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Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
H50 1.0 FOREVER,
Indeed visiting Hawaii makes all the difference. Who knew that the fountain that McGarrett always passed in his Mercury was just on the edge of Waikiki near Kapiolani Park? And that I could easily jog over to that location from my hotel? Or that the War Natatorium was in the same vicinity as well? You just don't know (or care) about these things until you finally visit.
John,
I used to be a huge fan of "Tsunami" as a kid but having seen it just last year for the first time in what seems like eternity I noticed that it's not quite the classic I thought it was. It's still my favorite from season 10 but I wouldn't call it a 4-star episode (more like 3 1/2 stars). I think when I first saw it so long ago I had only seen a small number of episodes so I didn't have too many episodes to compare it to. This was one of my earliest memories of the show. Now, having seen so many superior episodes, it's just not quite on that same high level as those other ones. The really great episodes almost always have memorable villains in them. The Brain Trust didn't really do it for me. I did really like their caper though - that's what sells the episode!
"Nine Dragons" is a very good episode and the best Wo Fat episode but I don't rate it as highly as some others do. In fact it doesn't quite crack my top 5 for season 9. I don't know what it is about the Wo Fat episodes - no matter how good one is it doesn't quite make my top 5 for the season (except for "A Bullet for McGarrett", which I typically don't count as a Wo Fat episode anyway).
Added: Friday 31 July 2015 20:04:43 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
There is a huge stink in Seattle at the moment with Galacticon IV, a fan convention focused around Battlestar Galactica. With only a couple of days left, about half of the stars from this show who were supposed to appear have (been) cancelled. (Do a Google News search for the latest.)
The reason the organizers say this happened was because of a screwup with a block of hotel rooms reserved for these people, but the fans aren't having any of this. News of this is all over Twitter and Facebook.
Grace Park was one of the stars supposed to appear, but she is not, along with Edward James Olmos and several others. Richard Hatch, one of the cancelled stars, will be appearing at the convention at his own expense.
The organizers are trying to put a brave face on their efforts, but there is further news that Angela Cartwright from Lost in Space, one of the few remaining celebrities who was supposed to show up, is also pulling out.
There is another fan convention coming up in September in Hawaii called Hawaiicon which is reportedly making an offer to people who got jerked around with Galacticon, that anyone who contacts them ahead of time via their Facebook pages and has a Galacticon IV pass will receive free admission to their events.
But this Hawaiicon so far seems like a very low key affair in comparison. You would think that there would be people present from shows which have been filmed in Hawaii, including Five-0/Zero, Magnum P.I., Lost and even Baywatch Hawaii. The whole thing seems very "New Age," with the focus on "scientists, sci-fi writers, actors and actresses, comic book artists and other experienced professionals."
Added: Friday 31 July 2015 09:57:48 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oak Trees
We're having a mini-challenge on "Remembering Jack Lord." Why not hop on over and check it out. We're at www.rememberingjacklord.com
As Jack would say, "Be there! Aloha!"
Added: Friday 31 July 2015 08:45:34 MST
Submitted by: BillNac
From: Wilmington, DE
The posts by Ringfire and H50... are my feelings exactly. When I watch Hawaii 5-O and even Magnum P.I. I feel like I'm watching my vacation photos. I have been to nearly all the locations shown on the programs and really enjoy seeing them on the programs. My daughter lived in Punahou Circle apartments and when I saw the first scene on the "Bells Toll at Noon" I knew those apartments were the location.
Added: Friday 31 July 2015 06:51:00 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
It's amazing how strong Classic HFO episodes lasted really into the 10th season. When Does A War End? HURT the Season 10 average and Angel In Blue is another episode that didn't help the season. When I was a kid, I watched Tsunami in awe as I loved the tsunami concept and Brain Trust. Watching it again last year, I was not as admiring. I think McG & HFO solved it too fast. They didn't have much to go on except for the intelligent murdered college student on HFO steps. Some witnesses saying they looked and sounded young.
On Season 7, I think they had some good episodes but Season 6 was one of the best. It doesn't get much better than Draw Me A Killer & Hookman. Love the scene when HFO bring in the Judy Moon comic artist in to smoke out the killer. There seemed to be a relaxed and jovial mood with the artist and HFO. That was a great scene. I think Season 9 had some outstanding episodes. Nine Dragons is nothing short of a masterpiece. Beautiful scenery and excellent writing as McG pursues WO FAT is captured and tortured trying to recover the deadly stolen gas. Assault On The Palace was an intelligent episode but some problems with the ending. Love the scene when they recreate the Wilcox rebellion. Rewind that scene several times. Yes, My Deadly Daughter & Double Exposure other Season 9 highlights. A young person interested in Classic HFO can't go wrong with viewing Season 9. JOHN
From: Thursday 30 July 2015 19:08:03 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oaks
Re: Ringfire's statement: "Once you've visited Hawaii and drove down those streets and past those locations it puts everything into a whole new perspective."
It really does. Not just a new perspective, but also a whole new meaning to what you are seeing in the show. You're really there! You know those places! And I'll tell you: When I was there and heard a siren approaching, I'd turn to look, secretly wishing the black Mercury would come into view. Of course, it never did. Far more ambulances than police cars came into view. I found that interesting.
From: Thursday 30 July 2015 18:43:19 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Thanks for the info on the filming location of "The Bells Toll at Noon". It's one of my favorite episodes and that opening where Charlie is shot on the church steps (accompanied by Morton Stevens' powerful score) is one that stays with you for a long time! I went directly to Google Maps and using Street View was able to go up and down that street (Beretania St.) to look at the church and the building across from which Rich Little's character shot Charlie. I looked at the different angles and compared with the footage from the episode and indeed it's the same location. The opening where Rich Little drives up in his VW Beetle to the apartment building (Punahou Circle Apartments) is along the side and rear of the building. Those high bushes and dense foliage along the side of the building (past which Little drives) don't seem to be there anymore. I see some little bushes there now but nothing like in the episode. The steps which Little takes to get to the roof are in the rear. I used Street View to go to the street behind that building (Young St.) and I can see those steps from there.
I'm fascinated (even obsessed) with tracking down where scenes from FIVE-0 (as well as MAGNUM PI) were filmed. Before I visited Hawaii I obviously didn't care (when McG would say that he's heading down Ala Moana that didn't mean much to me). But after my visit it has become a passion of mine. Now Ala Moana means something. So does Ala Wai (I used to jog along the canal). So does Kapahulu. So does Pali Hwy. So does Kalanianaole Hwy. So does Hanauma Bay. So does Chinaman's Hat. And so on...
Once you've visited Hawaii and drove down those streets and past those locations it puts everything into a whole new perspective.
From: Thursday 30 July 2015 17:03:40 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
The cover art on the DVD box of season seven, I always liked because it was the first to show a night shot of the city with the lights on in the buildings. With the exception of the deep purple on the cover art for season six all the other shots on the DVD boxes were daylight with season four being a sunset. I liked the grittiness of the season seven box cover art.
From: Thursday 30 July 2015 06:32:02 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oak Trees
Good comments, John, except that "Invitation to Murder" was in Season 10. But, yes. The script allowed us to follow the case step by step. That is the key: Is there a logical progression? There is in each of the episodes you named. Another quality: We learn something in each of those episodes. Of course, Jack being an artist, we tended to learn the most in the episodes about art. He really gave a lot of himself to the series, and that made all the difference.
From: Thursday 30 July 2015 04:51:11 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
It would have been nice if Hawaii Five O had more episodes like Invitation To Murder. McG had to use all of his investigative skills to solve that case. It could be seen as theory to some the conclusion. On Season 7, The Young Assassins rising up as one of my FAV list. It was realistic how they celebrated the shooting and how Army handed the gun to the next person. The stakes were raised when Danny was taken with the professor. Diary of a Gun had its moments. I liked when Chin Ho & Danny were checking the boxes and found the Special. Wiped the smile off the warehouse manager real quick. I might have A Gun For McGarrett as my FAV Season 7 episode. It really was brilliant. McG survived some close calls and the woman assassin was a nice touch. How To Steal A Masterpiece was intelligent too. The young Anderson character was outstanding. All the actors did a fantastic job and McG outfoxed the perpetrators at the end. Season 7 has gained strength as I think about the episodes. JOHN
Added: Wednesday 29 July 2015 19:54:10 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
In my last post I confused 6,000 Deadly Tickets with 30,000 Rooms and I Have the Key, the latter of which guest starred David Wayne and in which the episode seemed like Over 50? Steal.
6,000 Deadly Tickets, about the theft and sale of blank airline tickets, is actually pretty good.
Added: Wednesday 29 July 2015 16:56:47 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oak Trees
From Obama's Neighborhood, Central Union Church was seen in two episodes that I know of, "The Bells Toll at Noon" (Season 9) and "A Lion in the Streets" (Season 12). In "Bells," that is where Charlie Hazard was gunned down by Johnny Kling. In "Lion," that is where McGarrett asked the priest to try and persuade the kahuna to lift the kapu before Andy Kimoku's "gang" wrecked the city.
Added: Wednesday 29 July 2015 11:36:41 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
" I also noticed that in Season 7 for whatever reason, they seemed to resurrect a lot of re-scored music cues from Season 1, which hadn't really been used much at all since Season 3."
Jeff, I noticed this with the season opener "The Young Assassins". I was taken aback a bit because the music from season 1 is so recognizable and it was strange hearing it all the way in season 7. Not complaining though because that season 1 music had some real edge and danger to it, so it was a welcome return. Can't say I heard much of that same music during the rest of season 7 though.
As for the season itself I believe that any drop in quality between seasons 6 and 7 was negligible at best. Despite Lenny Freeman passing away the season opened with a bang with some fantastic episodes - "The Young Assassins", "A Hawaiian Nightmare", and especially "I'll Kill 'Em Again" (one of my all time favorites!!). The only real turkey this season was "And the Horse Jumped Over the Moon" (aside from the babely Jo Ann Harris this was a really dull affair). I also never cared much for "Steal Now - Pay Later" and "The Two-Faced Corpse" (the latter was always too confusing to follow). But aside from those it was another great season! We still had Ben with us for half a season so mostly it still felt like a continuation of season 6. Any drop in quality was too small to notice.
