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Finally, finally,
finally!! One of the best cop dramas from
the 60's, 70's and 80's started hitting
the DVD market last year! Spanning a portion
of all three decades, "Hawaii 5-0"
ran for an impressive 12 season run. What
the adventures of Hawaii's finest delivered
was far from your run of the mill police
show. The '5-0' division was made up of
police officers and detectives whose job
was to track the high profile criminals
that the regular police force couldn't touch.
Led by the lantern-jawed Steve McGarrett
(Jack Lord), these guys were the elite of
the elite.
"Hawaii 5-0" premiered in 1968
and kept its place at the top of the heap
until late 1980. The episodes were rarely
less than stellar, and the combination of
writing and kinetic cinematography was years
ahead of anything on the television landscape.
The opening music, which was punctuated
by the show's eye-catchingly fast-paced
montage, still sits high on the list of
the most recognized TV themes of all time.
Thankfully, the series was every bit as
good as the opening titles promised.
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Whenever a new season hits my desk it is immediately
added to my 'gotta get my mom over to watch' list.
Here was a series I watched religiously with my
parents. My dad and I liked the action, but my
mom watched it for Jack Lord. She loved my dad
dearly, but she was completely nuts about Jack
Lord. So we cheered, while she swooned. Having
her over to watch a few episodes with me, I could
see that the years had not caused any lapse of
interest in her part. To her, he was still…
Jack Lord (swoon).
In watching the series again, I was surprised
to find how little I actually remembered from
being a kid. Being older, I now understood that
"Hawaii 5-0" was closer to a spy show
in style than any cop show. There were 'super-villains'
like Wo Fat (Khigh Dhiegh), who reared his extremely
bald head throughout the entire run of the series.
He continued to be the 'fish that got away' and
longtime thorn in McGarrett's side. Paramount
has just released the 3rd season (I’m glad
they haven’t started doing the dreaded ‘volume
1 and volume 2’ for each season with this
series) and I’m already over three quarters
if the way through it. This season saw the return
of the aforementioned Wo Fat as well as the first
of several episodes to feature Hume Cronyn as
a likable criminal (who turned to crime because
he was over 50 and couldn’t find a job…).
I
This new DVD set offers up only the 24 episodes
of the third season and a episodic promos. So
far, only the 1st season set has given us any
real features. Still, despite this lack of content,
"Hawaii 5-0" stands as one of the best
of its kind when it comes to older TV crime dramas,
and I cannot wait for the rest of the seasons
to hit store shelves.
Episodes:
And a Time to Die…
Trouble in Mind
The Second Shot
Time and Memories
The Guarnerius Caper
The Ransom
Force of Waves
The Reunion
The Late John Louisiana
The Last Eden
Over Fifty? Steal!
Beautiful Screamer
The Payoff
The Double Wall
Paniolo
Ten Thousand Diamonds and a Heart
To Kill or Be Killed
F.O.B. Honolulu: Part 1
F.O.B. Honolulu: Part 2
The Gunrunner
Dear Enemy
The Bomber and Mrs. Moroney
The Grandstand Play: Part 1
The Grandstand Play: Part 2
Starring: Jack Lord, James MacArthur
Extras: Episodic Promos
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Mono
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 1/22/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Hawaii Five-0 a B-.
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