in dollars. Hopping on to the UK site, no release yet. Europe vids are PAL 2 and DVD's are for zone 2; different formats to yours.
Could be something to do with demand? You have these vintage show's running all the time in some TV stations or other, so the shows have original fans as well as collecting new ones. Good side is that just as we're getting ready to pull out the boots and mufflers in the autumn, we'll be set for a trip to the islands via 5-0!
13 - Jet Gardner
On the other hand there are DVD titles of American TV shows in Europe that may never come to America because they're in the wrong format.
I have a whole shopping list of movies etc. that I used to look for that I can only get over there and they'd only play-over there.
It gets frustrating because 5 years later I can't afford them.
I wonder if it's possible to get a European formatted DVD player over here-Then again it probably wouldn't be compatible with our TVs
When I think of it, I'll have to see if someone on the internet sells format converters... then again the picture would probably be really shitty after all that processing.
alas
14 - ok-auguste
Ah ha Jet, please don't get me going on that one! Seriously, I'm gob-smacked that there are US films & TV prog s unreleased in DVD in the States? That's a shocker. You've a continent of a mass market which caters to so many tastes; demand must be far greater there. For US markets, I'd have thought Europe was even more a diminished market than Britain, where, small though we are, we share the same language. And the UK has a large appetite for American TV.
Last winter a review turned me on to the 5-0 releases. Since then have acquired a few vintage TV shows in boxed-sets. Several British shows, like The Avengers, Secret Agent, even a super Brit sit-com with fabulous Elaine Stritch (Two's Company), is only available in the US! As I'm getting into DVD sets, my lists too grows frustratingly longer. When - WILL they make compatible players for these things? After all, we're only separated by the Atlantic. Great idea about the converters, but think you're right about losing picture quality.
That said, we're fortunate so many of the quality show's are being harvested, and great that people like you write these public reviews so people like me buy them. Then the companies go on to release succeeding new seasons.
15 - Jet Gardner
No no, There apparently are companies that record things over there off the air that are formatted for the European TV broadcast system-either that or they don't think they'll sell here.
A good example is the EXCELLENT pilot movie by Abby Mann, "The Marcus-Nelson Murders" which became the "Kojak" series in the 70s. It was based on a real mystery that had a lot of plot twists and turns, but apparently it can only be found over there.
There's a Richard Burton movie called The Medusa Touch and The Robert Wagner series "It takes a thief".
By the way, if I forget to tell you, I'm going into the hospital again this thursday so I'll be gone for a while after that...
alas
16 - Jet Gardner
As for British TV series, I have the entire collection of the Emma Peel episodes of "The Avengers", all of "Are you being served?" "Space 1999" and of course "Blackadder" on DVD.
17 - ok-auguste
Was curious about "To Catch a Thief so on googling it, came across a tip where you might find it available? www.hulu.com/watch/12204/it-takes-a-thief-a-spot-of-trouble.
Nice one! I feel the Emma Peel series are the best, and most humorous. There's also something special about the sharp black & white shows. (Some episodes available in Uk, thought not all the collection).
Jet, sorry to hear that you have a hospital stay coming up. Always a challenge and a hill to climb. Wishing you all the very best, and leave you with an Irish blessing,
"May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back"
Keep on truckin'
(Patricia)
18 - Jet Gardner
Thanks Patricia, I've watched "It takes a thief" on Hulu, it's a great site, especially with the season 2+ episodes of Kojak.
If you get a chance checkout "I want to report a dream" on the Kojak series there. There's a piano piece used in the soundtrack that was the first think I learned how to play.
19 - Bliffle
5-0 is proof of my contention that TV is about VISUAL effects and has little to do with sound or (heaven forfend) plot.
Best to watch TV while listening to something else or reading a book.
An exception is listening to the audio during the opening credits of 5-0 when those Hawaiian guys are pouring it on and roaring through the surf in a dugout canoe. Best part of the whole show.
20 - Jet Gardner
As a matter of fact Blif, there are very few visual effects in 5-0 so the only thing it had going was its plots and story lines.
That's what made it so successful through 12 seasons, compare that to nearly any other TV show's longetivity and you'll see what I mean. It had appeal.