I actually can't decide how I would rank seasons 7, 8, and 9. They're about even for me. I know I'd place them just slightly below 1-6 but how to rank them I can't really decide. Sometimes I think I like 7 a bit more than 8. Other times I'm not so sure. Some time back I ranked 9 above 7 and 8 but after my recent rewatch of 9 I'm not so sure.
Added: Wednesday 29 July 2015 09:53:28 MST
Submitted by: John
From: Montreal, Canada
I had a similar Hawaii co-incidence but not H5O. In 2012 we stayed at Turtle Bay as we often do when in Hawaii and our room was one of those cottage style rooms on the south end of the resort.
Back home a few days later went on netflix and watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", imagine our surprise when the room the main characters were in was our very room. I guess it made sense since we were at the farthest out unit which would be used to minimize disruption to neighboring guests.
Added: Wednesday 29 July 2015 09:34:22 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
May favorite Season 7 episodes, in order, are:
I'll Kill 'Em Again
We Hang Our Own
And the Horse Jumped Over the Moon (gotta love Joann Harris)
Welcome to Our Branch Office
The Two-Faced Corpse
A Woman's Work is With a Gun
A Hawaiian Nightmare
Right Grave, Wrong Body
Ring of Life (Don Knight is always great as a Five-O bad guy)
I'm not crazy about Young Assassins as my father was a surviving victim of was thought to be a gang initiation shooting a few years before that episode aired.
And I'm not sold on 6,000 Deadly tickets as the producers seem to be hoping to re-live the glory from Over 50? Steal. Even going as far as using the same music. But, an interesting side story from that episode. I visited Honolulu in 2009 and stayed at the same hotel as David Wayne's character. Now it's called the Waikiki Beach Marriott. Back then it was the Hawaiian Regent. The day following our return home, that episode was aired on Me-TV or the like. Towards the end of that episode, David Wayne dupes everyone by sending the diamond courier to a different room. I nearly fell out of my chair when he closed the door and they showed the room number. It was the same room number as the one I was in the day before. Crazy. But it was not the same room. The configuration/view looked different, so the hotel must have rearranged the room numbers since. True story.
Added: Tuesday 28 July 2015 21:02:15 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
A fellow named Bill sends me the following message:
=====
I just want to share a bit of trivia with you regarding episode 203, season 9 – "The Bells Toll At Noon” starring Rich Little. The opening scene is filmed at the Punahou Circle apartments at corner of Punahou and Beretania. If you check the website, http://www.obamasneighborhood.com/homes, you will see that this was the home of President Obama between 1971 – ’79. Although I don’t have documentation that the scene was filmed at these apartments, I am quite certain it was because my daughter lived there (actually next door to his grandmother’s apartment) between 2000 – ’02 and the surroundings are quite recognizable.
=====
Some of these other locations seem quite "familiar" to me as well...
Added: Tuesday 28 July 2015 20:29:38 MST
Submitted by: Jeff
From: Denver
Season 7 to me was not a particularly standout season, but it had a number of very good episodes (including "Diary of a Gun"
and one truly excellent one: "We Hang Our Own".
One other thing that comes to mind about this season for me is that it's very....brown. It seemed like Steve wore that ugly tan suit with dark brown shoes in nearly every episode, including that light tan shirt underneath with the giant collar. I always thought he looked sharpest when wearing a blue suit or black suit.
I also noticed that in Season 7 for whatever reason, they seemed to resurrect a lot of re-scored music cues from Season 1, which hadn't really been used much at all since Season 3.
AS for Season The Odd Lot Caper", I agree that this episode fell flat, it landed with a thud for me. It was OK, with some good performances, but the stock market plot was pretty dry, and I've always thought that H5O should always be better than just OK. It's one of those episodes that I rarely revisit.
Added: Tuesday 28 July 2015 18:22:58 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Rainbow & Fred
Many of your comments on Season 7 were right on point. It is sometimes a forgotten year. First full year I think after Leonard Freeman died. Not many Hookman's or Nine Dragons' but consecutive episodes How To Steal A Masterpiece & A Gun For McGarrett were excellent. We Hang Our Own strong but 2 weaknesses in episode. HFO should have had Duke on surveillance on the alleged killer. MCG was worried what Farraday might do. Also, they dragged out the hanging much too long. It gave McG time to find the innocent killer. Probably my least favorite episode Season 7 is Small Witness, Large Crime. The kid didn't say much and neither did the killer. That's rare in HFO episode. The liberal type crusader clashed with McG who was trying to save the boy from the killer. She even went around McG to have boy released. The final ending was lame too as the Convoy character suddenly confesses. I don't hate A Study In Rage more than SWLC though. Opana was a killing machine in this one. Love the scene McG sees the mirror and solves the crime. The ending scene was different with the gas masks and the house in construction. Other standouts were I'll Kill Em Again, The Young Assassins, & The Computer Killer. 6,000 Deadly Tickets is one of my guilty pleasure episodes for sure. Here's 5 Season 7 Questions Classic HFO fans. 1.Did you think Army in People's Attack Group was a strong villain? 2.What were your thoughts on Diary of a Gun...Did you think the scenarios of the shootings were plausible? 3.How would you have made Welcome To Our Branch Office a better episode? What would have been your ending? 4.Do you think it was Cioffi's best HOF role as Dean in Right Grave, Wrong Body? 5.What did you think of the garage door opener gimmick in An Hawaiian Nightmare? McG could have caused the explosion doing what he did. Season 7 wasn't in my top 3 seasons. Mine are Season 3 then 6 and then 1. JOHN
Added: Tuesday 28 July 2015 16:53:30 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
I have to agree with Fred that The Odd Lot Caper was a good episode. It was a very intelligent episode. Laughlin was a cool,resourceful criminal. He didn't hesitate to kill the guard or panic like some criminals do. The plan to rob and torch the exchanges was detailed and well-done. Always love seeing Richard Basehart in villain roles. They did an excellent job covering their tracks except good HFO detective work did them in. They traced the acetalyene torches to the shop which helped them zero in on Jersey and got his prints at the hotel. Following Jersey led them to the rest of the conspirators. Laughlin & the criminals should have been undiscovered but give McG & HFO team credit. The Base heart character got his just desserts at the end. I think Laughlin would have made a fine security chief. I'd give The Odd Lot Caper **** 1/2 stars out of 6 stars. JOHN
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 18:26:39 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
"I just saw the trailer for "Spectre"
Wow, can't wait!"
Indeed, Rainbow. Same here! It looks amazing!! I am betting this will surpass SKYFALL and end up Craig's best Bond film. I just love how they have brought back all the traditional Bond elements that I love - the indestructible henchman (Mr. Hinx), the mysterious organization (SPECTRE), the tricked-out Aston Martin which appears to have rear flame throwers. Plus I'm especially stoked to see Christoph Waltz play the main villain! But I do have my doubts that he's really Blofeld. Gotta love a Bond villain in a nehru jacket though. 
****** END OF MY BOND TALK ******
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 16:40:32 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Rainbow Warrior,
I try to watch on DVD Five-O once a year. Seasons 11 & 12 are a bit tough to keep my interest, but I have to say I found more good in season 11 this go around.
In my opinion, season 7 is good. I'll rank it in the mix with the first 6 seasons. But unlike the earlier seasons, there isn't a lot of episodes that stand out like "Hookman" and "Over 50? Steal" do in their seasons.
I have about 8-10 favorites from that season including "We Hang Our Own" and "And the Horse Jumped Over the Moon". And I think there are a few not as fun shows like "Presenting...in the Center Ring...Murder" (I know - I dissed a Wo Fat episode - Sorry) and "Study in Rage". Comparatively, in season 6, there are really no poor episodes in my estimation, while I really like 3/4 of the episodes.
Al Harrington leaves the show in season 7 and is not cast in a lot of the shows during the season. Doug Mossman and Danny Kamekona sometimes appear as a Five-O member over the next couple of seasons and are competent, but I think the continuity suffers along with sub par plots. And that is the recipe from then on.
Seasons 7 and 8 will have a lot more good than bad and are definitely worth watching.
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 15:23:44 MST
Submitted by: Rainow Warrior
From: New York, NY
Fred,
I'm curious what you thought of season 7. I don't remember much of them from long ago, and no one seems to talk about season seven that much here, so I'm curious how you felt about that whole year, because I think I missed most of those shows for that season.
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 12:38:03 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
I'm a bit of a homer when it comes to the first 7 or 8 seasons of Five-O. Meaning that I like predominately most of the episodes. Therefore, I'll have to disagree with Warrior and Ringfire. Odd Lot Caper is a very good episode. I love Ron Hayes' character Laughlin. He is diabolical and ruthless and will stop at nothing to accomplish his mission. I do agree that the plot seems complicated and I can't really think that Basehart would never have been discovered as the perpetrator. And we do get a great look at the stock market as Hawaii sees it. I get a kick the exchange prices back then. IMDB has it rated as 7.0. I'm good with that.
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 12:23:09 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
I agree Ringfire. I was underwhelmed by "Odd lot"
I just saw the trailer for "Spectre"
Wow, can't wait!
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 12:11:30 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Over the years I've seen quite a bit of praise for "The Odd Lot Caper" but I never saw the appeal of the episode. I thought the plot was somewhat convoluted and ultimately it just wasn't very interesting. Richard Basehart is a fine actor and he did good as the wheelchair-bound financial big shot pulling the strings. But ultimately yes it was a rather blah episode. Basehart in 1982 played Wilton Knight, the founder of the Foundation for Law and Government (F.L.A.G.) in the KNIGHT RIDER 2-hour pilot and it's his voice-over that we hear during that show's famous opening credits intro! "Michael Knight... a young loner on a crusade to champion......".
Anyway it's definitely one of my least favorites of the season, right alongside "Percentage". My least favorite though has to be "The Diamond That Nobody Stole".
