The Hawaii Five-O FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

(Revised by Mike Quigley from information supplied by Karen Rhodes, posted originally in alt.fan.hawaii-five-o)

When was Hawaii Five-O originally on TV (its prime-time run)?
September 26, 1968 to April 5, 1980

Sept. - Dec. 1968, CBS Thursday 8:00 - 9:00 P.M.
Dec. 1968 - Sept. 1971, CBS Wednesday 10:00 - 11:00 P.M.
Sept. 1971 - Sept. 1974, CBS Tuesday 8:30 - 9:30 P.M.
Sept. 1974 - Sept. 1975, CBS Tuesday 9:00 - 10:00 P.M.
Sept. - Nov. 1975, CBS Friday 9:00 - 10:00 P.M.
Dec. 1975 - Nov. 1979, CBS Thursday 9:00 - 10:00 P.M.
Dec. 1979 - Jan. 1980, CBS, Tuesday 9:00 - 10:00 P.M.
Mar. - Apr. 1980, Saturday 9:00 - 10:00 P.M.

When did the Hawaii Five-O pilot movie ("Cocoon") premiere?
A week before the series, on September 20, 1968.

It should be noted that either of these dates, as well as any of the air dates of any other of the episodes during the 12-year run of the show, may vary from the "official" dates (the CBS network airdates) in any particular local market because of pre-emption or other schedule shifting on a local level. Episode guides do not take these local shifts into account; that would be impossible to track down and too space-consuming to include.

Who created Hawaii Five-O?
Leonard Freeman, who died January 20, 1974 from complications of heart surgery.

Who composed the main title theme?
Morton Stevens, who died November 11, 1991 of cancer. He composed music for other TV shows like Police Woman, Gunsmoke and The Wild, Wild West, arranged music for the Boston Pops, and was musical director for concert tours of Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli.

Is the soundtrack to Hawaii Five-O available?
Music from the TV soundtrack was available on the Capitol LP record ST-410, issued in the late 1960's. It has never been reissued commercially on CD. Some of the music on this LP (which is around half an hour long) is taken from the show's pilot movie and is also heard in some early season episodes. The main title (not the version from this LP) can also be found on various TV theme compilation CDs.

Were there any changes between the pilot movie and the series?
In the pilot movie, Dan Williams was played by Tim O'Kelley. Apparently a test audience in New York didn't think he did such a good job. Leonard Freeman went looking for a new Dan Williams, and settled on James MacArthur, who had appeared in the movie Hang 'em High (1967) which Freeman had produced. Aside from Danny Williams, there were no changes as far as the primary characters were concerned. The movie starred Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett, with Zulu as Kono, who seemed to be second-in-command, and Kam Fong as Chin Ho Kelly. Secondary character changes included the Governor -- Lew Ayres in the movie, Richard Denning in the series; and Attorney General -- Philip Ahn in the movie, Morgan White in early episodes of the series, who was dropped eventually in favor of District Attorney (later Attorney General) John Manicote, played by Glenn Cannon.

Is Jack Lord (Steve McGarrett) still alive?
No, he died in Honolulu on January 21, 1998 of congestive heart failure.

What was Jack Lord's real name?
John Joseph Patrick Ryan.

When was he born?
At New York University, which Lord attended from 1938 to 1942, their records give December 30, 1920 as his birthdate. According to records in the Library of Congress, it is December 30, 1922. The figure of 1930 is one allegedly invented by Lord himself for his publicity material. If 1930 is true, then he would have graduated from high school at age 8!

How tall was Jack Lord?
Despite a rumour that he was quite short, Lord was actually 6 feet, 2 inches tall.

