HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - Five-O in O-Seven December 4, 2007
Posted by Kelly in : Big Island Hawaii, General, HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND , add a commentHERE ON THE BIG ISLAND
Five-O in O-Seven
There must be an unwritten law in the TV business that there shall always be an action/adventure series shot in Hawaii. Currently, it’s “Lost.” In the early 1960s it was “Hawaiian Eye,” a private-eye show set in Waikiki; more recently, it was “Magnum P.I.” But perhaps the most famous - certainly the longest-running - is “Hawaii Five-0,” produced from
1968 to 1980 and currently re-running on Honolulu station KWHE.
“Five-O” is the fiftieth-state’s state police: a plainclothes unit reporting directly to the governor. In reality, there has never been a statewide police force; each county - essentially, each island -maintains its own. And real cops in Hawaii don’t work as Five-O’s do, in dark suits and ties.
The show was filmed almost entirely on Oahu; but some footage was shot here, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, for a 1974 episode called “A Hawaiian Nightmare.” The premise: Unless a $500,000 ransom is paid, a bomb will explode, sending molten lava down into Hilo.
Prospective terrorists must look elsewhere for inspiration. Kilauea’s lava doesn’t flow through Hilo; it flows through Puna. And although lava from Mauna Loa could reach Hilo - it has done so before - man-made explosions can not ignite eruptions.
On the fan web site at www.mjq.net/fiveo there are cast bios, links galore, and some unexpected trivia. Turns out there are lyrics (who knew?) to Morton Stevens’ hard-driving “Five-O” theme music, and Don Ho used to sing them:
If you’re feelin’ lonely / You can come with me.
Feel my arms around you / Lay beside the sea.
We will think of somethin’ to do.
Do it till it’s perfect for you / And for me too.
You can come with me.