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 10:48:15 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
I watched the "Odd Lot Caper" over the weekend and I was rather disappointed as I felt the show was flat. It was kind of a blah episode, not great, not bad, just kind of there. It was far fetched the Laughlin could knock out the guard and kill him instantly especially where his hand seemed to land on his back in the shot. There is also a scene where Danno leaves his office to get in the car, and the shot is clearly from Season one as Danno is wearing his very short hair and suit from the first season as you could tell it was 1968 and not 1973.
I appreciated the episode taking us into the financial world and showing us how stocks are run in Hawaii, and I thought that was a good idea for a show, but it wasn't executed properly. The editing was weird too in the scene where Murdock's son finds out about his father's plot and the close-up of Richard Basehart doesn't match the shots in the scene. Something was amiss with this show in the editing process.
The best thing was the ending when MCG tells Murdock that he hears he has been calling for some police action and says "Well you are going to get it... about 20 years of it, how's that?"
Nice ending, flat show. I agree with Mike's review, as it was just average. Very flat.
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 06:59:25 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the live oaks
I wonder . . . Could a little reverse psychology be at work here? Where "Don't watch it" actually means "Watch it! Watch it! Watch it!" If someone adamantly forbids you from doing something, isn't that the one thing you just have to do?
Added: Monday 27 July 2015 05:45:18 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
While it may be reasonable to not want the cast and crew to see the original so they don’t subconsciously copy everything they see in the new show and compare everything they do on the new show to the old show, what a person takes away from watching the original version is up to them. It’s not as though if one sees the original series, they’re going to be hypnotized into making the new show an exact replica if they watch it. The producers can’t tell the cast and crew that they are forbidden from watching the original show, since they can go and buy the DVDs and watch it on their own time and no one will know, but they could not let on that they had seen it. The way these people talked, it came across that the producers were very insistent on no one watching it, and this would not mean much—since they cannot stop people from watching it—if not for the incident with Robert Loggia. That the producers told him not to talk about the original is extreme.
That these people would talk about such a policy as though it was something bad says there is more to it then what is on the surface. The incident with Robert Loggia proves that the producers are being obsessive, and probably fear that people will see the original and will look unfavorably on the new show.
Maybe that was why they didn’t hire any locals in the main cast. The locals would remember the original and talk about it. I suspected the producers didn’t hire locals because they did not want to have the same problems Jack Lord and the producers on the original had – where the local actors were not memorizing their lines and kept lousing things up, and Jack blew his top constantly. However, there are more trained actors in Hawaii now than in the ‘70s, so that should not have been a problem.
The ex-HPD cop I spoke to also said that when they were filming Lost in Hawaii, the actors did not treat the locals kindly. They were very rude and arrogant towards them.
Added: Sunday 26 July 2015 14:21:36 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
"Just re-watched Season 6's "Murder is a Taxing Affair" with an excellent, effectively chilling performance by Don Porter as the evil IRS agent"
Fantastic episode with a fantastic performance by Don Porter as Jonathan Cavell! One of my favorite Five-0 villains. The fact that he's not some gangster or career criminal but merely an IRS agent makes his actions that much more disturbing! I remember as a youngster when I saw this episode it stayed with me for a long time. There's a real creepy vibe throughout this episode. That an IRS agent would stalk his prey with such obsessive dedication and leave a trail of dead bodies behind was very unnerving. The scene where he prepares to kill the airline stewardess was definitely a highlight. As was the scene towards the end when he drives the Rowans out to their death in the middle of nowhere, all the while making small talk with them and talking to them about greed. His jump to his death at the end was a superb finale, even if I do seem to recall that there was something slightly off with the editing. Still, a fitting end to a nasty villain.
Great score by Don Ray too!
Added: Sunday 26 July 2015 13:38:30 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Jeff,
Season 6 is my favorite season and I like "Tricks are Not Treats". But with so many great episodes that season, I would rank it in the bottom half of that season. But speaking out of the box, how about H5O casting an interracial couple back in 1973! Still not abundantly common today, it is at least more generally accepted. For 1973, that had to have been a touchy/shocking subject. I also really enjoyed the music in that episode.
John,
Didn't We Meet at a Murder was a good episode. I love the scene where Simon Oakland is getting bombarded my conversation by his would be killers simultaneously. But I do have issues with Kwan Hi Lim's character finding out about the TV repairman's military past and then being able to use it against him. Or that Wellman would be so ashamed of being "outed" as gay or bi-sexual that he would kill to keep it quiet.
Added: Sunday 26 July 2015 09:00:21 MST
Submitted by: Jeff
From: Denver
Just re-watched Season 6's "Murder is a Taxing Affair" with an excellent, effectively chilling performance by Don Porter as the evil IRS agent who relentless stalks his prey, almost Terminator-like in his resolve. One of Five-O's all-time great bad guys in my book, in particular the way he's so icy and detached as he's about to kill the flight attendant, cleaning his knife with a napkin purely to scare the crap out of her, since he overheard her telling Five-O about this particular trait of his earlier. He's doing it just to mess with her at this point. Then he decides instead to strangle her, and whips out his belt, in what was one of the series' more gruesome death scenes. Porter's performance really made this episode as effective and great as it was, although it's hard to believe he didn't cover his tracks from Five-O a little better.
However, the episode's bizarre ending still baffles me to this day, for two reasons: the appearance of McGarrett with his crazy fedora as he gets out of the chopper (how the hell did that thing stay on his head??). The fedora thankfully never appeared again, if I recall.
The second baffling thing: Porter's running squat-leap off the cliff. A great performance by his stunt-mannequin, but very strangely edited and shot, to the point of unintentional laughter.
Added: Sunday 26 July 2015 08:42:57 MST
Submitted by: Jeff
From: Denver
Good points, ringfire, regarding "Tricks are not Treats", and it would have indeed been nice if the producers had followed up this episode in future seasons with additional episodes revolving around the pimp community (I guess they kind of did in Season 11's "The Execution File", but ironically, if I recall correctly, the majority of the pimps featured in that episode weren't black, and John Larch's mobster was running the show). Continuity in storylines from season to season was never a strong suit of most shows in the 70s, although Five-O demonstrated a little more than most.
One of the reasons I love Season 6 so much is that Five-O wasn't afraid to break out of the 'box' in these years, trying new types of storylines that they wouldn't have done in the earlier seasons. Most shows grew stale by Season 6 (those that even made it that far), but Five-O continued to remain fresh and exciting during these mid-years, particularly seasons 4-6. It was only around Season 7 where a little bit of staleness started to creep in somewhat.
Added: Sunday 26 July 2015 08:25:29 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
I would tend to agree with Mr. Mike that telling the actors not to watch the original series makes sense if they don't want the actors to be influenced by the original characters. Vrinda's comments seem to indicate that the producers are obsessive about it.
When I visited back in November, I had a conversation about the new show with our car driver. He echoed much the same as Vrinda. The locals don't watch the new show. His explanation was that they are not happy that no native Hawaiians are part of the main cast, citing that Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim are Korean by heritage and, emphasized just as importantly, the Hawaiians that are guest cast are predominantly cast as criminals.
Added: Sunday 26 July 2015 08:21:18 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
Telling actors not to watch the old show is not an unreasonable approach in my opinion. If this is true, though, it suggests that the producers of the show have swelled heads about their creation. You can see some actor NOT studying a "previous version" of a film if it consists of well-known material, i.e., a remake of an older film or something familiar like Shakespeare (which Five-Zero is definitely not). The actor may not want to influence his performance with mannerisms from earlier actors which people would probably comment on. Ditto for a musician or conductor who is playing some well-known piece and "studying" the way that others have performed this piece in the past.
Added: Sunday 26 July 2015 03:41:26 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
The new show seems to be a thorn in the sides of many in Hawaii. I spoke to a man who was a Honolulu cop in the seventies and did security work on the original Hawaii Five-O. He said he doesn’t know anyone who is watching the new show anymore. They stopped watching after the first or second season. Many people I came across online from Hawaii say the new show is good for Hawaii’s economy, but say nothing more about it in a positive sense.
It has also been said to me by different people that the producers of the new Hawaii Five-O don’t want the cast and crew of the new show to see the old show, going as far as to tell the actors not to watch the old show on DVD.
To clarify, I got this story from more than one person in Hawaii who doesn’t know one another. They in turn got it from different people who worked on the new show during its first season. They even gave permission to repeat this story, provided no names are given. I don’t know the names of the crew members involved anyway, as I got this story not from them, but people they spoke to.
These H502 crewmembers said that when a TV show or film is made that is a remake of another TV show or film, it is customary for the cast and crew of the remake to watch the original to familiarize themselves with the story and characters, even if the remake is going to be completely different.
That was not the case here. These people from H502 said that when the show was first cast and being put together, the producers told the actors not to watch the original series because they didn't want the new show to be influenced by the original, citing it was going to be completely different and they didn’t want anyone pointing out the differences and trying to make it more like the original.
Daniel Dae Kim said in an interview that he watched some episodes of the original to familiarize himself with the show, but this was early on in the production process, before the new show aired.
These crewmembers also spoke of how guest stars from the original show who did guest spots on the new show were told not to speak about the original to the other actors. One person cited Robert Loggia, who talked about his guest appearance on the original and working with Jack Lord with the current show's actors and crew. The producers went up to him and told him to cut the conversation. For the record, he spoke fondly of his time on the original show.
Added: Saturday 25 July 2015 22:05:54 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Jeff, if I had to pick my least favorite season 6 episode it would be "Tricks are Not Treats". Yes, it does have its share of grittiness but the whole blaxploitation 70s vibe is all wrong for Hawaii. I could accept it if this was KOJAK or STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO but FIVE-0??? No way, funky momma!! Dig??? What's even worse is that this is the only episode where we were shown this "black culture" in Hawaii. No other episode before this or after. It's like these black gangsters just sprouted up out of nowhere, and never to be heard from again. It just doesn't jive (pardon the pun) with this show. It's like these characters walked onto this set by accident from the SUPERFLY set.