Did Jack Lord ever wear a wig or hairpiece?
According to Glenn Cannon, who played the Attorney General in several later season shows, when asked why Jack Lord always wore a plantation hat, Cannon pointed to the crown of his own head and said, "To cover his thinning spot on the top of his head. He wore a hair piece on the show." When asked how he knew this, he replied, "Because my chair in the makeup trailer was right next to Jack and I would watch them put it on." On the other hand, according to Dave Donnelly, who wrote about entertainment for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin since the late 60's, and also appeared in some episodes (albeit earlier ones, since Donnelly wrote a nasty parody of Jack Lord and was not on friendly terms with Lord thereafter): "I've been around and near Jack Lord enough to assure you he never wore a hairpiece. For all his failings, losing his hair wasn't one of them. Granted, it was sprayed to within an inch of its life and arranged to droop for what passed as 'casually' across his forehead, but it's his." James MacArthur, who played Danno to Lord's McGarrett for eleven years, has confirmed this.

What is James MacArthur's (Danny Williams) full name?
James Gordon MacArthur.

When was he born and where is he now?
December 8, 1937. He currently lives in California, but maintains a residence in Hawaii.

Wasn't his mother a famous actress?
Yes, Helen Hayes, known as "The First Lady of the American Theater." She had an outstanding and long career on stage, in movies, and on television. She died March 17, 1993, of congestive heart failure. James MacArthur's father was also famous, the playwright Charles MacArthur (1895-1956). These were, however, his adoptive parents. Nothing is known about his biological parents, since he was adopted as an infant.

Why did James MacArthur leave the series?
Contrary to popular rumour that he had a contractual dispute with CBS at the end of the eleventh season, MacArthur told attendees at the 1996 Five-O convention that he was in South America on a holiday and just phoned his agent and said "I'm not coming back," and it was as simple as that. He'd had enough.

Where is Kam Fong (Chin Ho Kelly)?
He lived in Honolulu after leaving the show, and in the late 1980's, he was heard on his own radio show on a Hawaiian-music station in Honolulu. He also ran a rather tongue-in-cheek gubernatorial campaign at that time, using the campaign slogan "Give a damn -- Vote for Kam!" He passed away on October 18, 2002 after a long battle with lung cancer.

Why did Kam Fong leave the series?
Kam Fong's character Chin Ho Kelly was murdered in the final episode of the 10th season, A Death in the Family. At the Five-O convention in 1996, Kam said that he originally wanted Chin Ho to "retire gracefully," and fought the idea of having his character murdered. There was even talk of the production company suing Kam for breaking his contract! Then someone told him that it was an honour if you were a regular in a TV show and you were knocked off ... this meant that no one else could play your character. Despite Chin Ho's demise, he reappeared to play a part in the "new" Five-O TV pilot filmed in 1997!

Where is Zulu (Kono)?
Zoulou (his preferred spelling), whose real name was Gilbert Francis Lani Damian Kauhi, lived on the island of Hawaii. He has suffered from health problems, including two heart attacks and two strokes. Despite this, he was able to make it to both the Burbank and Honolulu Hawaii Five-O conventions in the fall of 1996, and played a role in the "new" Hawaii Five-O pilot filmed in the spring of 1997. He passed away in May, 2004.

Why did Zoulou leave the series at the end of the fourth season?
There are two versions in the Honolulu newspapers from the time: 1) Zoulou's agent/manager was unhappy with his role not giving enough vent to his comedic talents; 2) Zoulou uttered a racial slur against unit publicist Len Weisman, a Jewish man, and when Jack Lord heard about it, he said that such behavior would not be tolerated. #2 is regarded by most as the "correct" reason. An article in the April 1975 issue of Playgirl further explains: "The island arm of the United States Coast Guard, as part of its Christmas festivities, announced its intention of naming Zulu an honorary member of its service. According to a Five-O source, when Lord heard of the impending ceremony he forbade Zulu to participate; he wanted the honor for himself. The other actor complained bitterly, and the angry words that ensued were apparently used as a pretext for firing the popular regular from the show."

Where is Al (Ben Kokua) Harrington?
He has retired and is living in Hawaii. He has been seen playing a variety of parts in movies (including Native American Indians!) and a Hawaiian production of Shakespeare's Othello which shifted the action from medieval Venice to 1830s Kauai with the Hawaiian warrior Othello dealing with Russian colonists.

