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I remember it
well… it was 2007… around March…
I heard myself saying… “Finally,
finally, finally!! One of the best cop dramas
from the 60's, 70's and 80's hits the DVD
market!!!!” 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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It has been two and half years and the folks
at Paramount are now up to the seventh season
of what was arguably my favorite cop show of all
time. When the DVD hit my desk a few weeks ago,
it was again 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).
Even though we are now into this fifth season
release, I’m still 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.
This new DVD set offers up the 24 episodes of
the seventh season, and I have to say regardless
of what I remember or don’t remember from
watching this show way back when, this is STILL
one of the best cop shows ever. These episodes
are amongst the best and I’m glad to see
that my diminished memory didn’t steer me
wrong this time. Oh, and watch for a young Bruce
Boxleitner in 2 episodes as 2 different characters.
I challenge you to spot him!
If there is any disappointment it is in the fact
that while there were some special features on
the first season release, there have been none
since. And I noticed that the box had the disclaimer
that has become so popular lately, “Some
episodes may be edited from their original network
versions.” This has become a thorn in the
side of TV addicts like me who have waited so
patiently for these shows to hit the market. And
while my memory does not allow for me to catch
what may have been cut, I know there are fanatics
out there who know every line and scene. These
are the people it will really bother.
"Hawaii 5-0" stands as one of the best
of its kind when it comes to older TV crime dramas,
this DVD release was long overdue, and I cannot
wait for the rest of the seasons to hit store
shelves.
Episodes:
The Young Assassins
A Hawaiian Nightmare
I’ll Kill ‘Em Again
Steal Now, Pay Later
Bomb, Bomb, Who’s Got the Bomb
Right Grave – Wrong Body
We Hang Our Own
The Two-Faced Corpse
How to Steal a Masterpiece
A Gun for McGarrett
Welcome to Our Branch Office
Presenting… In the Center Ring… Murder
Hari Kiri: Murder
Bones of Contention
Computer Killer
A Woman’s Work is with a Gun
Small Witness, Large Crime
Ring of Life
Study in Rage
And the Horse Jumped Over the moon
Hit Gun for Sale
The Hostage
Diary of a Gun
6,000 Deadly Tickets
Starring: Jack Lord, James MacArthur
Extras: Episodic Promos
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Mono
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/20/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment
We'll give Hawaii 50: Season 7 a B.
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