Truth is that one of my absolute favorite Bond films is the 1973 Roger Moore classic (hey, it's a classic for me) LIVE AND LET DIE. Most people refer to it as a cross between Bond and blaxploitation. Our very own Yaphet Kotto even plays the main villain there - Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big. For whatever reason that fusion in that film really works for me. I think it's amazing!! One of the most entertaining pieces of cinema as far as I'm concerned. But it just didn't work for me on FIVE-0. I will agree that the twist at the end was really good (the hitman actually killing Lolo) but the episode as a whole doesn't really work for me.
Added: Saturday 25 July 2015 20:27:10 MST
Submitted by: Jeff
From: Denver
All this great chat the last week or two about various classic episodes has inspired me to go back and re-evaluate a few of my less-than-favorite episodes. Today I re-watched "Tricks Are Not Treats" and while the trappings of this episode are pretty bad (the horrible pimp wardrobes, the jive talk, the silly pimp dialogue), the actual plot with the attempts to murder Lolo (Gregory Sierra doing a fairly credible job here) was actually pretty strong, although one we've seen a few other times on H50 (the #2 in command secretly plotting to take out his boss).
My original rating for this episode was a 2.5 out of 4 (pretty good, above average) but I've bumped it up to a 3.0 (good).
I know others don't like this one much, but when you compare it to those lousy ones from Seasons 10, 11 and 12, it holds up quite nicely compared to many of those.
Plus it has that Season 6 grittiness that I enjoyed a lot about the series during those mid-seasons.
I'm also trying to job my memory as to how many other H50 episodes featured the #2 guy taking out the #1 guy plot scenario. I know there were probably at least a half dozen others that used this plot, or a variation on it.
BTW, Ringfire, I 'm one of those folks that also claims "Here Today, Gone Tonight" as a guilty highlight of Season 5.
Added: Saturday 25 July 2015 17:48:11 MST
Submitted by: Bill
From: Colorado
Scott Cann is an idiot. Cannot believe he is even allowed on set.
Added: Friday 24 July 2015 19:42:24 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Classic Hawaii Five O Fans. Great discussion & posts this week. See many are re-watching Seasons 4 & 5 Classic HFO! For me, it doesn't get much better than Didn't We Meet At A Murder? A brilliant masterpiece in acting, directing, and writing. 3 respectable people hit the syndicate's Mr. Mauritany after they had been blackmailed. Classic scenes abound: Clem Brown's bedroom confession, The daring run scene and suicide off the building, The McG walk and conversation through the carpet company, McG looking through the bank tunnel at the end. It's nearly perfect episode in my opinion. One of the Best Season 4 episodes and in my Top 20. JOHN
Added: Friday 24 July 2015 18:49:02 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Mr. Mike: Good listening is ahead for you. Lalo Schifrin did the soundtrack for one of favorites movies - Dirty Harry.
Added: Friday 24 July 2015 08:01:41 MST
Submitted by: Mr. MIke
From: Vancouver
From Film Score Monthly blog:
La-La Land will release a six-disc set of music from the long-running original TV version of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, featuring of course the classic theme and scoring by Lalo Schifrin (he received three Emmy nominations for his work on the series), as well as music from other series composers including Robert Drasnin, Don Ellis, Jerry Fielding, Gerald Fried and Richard Hazard. The set will be available to order next Tuesday and will begin shipping on August 10. It costs $100!!
Augh, just as I was deciding to cut down on the number of CDs I've been buying... 
Added: Friday 24 July 2015 07:57:15 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
Thanks everyone for the comments on that episode, it helped shed light on something that was botched beyond repair.
My thought is that the writer of the episode constructed such an intricate plot that halfway through it he realized he had too much plot for just one hour and was into a two-part episode in order to explain everything he had set up. The producer's probably told him they were not interested in a two part episode since they already had the three part Vashon trilogy that year, and he knew that he had to wrap it up quickly inside of one hour, hence the plot problems and overly abrupt ending.
Hence, something went horribly wrong.
Added: Friday 24 July 2015 06:45:48 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
It looked like it would be something that would have been explored more in-depth later on, but I think it was just done to get the audience's attention, like a hook and grabber.
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 22:51:41 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
I did understand why Markham created the double. Since the episode opened with it, I would have thought that the show would have spent more time focusing on finding or uncovering the double but that didn't seem to be the Five-O team focus of their investigation. Because of that, I think the opening sequence was odd.
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 22:04:12 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
Thanks, Fred.
Having a double walking around is not something that would come to mind off the bat. Dean pretended to be two different people to have witnesses around who could attest to that, hence throwing suspicion off him, and the second house was not even intended to be found out, but just to give Dean an alibi while he killed his boss.
John,
In response to you #1: Dean wanted Mrs. Fleming as well as control of the corporation. Getting rid of Fleming once and for all leaves no one around to implicate him in Fleming's murder. If just handed in that information and let Fleming live to be indicted, and his wife divorces him, Fleming is still around to throw suspicion on Dean. Dean just wanted him out of the way permanently, so the field was clear for him to take over the company and the wife.
As for the wife unraveling, I have seen this motif in many TV shows. The bad guys construct an intricate plot, see it through to the end with much precision, caution, and ingenuity, then one of the cracks when the cops confront him/her. It spoils the storyline.
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 21:38:31 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oaks
I took the simulator to be an example of how one could lose his sense of direction in flight and think he was going to one location when, in fact, he was going to another. The lights along the route of the simulator did not look like lights as seen below an aircraft.
Another thing: I was surprised when McGarrett and Co. actually went to a house on Maui. It would have worked to have had one house -- on O'ahu -- with a circuitous route to throw Danno off while going there. Was a second house really needed? People say they are at Point A when they're really at Point B all the time.
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 19:17:25 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Classic HFO Fans. Must agree with Mr. Mike and many HFO fans that Here Today, Gone Tonight is confusing and some things not fully explored. There are several problems with the episode. 1.The Killing itself. The Markham character delivered to Danny damaging info about his boss and his illegal activities. He probably would be indicted for those activities. So why kill him? Obviously, Markham character would be a suspect anyway as he was 2nd in command and close working relationship with deceased. 2.The helicopter ride. I've seen this episode 4 or 5 times and you can see it's light out when Danny takes off in the copter. No way can it be a simulator. This is definitely a mistake of some kind. 3.The ID Card. Only the Markham character ID could activate and be verified and him let through by the guards. McG and HFO team saw the elaborate security first hand. Nobody else could have done the crime. 4.The 2 houses. As many have discussed, this takes manpower to construct the fake house and several hours to tear it down. You would think somebody along the beach would have seen the operation in progress and it would take several people to do the work. Someone usually talks. 5.Rhue unravels. This was disappointing since she callously orchestrated the death of her husband. I don't like in these HFO episodes when some of the strong women characters suddenly meltdown or act differently from their beginning scenes. It was really all theory until the insurance agent made up the other girlfriend and set up the blackmail. Saying all that, Here Today, Gone Tonight was an intelligent episode...Too smart for it's own good.
On Columbo, I really enjoyed the mysteries. You know the villain from the beginning but Peter Falk as Columbo wins you over with his charm and determination. Dead Weight & Double Exposure were 2 episodes that stood out. JOHN
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 18:12:41 MST
Submitted by: L.B.
From: U.S.A.
One thing that I never understood was the critics’ love of Columbo.
All episodes had one process in common: Columbo luring the guilty party into believing that he wasn’t that smart and then relentlessly dogging and nagging the suspect until he or she would almost want to admit guilt just to make him go away. I only remember one episode that deviated from the usual formula: "No Time To Die” in 1992. That was also the only one I remember where there was a shooting at the end when the suspect was caught, and Columbo didn’t fire any shots.
There was little suspense in that series because Columbo was never personally threatened and didn’t even carry a weapon. Equally important, many of the villains weren’t even bad or mean enough to make you mad in the way that villains on Hawaii Five-O did. It also didn’t help that most of the episodes were 90-120 minutes in length, which in many cases prolonged the story unnecessarily.
I won’t deny Peter Falk’s talent as an actor and certainly respect the views of everyone here, but Columbo was nothing exceptional in my view.
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 16:26:02 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Jerome Coopersmith wrote that episode so it's gotta make sense!
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 14:29:47 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Here Today... Gone Tonight
Good points Vrinda.
And I really don't think the Five-O team spends a lot of time on thinking Markham had a double as the beginning of the episode seemed to be building us up for.
In his first few comments of Mr. Mike's analysis, he mentions:
"I can't help but feeling something went seriously wrong between the show's conception and its release."
I agree with that absolutely. They must have started with some finished script and altered it when filming, probably due to time or something didn't make sense. Otherwise, the Markham double would have probably been greater explored and they would not have had a poorly explained/portrayal of the helicopter trip.
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 14:11:24 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
It was suggested that the 2nd house was not built to last, but made with just enough material so it would stand for the duration, then be easily knocked down. If anything, it was not built like a regular house.
When Danno got into that helicopter, we saw it take off, and they did close ups on the controls, so if it descended and went into a warehouse with fake harbor lights on the ground, Danno would have noticed. And who made up the simulation that Che was using? Did he build it, or was it left behind by the bad guys?
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 13:41:55 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Here Today... Gone Tonight
Forget about the helicopter duping for a moment. What about building an entire house on Oahu duplicating a house on Maui? And then demolishing the 2nd house virtually without a trace overnight? How much would that cost in Hawaii? This is another example where you just have to let your rational mind go and enjoy it for the entertainment value.
But, no way is an elite member of Five-O is going to get tricked to think he was flying a helicopter in a simulator type set up without him knowing it. That indeed ruined that episode that was not too bad to that point.
A Mr. Mike 1 star may seem a bit harsh though. Besides the always wonderful Monte Markham, we also got the beautiful, seductive Madlyn Rhue. She was taken from the world too early in life, but she was awesome. Among other roles, she was the science officer/romantic interest of the notorious Kahn (Ricardo Montalban) on the original Star Trek series when the Enterprise stumbled upon the Botany Bay is the episode "Space Seed".
