Jack Lord returns as Steve McGarrett in another thrilling and fun season of Hawaii Five-O. His toupee still manages to defy gravity. His ability to drive continues to baffle DMV officials. And he remains Hawaii’s biggest perennial badass since Don Ho.
Despite there being a lot of people who tend to denounce the show, somebody behind Hawaii Five-O must have known what they were doing to keep the formula alive and well up to its sixth season (their lucky streak ran from 1968 until the twelfth season ended in 1980) — even some of the “more popular” or “cult” series like The Mod Squad or Starsky & Hutch didn’t make it that far. Some argue that it was because there was a lack of original programming on TV at the time (bollocks — there’s less-original shit on television now than there was then), while others claim that the show was kept alive by the persistence and ego (but mostly ego) of series star Jack Lord. While I tend to believe the latter (especially the “ego” part — and you thought Shatner was bad!), I also like to believe that Hawaii Five-O stayed alive so long because it was a fun police drama set to the absolutely gorgeous backdrop of Hawaii. So there.
Hawaii Five-O: The Sixth Season starts out with a killer season premiere entitled “Hookman” in which the amazing real life private investigator J.J. Armes guest stars as a vengeful man whose arms were blown off in a botched bank robbery several years back. With two hooks where his appendages once were, the assassin takes his mark at the policemen he felt wronged him, leaving the murder rifle behind with gold plate attached bearing the fallen officer’s name.
Other highlights in the this season pit McGarrett and his faithful crew (James MacArthur as Danny “Danno” Williams; Al Harrington as Ben Kokua, and Kam Fong as Chin Ho Kelly) up against a yacht drifting into the bay carrying the bubonic plague (“Charter For Death” — McGarrett has to go into quarantine for the episode, but still manages to keep his sense of style about him by wearing his collar up!); an entire clan of white trash killers come to the island and start to murder people for only a few dollars (“One Big Happy Family,” guest starring Slim Pickens and Bo Hopkins); and the local pimps go to war with the hood that is overtaxing them in the “blaxploitation” episode “Tricks Are Not Treats” (featuring Glynn Turman, Ron Glass, Gregory Sierra, and Pat Morita). Other notable guest stars in this season include Don Stroud, Victor Buono, A. Martinez, Perry King, Cindy Williams, Anthony Zerbe, Casey Kasem, Richard Yniguez, Frank Cady, and Alan Fudge. Series regulars Harry Endo (as Che Fong, the best forensics guy ever!), Herman Wedemeyer (Duke Lukela), Richard Denning (Governor Jameson), Glenn Cannon (D.A., John Manicote), and Al Eben (Doc Bergman) are on hand in several episodes to help the stories move along, and season six also marks Jack Lord’s directorial debut (episode #6.19, “Death With Father”).
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Article comments
1 - Martin
HAWAII FIVE-O was the BEST police type show made so far. It makes 80% of the current police look like scuz. The show was premium grade not full of arrogant airheads like I said 80% of the cuurent. I have not seen a good police show since CBS's the District and Walker went off. Today's show operators and networks should take time to sit down and watch a 1972 Five-o or a 1974 Mannix.
2 - trthmster
The show is excellent. Losing Kono was a bummer. I really like Lords take on a hard boiled detective. it was an excellent counter point to the genial, unthreatening Columbo. I do love Columbo, but Lords sometimes curt comments, and down to business attitude was enjoyable to watch. Especially when he lambasted Danno for using a ” abysmal pejorative.”. Would love to read more stuff like this. Namely, about Jack Lords ego fuelled antics. Thanks, old T.V. buff, Benicia California.