Hawaii Five-O The First Season

To me there is only one Hawaii Five-O TV series and that is the series that ran from 1968 to 1980 and starred Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett.

The two-hour pilot film introduced McGarrett and his fellow law enforcement staff.  The entire Hawaii Five-O First Season was released on DVD from CBS TV /Paramount Studios.

However the actor that played Dano in the pilot film was replaced in the series by James MaCarthur.

When the concept of Hawaii Five-O was presented CBS Studios TV executives were skeptical.

Nothing had been done like it before.  The entire show was to be produced in Hawaii and each week the final episode would be flown back the States for final approval.

At that time Hawaii was woefully unprepared for producing a weekly TV series.  Essentially there were no filming facilities available.

The Hawaii Five-O staff and actors made due with ramshackle facilities the first year with poor sound insulation, less than adequate sound studios and archaic filming facilities.

And yet, they pulled it off and Hawaii Five-O became a huge hit with much of the credit going to lead actor Jack Lord.

Lord was a consummate professional and did not suffer amateurs or unprepared actors lightly.

While a gentleman he was also a hard task master that was known to loose his temper-but not without a good reason.

He loved Hawaii and its people and was determined to make the best show possible.

He encouraged locals to audition for the show and showed great patience and would guide them through the filming process-to a point.

Over the course of the series Jack bumped heads with studio executives and fellow actors and actresses but only because he cared for the show so much.

The Hawaiian people loved him and appreciated the impact the show had on the Hawaiian economy.

It was said that the Hawaiian tourist numbers grew exponentially because of Hawaii Five-O.

While the first season episodes may seem a little rough around the edges, the stories are solid, the acting first rate and the location filming is breathtaking.

From the opening high-power musical soundtrack to the final resolution of each episode the show delivered on all fronts.

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." — Psalm 4:8