From: Thursday 23 July 2015 11:58:06 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Fred,
I remember both of those SoSF episodes - "For the Love of God" (season 2) and "Judgment Day" (season 4) - which were both excellent episodes and basically identical to each other. The latter was a carbon copy of the former. The only thing that changed was the targeted victims of the killer - from priests in the former to lawyers in the latter. While both episodes were excellent I preferred "For the Love of God" because it came first and hence was more original PLUS I actually saw it first so that made a big difference. This episode not only had FIVE-0 alum Peter Strauss but also James Gregory, who played the disgraced priest who was the cause of Peter Strauss' character's vendetta against other priests.
Rainbow,
It's been a while since I saw season 5 so a refresher is in order for me. I can't remember all the specifics about "Here Today...Gone Tonight" but I do recall that a lot of it seemed quite farfetched. I also recall absolutely loving all of it! Many stories on FIVE-O did tend to be over the top and rather fantastical but the way they were told and presented somehow tended to suck me right in. For instance, I still have no clue how Iolani Palace was completely unguarded when Bill Cameron managed to just walk in a *SECOND* time and leave a trail of paint behind, but it still doesn't stop "Rest in Peace, Somebody" from being my favorite episode.
Mr. Mike,
I've never seen any of the newer COLUMBOs from the 90s so can't comment on those. I'm only familiar with the classics from the 70s, and those are some of the finest hours of television ever conceived! The writing and Peter Falk's acting were nothing short of brilliant!! I could watch Falk doing his "shtick" (as you call it) all day long. It never even comes close to being annoying. It's a masterclass in acting and it never ceases to amaze (and amuse) me. One of the finest characters ever!! I'm also a huge fan of Andy Griffith's Atlanta lawyer Ben Matlock but even he can't compete with Lt. Columbo.
H50 1.0 FOREVER,
That's the Bikel obituary that I read. Great read!
Added: Wednesday 22 July 2015 18:50:47 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oaks
Here's a wonderful obituary to Theodore Bikel: http://nyti.ms/1efZMQ2
What an incredible multi-talented man!
Added: Wednesday 22 July 2015 09:04:08 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
Rainbow, there is no logical explanation for what happens in this show. The whole business with the fake helicopter ride is stupid.
http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/5-0log5.htm#113
I watched a couple of other "stupid" shows recently. They were not Five-O, but Columbo. A friend had told me about these shows, one of which had to do with musical soundtracks, something we are mutually interested in.
The show, one of the very last Columbo episodes, and one which has VERY negative reviews on IMDB, starred Billy Connolly as a composer who bore a very strong resemblance to the late Michael Kamen. All of his character's music was ghost-written by this other guy who is pissed off at the recognition that Connolly's character is getting, resulting in Connolly killing him in a very elaborate way.
At the beginning of the show, the ghost-writer is seen conducting the scores on the roof of the recording studio where Connolly is directing the orchestra downstairs. He is listening to the music via some speaker system, which makes little sense, as does the fact this guy is on the roof conducting, period. The only reason I can see why this guy is on the roof is just a set-up, because later he falls off the roof under peculiar circumstances, which is where Columbo comes in.
I couldn't watch this show to the end because it was so dumb, right from the way Connolly was conducting the orchestra with his two arms an exact mirror image of each other. While many conductors do this, they could have at least hired some real musician to give Connolly a few tips about how to look "right." Later, I tried to make my way through this show again, though I fell asleep and woke up near the end when Columbo was solving the case, and even that was stupid, despite the fact that I had missed most of the show! (The ending was also very sucky.)
The other show had Patrick McGoohan as a funeral director. McGoohan, who was friends with Peter Falk, was involved in the production of this show, but it was also very lame with some peculiar plot twists which resulted in McGoohan's character getting caught.
Seriously, the plots of these shows were so stupid, they made some of the bad episodes of Five-Zero look good!
In fairness, I should tell you that I am no big fan of Columbo, because I find Peter Falk's repetitive "shtick" of the absent-minded detective to be very annoying. I'm sure by the time these particular shows were made, Falk could have done this routine in his sleep.
Added: Wednesday 22 July 2015 08:55:19 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
Would somebody please explain the fake helicopter ride in "Here Today....Gone Tonight.' I watched that show over the weekend and when Danno goes into the flight simulator and Steve shows him how they put fake lights out to make Danno think he was flying to Maui, I was totally left asking "what the heck are they talking about?"
Did they actually put that fake map of Hawaii on the ground with lights to fool Danno, but how?... it just doesn't make sense! There is no plausible way that the fake helicopter ride with the lights on the ground could have happened along with the bulldozing of the duplicate house. There is no way they could have put on the fake light show on the ground to fool Danno. Someone please explain if there is one plausible explanation I am missing.
On the plus side, following Fred's comment about their always being something good about the show even when it is bad. I thought the beginning of the show was compelling, the cinematography beautiful, the Howard Hughes like security precautions of Fleming fun to watch like "Get Smart!" and I loved the reference to Wo Fat having two doubles that they know about. I thought the acting by Monte Markham and Sandra Smith was terrific, but the ending was so abrupt and unsatisfying.
What a strange, implausible show. I went wild trying to figure out how that fake helicopter ride could have worked and there is no way. If someone has a rational theory please share!
Added: Wednesday 22 July 2015 07:32:53 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
I watched the John Davidson episode of Streets of San Francisco tonight, "Mask of Death." This is a four star show, with a very good script and interesting camera work and lighting ... and the ending of the show is not one of these typical sucky SOSF "buddy boy" finales. I think this episode would have been very disturbing to a "middle America" audience when it was originally broadcast.
There are numerous Five-O actors in this show.
Marianne McAndrew
- The Late John Louisiana (1970) ... Julie Grant
- A Bullet for McGarrett (1969) ... Joyce Bennett
Anne Helm (plays a character who has hot pants for Keller (Michael Douglas))
- Just Lucky, I Guess (1969) ... Joyce
- By the Numbers (1968) ... Irene Park (as Ann Helm)
Ivor Barry
- A Gun for McGarrett (1974) ... Savage
Denny Miller
- Pray Love Remember, Pray Love Remember (1969) ... John Hayes
Phillip Pine
- The Gunrunner (1971) ... Bajano
- Which Way Did They Go? (1969)
- Full Fathom Five (1968) ... Tyler Skaggs
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 23:19:49 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
L.B. and Ringfire: I loved the comments. This is the 5-O discussion group so I'm good with people favoring Jack Lord. Besides, I did say he was superb. To say that Malden couldn't hold a candle to Lord, well, that's like saying Ted Williams couldn't hold a candle to Joe DiMaggio. Both are great and there's always room for debate. And I'm not trying to create dissent, just discussion.
L.B.: It's interesting that you mentioned SoSF's Judgement Day that featured crossover guest star Michael Burns (All I Want is Some Candy...). That episode has the exact same plot as SoSF season 2's "For the Love of God" featuring another crossover guest star Peter Strauss (Death With Father). Instead of seeking vengeance against the legal system, Strauss is seeking it against the clergy. Watch both of them together and you will say Holy Crap. See my post on the SoSF message board on IMDB for more info on the comparison.
And yes, sad news about Bikel.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 20:46:43 MST
Submitted by: AJ
From: NY
Yes, Erich "The Beast" Stoss, actor Theodore Bikel, is gone. I can see him puffing one of those great candela cigars as he passes through the Pearly Gates. That is, if he's entering as Mr. Bikel... if he's entering anywhere The Beast, it's the Gates of Hell.
Of course, I'm betting on the former.
Great actor. Safe trip home.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 17:56:52 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
R.I.P. Theodore Bikel. Indeed the Beast is dead. He did such a marvelous job as Prof. Erich Stoss in the underrated season 2 classic "Sweet Terror". The man had such amazing gravitas (it helped that he was quite hefty) and such a way with his dialogue. Truly a remarkable actor! He had played so many different nationalities so flawlessly - German, Russian, Hungarian, Polish, Jewish (which is what he was), and aristocrats of every type. Heck, he even played a Southern sheriff in 1958's THE DEFIANT ONES. From MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and ALL IN THE FAMILY to COLUMBO and KNIGHT RIDER (in the latter two he played the head of a society for geniuses) he left a great mark on television. Outside of his screen acting he was known as a legendary folk singer, theater actor ("Fiddler on the Roof"), activist, etc. He also knew an extraordinary number of different languages and sang in 21 languages. That's an amazing feat!! He reminds me of the late great Peter Ustinov when it comes to his amazing accomplishments. It's a shame Bikel wasn't more of a household name. He even auditioned for the role of Auric Goldfinger (along with fellow Five-0 alum Titos Vandis) for the 1964 James Bond classic. I could totally see him in that role!
Fred,
I too am a fan of THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO (it's my second favorite 70s cop show behind FIVE-0) and I really liked Karl Malden as Lt. Mike Stone, but I'm sorry, he couldn't hold a candle to Jack Lord. He was good in the lighter moments but I didn't find him as believable in the more serious and gritty scenes. He came across a bit buffoonish, especially when trying to act tough or trying to rough someone up. A bit like when Chin Ho would try to rough up some muscular thugs. Surprisingly Malden was Emmy-nominated a few times for this role while Jack Lord never was. Which is a bit telling if you ask me. Malden is the big-time Oscar winning actor while Lord a second-string supporting character actor and frequent TV guest-star of the 50s and 60s. So they went with Malden. That's the only explanation I can come up with. I'll agree with you on Michael Douglas - he was the up-and-comer, but then he had more to do than JMac or Kam Fong or Zulu/Al Harrington/Herman Wedemeyer.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 17:33:14 MST
Submitted by: L.B.
From: U.S.A.
Fred,
While Michael Douglas was a stronger actor than any of the supporting players on the Five-O team, Jack Lord played a stronger lead character than that of Karl Malden’s Stone, which elevated Five-O well above Streets as a program. Streets was a Quinn Martin production, and as such was a very solid series but one that didn’t venture outside of the box very often script-wise. I don’t think that Streets failed in season five because Douglas left then or because Malden was older. The ratings for that series were solid but never exceptional, and it simply had run out of gas by 1977. With regards to Malden’s age, it is worth noting that the star of another Quinn Martin show, Buddy Ebsen, was almost 65 when he began playing Barnaby Jones, which lasted for eight seasons.
Many have mentioned the John Davidson episode of Streets (Mask of Death), which was an outstanding show and very original. Five-O had many psycho villains that were as good or better, such as Elliott Street’s Arthur murdering people who resembled adversaries of his favorite cartoon character and Danny Goldman’s Eddie recreating murders Five-O had solved in the past. And of course, I don’t believe any other crime series of the time had a recurring villain as wily and ruthless as Wo Fat. My point is that you would see villains like these five times on Five-O to every one you might see on other crime series of the time. This originality is part of what helped the series last 12 years, while many others of the time struggled to last half that long.
McGarrett was the central character of Five-O, but Five-O’s supporting cast was underrated. Some of the best episodes of the series featured Danny, Chin, or Kono (think Beautiful Screamer, Cry Lie, Most Likely To Murder, and The Ransom). Equally important, the teamwork of the detectives was excellent and central to many of the best episodes. But for the most part, the series wisely was built around the McGarrett character, which means that even an actor of Michael Douglas’ exceptional talent would not have had many more chances to shine on Five-O than the supporting characters on there did had he been playing one of those roles.
Still, I agree with you that there was much to like about The Streets of San Francisco. Stone and Keller had very good chemistry between them, and the series was always worth a watch. My favorite episode of that series was Judgment Day, where a disbarred lawyer’s son slayed those he deemed responsible for his father’s demise.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 17:10:59 MST
Submitted by: Rick
From: Newport Beach
'The Beast' is dead.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 15:09:22 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
H50,
And I think that's exactly the point Vrinda was making about the series. The plot may stink in one episode, but the music is great. The acting may stink in one episode but the scenic location is great. There's always some good to come from each episode. The question is how much bad is in there.
I will say that I really enjoy The Streets of San Francisco series and will challenge Mr. Mike & Vrinda (lightly of course) on comparing the two. The main difference between the two is the cast. Karl Malden and Michael Douglas have it all over the H5O gang, but it was it's down fall too. Malden was indeed too old to sustain a long running show and Michael Douglas was too talented to stick around. Both combined to doom the show too early. While Jack Lord was superb, the rest of the regulars were mediocre at best, which insured their sticking around and maintaining continuity which certainly benefited the show. Of course there are other points of contention, but that's the main one in my opinion.
While comparing the two, Mr. Mike points out in his analysis of season 11's The Bark and the Bite: "Streets of San Francisco also had a "canine" show in the last episode of its final season aired June 9 1977, also to do with a dog having a very expensive jewel-studded collar."
There is another copycat set of episodes. SOSF's season 5's Who Killed Helen French? (aired 2/3/77) is similar to Five-O's Season 11's Why Won't Linda Die? (aired 12/14/78). In both, the main guest actress, in mental distress, has assumed an alter ego identity. Incidentally, Alan Fudge, a Five-O multiple guest star, starred in this SOSF episode.
My apologies Mr. Mike. I know you don't like other shows creeping into the Five-O discussion group.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 14:57:14 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oaks
Come to think of it, I like quite a few episodes because of the actors. For example, anything with Nehemiah Persoff is good. He always put so much into his acting.
I also like certain episodes because of the music. Sometimes, it's a brief interlude buried in the middle of an episode, but it catches my attention, and I go back to hear it again and again.
And this, really and truly: I'll watch any episode if USCGC Cape Corwin is in it. I don't know why, but I really dig that ship.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 13:54:49 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
On the IMDB list, like I said, I can't argue with the highs although I would have more sentimental favorites for seasons 2, 4 and 8. Especially season 2. My favorite is The Joker's Wild, Man, Wild!. And Seasons 3 & 6 have so many great episodes but no one could overly argue with the best of the best in Over 50? Steal! and Hookman.
On the lows, I agree that Small Potatoes got a bad wrap. And I already mentioned that I like No Blue Skies from season 1. I'd replace that with Not That Much Different. Along the same lines, I like Paniolo and Tricks are Not Treats and would replace them with Dear Enemy from Season 3 and Charter for Death for Season 6.
Added: Tuesday 21 July 2015 12:37:59 MST
Submitted by: H50 1.0 FOREVER
From: Under the Live Oaks
The Highs look like a good list. The problem I see is with the lowest of the lows. The lows from Seasons 10-12 are some of my favorite episodes, especially "Tread the King's Shadow" (Season 10), which teaches so much about Hawaiian culture. It would have been more effective if Hawaiians had played the parts of Hawaiians (Isn't that always the case!), but it's still a credible episode.
"A Short Walk on the Longshore" (Season 10) is good, with McGarrett going undercover, except for the last minute, when Sharon Farrell's character begs for approval.
My preference for "Small Potatoes" (Season 11) and "Sign of the Ram" (Season 12) has less to do with the episodes, which could be better, than with the actors. I like Zohra Lampert and Joe Moore and enjoy watching them when they appear.
Added: Monday 20 July 2015 23:38:19 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Fred, "Deadly Persuasion" has no business being in the Low category for season 8. In fact it's my favorite of that season, along with "McGarrett is Missing". The two episodes that should be there are "The Waterfront Steal" and "A Sentence to Steal" - both pretty dull episodes and both ironically dealing with warehouse thefts.
For season 4 it's difficult for me to even find an episode that I dislike. My least favorite would probably be "Two Doves and Mr. Heron" but even that one I find enjoyable. "Is This Any Way to Run a Paradise?" is actually a great episode! So is "Bait Once, Bait Twice" (I love the shocking twist when Loretta Swit's husband gets knocked off the balcony by the sniper). As for "Wednesday, Ladies Free" and "R&R&R" those are pretty much in my top 5 for that season. You just can't go wrong with season 4. Excellent music by Don Ray throughout that season too. Lots of great music themes that continue into seasons 5 and 6.
Added: Monday 20 July 2015 17:17:28 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Vrinda,
I hear what you're saying, but remember this, McGarrett isn't just your average cop, he's the top cop in the state. It's definitely a stretch as we have said. A chasm in my opinion. But it works, for the entertainment value. I liked it when Quincy did it too. One of my favorites from that series.
Added: Monday 20 July 2015 16:32:41 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Correction on Season 4 Low:
Is This Any Way to Run a Paradise? - 6.4
Added: Monday 20 July 2015 10:47:49 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Getting back to ratings, here is a list of the highest and lowest rated shows per season as rated by IMDB viewers along with the general consensus rating on a scale of 1-10:
Highs
Season 1 (Excluding the Pilot)- Yesterday Died and Tomorrow Won't Be Born - 7.7
Season 2 - Blind Tiger - 7.4
Season 3 - Over Fifty? Steal - 8.5
Season 4 - Rest in Peace Somebody - 7.8
Season 5 - 'V' is for Vashon: The Father - 8.3
Season 6 - Hookman - 8.4
Season 7 - How to Steal a Masterpiece & We Hang Our Own - 7.6
Season 8 - Retire in Sunny Hawaii... Forever - 8.0
Season 9 - Nine Dragons - 7.9
Season 10 - A Death in the Family - 7.4
Season 11 - The Year of the Horse - 7.4
Season 12 - A Lion in the Streets - 6.9
Lows:
Season 1 - No Blue Skies - 6.5
Season 2 - To Hell With Babe Ruth - 5.4
Season 3 - Paniolo - 5.9
Season 4 - Bait Once, Bait Twice, R & R & R and Wednesday, Ladies Free - 6.7
Season 5 - Little Girl Blue 6.0
Season 6 - Tricks Are Not Treats - 6.6
Season 7 - Study in Rage - 5.9
Season 8 - Deadly Persuasion - 6.1
Season 9 - Ready, Aim... - 5.5
Season 10 - Tread the King's Shadows & A Short Walk on the Longshore- 4.8
Season 11 - Small Potatoes - 4.0
Season 12 - Sign of the Ram - 3.7
I'd personally would switch out a few of the lows, but I can't argue too much with the highs. Anybody have opinions on this list??
Added: Monday 20 July 2015 10:42:10 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
Thanks, Fred.
When I got a jury duty summons last year, I sat in the jury pool, but never got to be questioned by the lawyers because they chose the jury already. It was a civil case involving malpractice. The jury consisted of 6 people.
The lawyers were dismissing people right and left after questioning them. I kept hearing, "Please dismiss Mr./Ms./Miss __________ with our thanks."
Several people who involved in medically-related lawsuits or were related to people who were were instantly dismissed. A woman who was a witness in a paternity suit was dismissed. A man who met one of the witnesses at a social event 20 years ago and didn't remember him too well was dismissed. One of the girls they questioned was an undergraduate biology major and the plaintiffs' lawyers were concerned that her judgment in this case would be influenced by her knowledge of biology, and she might have an unfair advantage over the other jurors. The girl said it would cloud her judgment, and they accepted her.
It only goes to show even in a medical malpractice case, the chances of running across potential jurors with their own malpractice experiences is very high.
Added: Monday 20 July 2015 09:50:05 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
Type-o: I meant that the lawyers had the opportunity to decide if they wanted him there or not.
Added: Sunday 19 July 2015 14:24:50 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Vrinda,
Good comments.
One other item from the show. In voir dire, McGarrett is asked if he knows the assistant D.A. He says no. That also seems to be a stretch that he would not know an ADA that would prosecute a murder case. Can't be a long list of those and I would think he would be well acquainted with all of them.
And I did say that I liked the episode.
Added: Sunday 19 July 2015 14:28:18 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
Hi, Fred,
Policemen can serve on petit juries, which is the type of jury on which Steve McGarrett is serving in The Case Against Philip Christie. The lawyers had to opportunity to decide if they wanted him there or not, and they chose to allow him.
Police officers cannot serve on grand juries. The jury in The Case Against Philip Christie was not a grand jury.
Anyone can get a jury duty summons, even if they are ineligible based on established criteria - over 75, under 18, have a medical excuse, are volunteer firemen or EMTs ,etc. They have to fill out a form with their reason for why they can be excluded or are ineligible and send it in, then the court grants them and exemption. So, even if a policeman cannot serve on jury, it is still possible for him to get the notice in the mail, then get out of it.
In Steve's case, if it was illegal for him to serve on a jury, the lawyers would have said so and not picked him. In Hawaii, you can ask to be exempt from serving on a jury if you are policeman, fireman, judge, practicing physician or dentist, are active duty military or armed forces personnel and deployed out-of-state, live over 70 miles from the courthouse, or are over 80 years of age.
That doesn't mean anyone falling into these categories cannot serve on a jury. It just means that if they ask for an exemption, they will automatically get it. They will not receive a jury duty summons in the mail or if they do, an exemption will be granted. That Steve did not ask for such implies that he never asked for the exemption when he got his Juror Questionnaire.
What I have read and been told is that even if a police officer chooses to answer the jury duty summons and is called to take the stand and is questioned by the DA and the defense lawyer, both sides usually dismiss them on hearing that they are a police officer.
The only stretch in this episode is not that Steve got a jury duty summons or was able to serve - since all that is legal - but that the defense lawyer had nothing against allowing him on the jury.
Added: Sunday 19 July 2015 11:16:27 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth, CA
Just finished watching season 11's "The Case Against Philip Christie". I liked it although it is ridiculous to think that McGarrett would ever serve on a jury let alone be called for jury duty. This happened once with Quincy on Quincy M.E. as well. Ridiculous then too. But like the bugs planted all over impossible to reach places in "The Listener", you just have to let go of your rational mind and enjoy the flawed premise of the plot. Both Quincy and Five-O jury shows are fun to watch.
A couple of points from Mr. Mike's notes. In the show, at the end, McGarrett proves the innocence of Philip Christie by saying that Roman didn't enter the room with all the others. Rather that his was behind the door when it was broken through. But when they show the re-enactment, no one is behind the door. Roman slips into the crowd from off camera on the left. Also, at the end, McGarrett is on his boat. Mr. Mike says he was painting in his wacky hat. A very small point of contention but I think he was actually varnishing the wood instead of painting.
A good show and I'd personally rate it higher than 1 1/2, but not much higher.
Added: Sunday 19 July 2015 08:57:13 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
Yes, Ringfire, you are correct and I was wrong!
The conversation came out in 1974, so Five-O was again ahead of it's time!
Thanks!
Added: Tuesday 14 July 2015 07:43:50 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
"The Listener" is stellar! Mr. Mike definitely needs to raise his rating for this one. It's my third favorite of the season behind the Vashon trilogy and "Journey Out of Limbo" (another one that is criminally underrated). Agreed on Cerberus. That creep was pure scum - no two ways about it. A total sicko! The left hook from McG certainly wasn't sufficient. I have to correct you on THE CONVERSATION as that film came out in 1974 so this episode was definitely filmed and shown prior to that film's release.
I finally got around to seeing (via Netflix streaming) the season 1 finale and season 2 premiere of the new show. I'd heard for a while that McG gets framed for the governor's murder but never saw any of those episodes. They were actually pretty good (as far as the new show goes) and I really liked the opening of the season 1 finale where the camera pans across the water and you see a rainbow and you hear Elvis singing "This is the Moment" from BLUE HAWAII (which Scott Caan is watching on his TV). The two episodes were fairly intense (if farfetched and not always well written) but I kept doing a double take because it felt like I was watching "24". A person you thought was good ends up bad, the hero is framed for a murder, hero goes on the run, hero uses SEAL tactics to disarm copious law enforcement officials, conspiracies and cliffhangers and plot twists abound, etc. Hey, maybe that's why I liked it.
But the writing and acting is still subpar to that of "24" and this show isn't supposed to be "24" anyway. So what's the point? If I want to watch the real deal I'll watch "24". If I want to watch the real deal FIVE-0 I'll watch the original. It was an entertaining enough diversion, where the stakes were pretty high (which means Caan's antics were kept to a minimum, even though they were still there) but I just can't be bothered with seeing how the Wo Fat storyline continues forward. From what I understand Mom McG enters the picture at some point and I've heard only bad things about all that. Aside from that, I don't care about the crimes of the week interspersed with Caan's carguments/hand gesturing and Max Bergman's savant ticks. The aerial photography seems to have lost that ugly yellow tint so that's definitely a plus. I'd definitely watch these episodes for the photography of beautiful Hawaii but I just don't want to bother with all that other junk.
Added: Monday 13 July 2015 17:17:20 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
I watched season five's "The Listener" over the weekend and it was one of the creepiest yet most enthralling Five-O's ever. The writers must have been influenced by 1972's movie "The Conversation" with Gene Hackman as the similarities are there. In my opinion, in the first five seasons of the old Five-O there was no villain that I hated more than Cerberus or "The Hound of Hell." he was the nastiest piece of work that the show ever had. I mean I just hated him, and couldn't wait to see him get his comeuppance at the end. I think out of all the classic Five-O villains , I hated him the most.
My two quibbles with the show is that I didn't think that the viewer got enough satisfaction with his capture at the end. The big punch from MCG was nice, but I wanted something more as payback for the death and destruction plus the harassment he caused.
The second criticism is that Cerberus being a mailmen explained how he had access to the doctor's office and house, but are we to believe that he planted a bug in the collar of the doctor's suit jacket and was able to sew the collar up perfectly like an expert seamstress? They said he had a 170 IQ so that is the only thing that explains it. Overall, though a terrific show, but extremely creepy.
I keep thinking they could never do this type of episode in the new show because they would have to break up the tension with Danno's whining and complaining and arguments with McG, or Kono taking off her clothes for their weekly eye candy moment. This show is what I mean by tone, the old show always had a consistent tone in it's episodes where the new one wants to be several things at once and it doesn't work!
Added: Monday 13 July 2015 06:49:46 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Classic Hawaii Five O fans. Two HFO episodes I have enjoyed with repeated watching are All The King's Horses and Death In The Family. Great politics and intrigue as Finney the ex-racketeer is now a flower grower and business owner. McG is a friend of Finney and serves the subpoena. He's clean from McG investigation but sinister forces making Finney appear dirty. Death In The Family remembered for Chin Ho's death killed undercover. Plenty of action and a restaurant explosion. It has some questions. Rego was at Chin's funeral.He's dating her best friend. Why doesn't he say sorry for your loss or more suspicious of Chin Ho's daughter? It's also strange there were not more safeguards for Chin like a secret recorder or wire if he got into trouble. You remember McG wore a wire in The Case Against McGarrett when he ventured into the Vashon prison den. Danny also had the recordings of the Nazis in A Distant Thunder. McG sensed trouble when Danny wasn't at work and couldn't get hold of him. Seems like Chin could have been saved. It was bad luck Rego was living in San Francisco. He could check on Chin's story. I would give All The King's Horses 5.5 stars out of 6 stars and A Death In The Family a solid 4.5 out of 6 stars. Rego was an incredible character and excellent acting. Thanks Vrinda for your post. There will never be something as great as Classic Hawaii Five O again. John
Added: Friday 10 July 2015 16:38:57 MST
Submitted by: Vrinda
From: NJ
That is what stood out about the original Hawaii Five-O. Not only were the main characters unique in their own way, but so were the bad guys. How many memorable bad guys were on Dragnet, Adam-12, Ironside, and The Streets of San Francisco – barring John Davidson’s cross dressing killer? In order for a crime show to make an impression, all elements have to fit and stand out – the detectives, the semi-regulars, the bad guys, even the witnesses, along with the storylines, writing, direction, and acting. If even one of these factors was out of place, it affected all the others.
The producers, directors, and writers made sure to make everything count. Jerome Coopersmith said he always tried to make his stories unique and go beyond the usual cops and robbers, whodunits, and love triangles gone awry stories.
Whether or not a person likes the original H5O boils down to what they are looking for in a cop show, and whether they choose to see the original in the context of the time it was made, the characters’ positions, and the intent of the storylines. If they’re looking for explosions, car chases, and shootouts, the original show only had that in some episodes, not the majority. The new show has all that, but it’s to make up for the lack of storytelling and substance. If you want sitcom and soap opera subplots, the new show has those, but again, it’s the fill up the timeslot since the crime of week is lacking in plot. People who dislike the original show also choose to be dismissive and never actually watched it.
This was mentioned on here some months back, that there is a Biography TV special being made about Jack Lord, which will air early next year. There is a 28-year-old man in the film crew who is doing the off-camera interviews with actors, directors, writers, and producers who worked on Hawaii Five-O. This guy only knew of Alex O’Loughlin and the new show. He didn’t know anything about Jack Lord and the original show. This was off-putting to the producers, but they told him it would help him to conduct the interviews better if he knew more about the original show. This guy bought all 12 seasons on DVD, spent two weeks watching every episode, sometimes more than once, and now he knows more about the show than the executive producer, who was a close friend of Jack’s, and some other die hard fans. No one told him get the DVDS and watch the show. He made the decision on his own. This guy remembers specific storylines, lines of dialogue, and visual details of each episode.
It wasn’t as though he had all the time in world to sit and watch them, either. He had another project going on with the production company, so he didn’t have all day every day for two weeks to watch all 284 hours of the original series. He was willing to go that far just to learn about Jack and the original show. He read up on Jack as much as he could, but believed a lot of the gossip that was written about him, about which the executive producer set him straight. He also complemented Jack’s acting and said he had a unique way of playing McGarrett.
Here’s the clincher: this guy liked the new show, mainly because of the banter between Steve and Danno. Now, he says the new show "sucks. " (Those were his words.)
Added: Monday 06 July 2015 17:02:18 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
Everyone is going to have their own opinions and thus differ on ratings. It's Mr. Mike's website and his opinions are going to matter the most.
If you want a general consensus, see IMDB's rankings for all the Five-O episodes on one page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062568/eprate?ref_=tt_eps_rhs_sm
Added: Monday 06 July 2015 07:56:02 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Agree Ringfire on Streets Of San Francisco. That episode Mask Of Death was 1 of the best. John Davidson really was incredible in that episode as the entertainer. 4 stars great. As far as my 6 star system ****** Classic HFO episodes that would receive 6 stars highest honor include: 1.Hookman 2.Draw Me A Killer 3.A Lion In The Streets 4.Engaged To Be Buried 5.The 3 Vashons 6.Nine Dragons A few others I might mention later. In Mr. Mike's 4 star system, it is reserved for the greatest episodes. We have been talking about Thanks For The Honeymoon and a few episodes whether they deserve higher rating. I think Mr. Mike is amazingly accurate on Classic HFO episodes. The only ones I would raise grade on his list:1.The Odd Lot Caper 2.A Stranger In His Grave 3.A Killer Grows Wings. That's really miniscule considering 278 episodes or so. Maybe, the Classic HFO fans and discussion forum fans can put together a list of the Top 50 Classic HFO episodes or rank them 1-278 episodes. That would be some challenge. John
Added: Sunday 05 July 2015 21:51:07 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
I know that THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO had one really "outside the box" episode at the start of its 3rd season (1974-1975) called "Mask of Death" which I believe was Emmy-nominated. It's a fan favorite. John Davidson plays a female impersonator torch singer who is a schizophrenic killer. His "female" persona takes over and kills men. This is something you might have expected on FIVE-O but not on STREETS. This wasn't a typical episode for that show. So yes most other cop shows of that era didn't step out of the box like FIVE-O did. They tended to follow the more typical police oriented stories. FIVE-O was unique. Its crimes at times felt more fantastical and more larger than life, more exaggerated. But it was presented in a gritty manner where it didn't feel cheesy or like a cartoon.
Added: Sunday 05 July 2015 13:17:18 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Great discussion LB. Hawaii Five O (1968-1980) lasted 12 years because of outstanding writing and excellent acting Jack Lord & HFO team plus the guest star actors. I agree HFO attacked topics most police shows never did. They were 25 years ahead of their time with biological terrorism Three Dead Cows at Makapuu. The All The King's Horses episode 1969-1970 time frame still accurately depicts the world of politics and how things get done. Poor Mike Finney never got a fair shake to clear his name. Draw Me A Killer was a brilliant episode. People forget Elliott Street's character left newspaper at the scene when he killed the lawyer. McG guess was right about the comic strip tying it to the murders. I think cop show fans might have turned in early years to see exotic Hawaii but I agree the outstanding writers & the iconic McG character made HFO must watch TV. John
Added: Sunday 05 July 2015 11:49:41 MST
Submitted by: L.B.
From: U.S.A.
After watching "Draw Me A Killer” this past week, one thing occurred to me about the success of the original show. On what other show do you ever remember having a villain who murdered people who resembled adversaries of his favorite cartoon character? For that matter, what about someone who recreated murders Five-O had solved in the past, women who robbed tourist buses, or three generations of a crime family targeting the lead character? And what series of that era had a recurring villain that appeared as often as Wo Fat?
This was the most original crime series on television during its era. It gave the audience different kinds of stories from other cop/pi series, along with some of the absolute worst and creepiest villains in the history of television. Even when a common storyline is used, the writers would put a unique spin on it as they did with "Hookman”. While most of the police series in the 1970s were excellent, few of them went outside of the box as much as Five-O did.
Anyone who says that Hawaii was the real star of the series obviously never watched it.
Added: Saturday 04 July 2015 18:42:51 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Happy 4th of July!!!
I see that Mr. Mike gave "The Child Stealers" 3 and a half stars but he gave "Honeymoon", "Will the Real Mr. Winkler Please Die?", and "The Listener" only 3 stars. Personally I think the latter three episodes are superior to the former (even though I think "Child Stealers" is still great).
Added: Saturday 04 July 2015 12:21:56 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Mr. Mike gave Thanks For The Honeymoon 3 stars and I think that's just about right. Toni was a tough lady and turned out to be excellent witness to Manola's crime. Really didn't care much for the Margo romance storyline. McG & Margo were 2 intelligent & successful people. Neither was going to change although they had chemistry. The gizmo poison release was brilliant. I think it was unlikely the Doctor could sneak up the stairs with all that security. No doubt a good episode. Hookman, Nine Dragons, V For Vashon 4 star type episodes. I thought Patty Duke was excellent as Toni. John
Added: Friday 03 July 2015 18:13:20 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Thanks for the Netflix link, Rainbow. That explains things. I guess they decided to just leave 2 seasons of classic FIVE-0 for us fans (even if they are the last 2 seasons). They should have just taken the new FIVE-0 off. Maybe they feel more people watch the new show on Netflix (I know my brother-in-law just got into it after coming back from Hawaii but he hates the old show heh). It's a shame that MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE also got taken off. I've been enjoying that show too! Also MAGNUM, PI is getting taken off at the end of July and I've been going through it slowly (I've become quite a fan). Guess I'll need to receive the discs in the mail.
I agree about "Thanks for the Honeymoon" being a terrific episode! Patty Duke is great in it and I really like Lane Bradford as Manola. I like the camera angles such as when Manola punches that guy before he pushes his car off the cliff. Don Ray's score is perfect too! It's interesting that you mentioned some of those set piece episodes like "The Box" and "King of the Hills" but the "set piece episode" that directly inspired this episode is season 1's excellent "Deathwatch". In both cases we have a witness being protected by McGarrett in a hotel as the killers try to get through. In both cases said witness is set to testify against his/her former employer. In both cases McGarrett has a fair amount of contempt for the witness he's protecting. "Deathwatch" gets a slight edge from me (because it came first) but both episodes are terrific and both are among the best of their respected seasons. Top 5 material of the season!
From: Thursday 02 July 2015 17:31:36 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New k, NY
http://www.ibtimes.com/netflix-movies-disappearing-2015-over-50-movies-tv-shows-expiring-july-1979872
Ringfire: That link should answer your question.
Mike: I know all about the Cuban Missile Crisis. I come from a family of history buffs, and I have devoured books and movies on the subject. My more personal connection is that my father was activated from the national guard in 1962 long before I was born, and was ordered to ship out to Florida to take part in the invasion of Cuba to get the missiles out by land. Luckily JFK made the deal with the Russians and he was able to stand down and live to see another day. Now the idiot in the White House is making amends with Cuba while they still have people in prisons in that country just for freely expressing their political opposition to the Castro regime, and their religious beliefs. The Kennedys must be rolling in their graves. Never mind that JFK's daughter Caroline fully supports the clown in chief in undermining what her father fought for. It shows that people in today's world have lost their minds.
Now, for the long Fourth of July holiday, I offer a discussion for people to approve or disapprove. Please either support or disagree with my petition to ask Mike to review Season Five-'s "Thanks for the Honeymoon" and upgrade it to four star classic status, because in my opinion this Patty Duke starring episode is one of the finest shows in the entire series run. It had great cinematography( one shot of the ocean is the bluest I have ever seen the water in the show)great close-ups of everybody. It had wonderful humor, with the priest performing the wedding ceremony scared because of all the police with shotguns lining the church while it was going on which was hysterical. Toni thanking MCG for everything in the Honeymoon suite while MCG could have cared less about her happiness. It was also another terrific set piece story like "The Box" "King of the Hill", " I want some Candy....' where the action takes place in one setting and is so compelling.
The love story between Steve and Margo was intricately woven into the plot and was beautifully done, showing a side of Steve we never got to see. For all those fans of the new show who complain that we never got to see the personal lives of the characters in the old show well they should watch this one. MCG and Margo's love story was more romantic and more tastefully done than any of the stupid love stories of the new MCG in the new show. When they broke up at the end because they realize that it wouldn't work if they got married, it was heartbreaking, but MCG didn't whine like they do in today's show, he went back to the job!
The ending with Patty Duke's scream, and that wonderful ending of surprise for Manola with the beautiful sweeping arrangement of the Five-O score which I loved when they ended the show with, just gave me a rush. This is one of all time favorite shows. I know this isn't a democracy Mike, but please view this again, and reconsider giving it four stars because it my mind, this is a classic, and one of the reasons the old show was legendary!
From: Thursday 02 July 2015 07:12:55 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Anyone know what the deal is with Netflix discontinuing streaming seasons 1-10? I just noticed this. Is this a temporary thing? I've never come across a case where only certain seasons were available for streaming. Either all were available or none. This seems odd.
It's a shame because my sister just returned from Hawaii (her 10 year wedding anniversary) and as a result really got into watching the show starting with season 1 (we used to watch it as kids long ago). I believe she was about to start season 2. Now this happens. Guess she'll only be able to watch seasons 11 and 12 :(
P.S. This actually works out for me because I didn't purchase the last 3 seasons on DVD and have been watching them on Netflix. I'm in the middle of season 11 now so I hope the last 2 seasons don't disappear too.
Added: Wednesday 01 July 2015 10:02:39 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
I have more serious memories of walking to school when I was a kid. In October 1962, there was this thing called the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was all over the TV news. I remember walking to school on the day when a Russian ship full of missiles was heading to Cuba and there was going to be a big confrontation, which fortunately did not happen. I remember thinking "What if a nuclear war starts while I am on the way home, can I 'duck and cover' in the nearby ditch'?" (a lot of good that would have done).
Added: Wednesday 01 July 2015 09:55:12 MST
Submitted by: Rainbow Warrior
From: New York, NY
Ringfire & "Big Mike"
I remember when I used to walk to school in the late 1970's around 1st to 3rd grade that those streets I was traversing seemed so big to me and scary. I really thought they were huge to walk and cross. When I was in college, I used to laugh when I saw them after not being around for a long time and they seemed so small and tiny. I laughed that I once thought they were scary.
Gee, all these memories spurred by "The Child Stealers"
Added: Wednesday 01 July 2015 07:43:47 MST
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