Why did Al Harrington leave the series?
No reason was ever given for Ben's departure (or his arrival, for that matter!). However, during a 1996 Honolulu TV show about Five-O, Harrington said that he was chosen by Leonard Freeman to replace Zulu starting in the fifth season, despite the fact that Jack Lord "didn't approve" because Harrington was "too tall" or "too something." After Freeman died in early 1974, Harrington said "the writing was on the wall that I wasn't going to be there very much longer." He survived until the end of the seventh season, during which he appeared to be absent much of the time.

Is Khigh Dhiegh (Wo Fat, Steve McGarrett's nemesis) still alive?
No, Khigh Dhiegh -- whose real name was reportedly Kenneth Dickerson -- died of liver and heart failure in November of 1991 at the age of 81. Although he was well-known for playing Oriental villains, Dhiegh was born in Spring Lake, New Jersey and was of Anglo-Egyptian Sudanese descent.

How do you pronounce Khigh Dhiegh's name?
It rhymes with "Why me?"

Who played Che Fong?
Che Fong was played by three different actors. In "...And They Painted Daisies on His Coffin" (#5), the Chinese forensic scientist is played by Edward Tom (uncredited). In "A Bullet for McGarrett" (#29), the part is played by Daniel Kamekona. The role was finally taken over in "Blind Tiger" (#38) by Harry Endo who lives in Hawaii today.

Which 1970's sitcom star appeared on Five-O as the drug dealer "Big Chicken"?
Gavin MacLeod, who appeared on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Love Boat." He was featured as "Big Chicken" in two episodes -- #5, "And They Painted Daisies on His Coffin," and #16, "The Box."

Is there a real "Hawaii Five-O" -- a state police agency?
No. Guidebooks have to keep telling tourists that Hawaii does not and never did have a state police force. According to Karen Rhodes,a "Five-0"-style police unit was proposed by governor John Burns (who was in office from 1962-1973), but apparently didn't get anywhere, possibly because the legislature didn't want to fund it or for some other reason. Leonard Freeman had a conversation with the governor, who told Freeman of the idea, and that's where the idea for the series came from.

Why was it called Five-O, anyway?
Hawaii was the fiftieth state in the union. (The original title was "The Man," but producer Leonard Freeman changed his mind.)

Was the team's office filmed in the real Iolani Palace in Honolulu?
No, that was a standing set at the studio. The way Iolani Palace is laid out, the office suite as we see it would not have fit in the building! There was a lot of exterior and interior photography done at the palace--remember that beautiful koa-wood staircase McGarrett took two at a time!

Why did the Five-O team move their offices in the ninth season?
The move, shown taking place in the season opener, "Nine Dragons", was necessary because they could not do any exterior or interior filming at the palace because it was undergoing extensive renovations. So the fictional Five-O team "moved" to the old Territorial Building. Five-O moved for real, too, because their lease on the Fort Ruger studio was up. The office shots in the Territorial Building are not of a standing set -- that is the real space in the Territorial Building, which became the temporary studio for the production.

Where was Hawaii Five-O's studio?
They began in an old, rickety, un-airconditioned Navy warehouse at Pearl City that was nicknamed "Mongoose Manor". Next they moved to a studio facility at Fort Ruger on the eastern side of Diamond Head. The local neighborhood association balked, however, charging that the studio in their midst would lower property values and be a noise and traffic nuisance. In 1976 they moved piecemeal to a new studio site on Diamond Head Road.

What was the governor's name?
There is misinformation in some references on TV shows. There are at least two such references which have the governor's name listed as Philip Grey. However, that was a different character played by Richard (The Governor) Denning in the episode "24 Karat Kill" in the first season -- a U.S. treasury agent named Philip Grey. The governor's name shows up first in "The 90-Second War". It isn't mentioned, it's seen. There is a scene where Jonathan Kaye has McGarrett, Army & Navy brass, and the governor in the secret Diamond Head bunker. Each man has a nameplate. The governor's clearly reads: Paul Jameson. That name is also used in "A Capitol Crime" when Barnard Hughes's character demands to speak to "Governor Paul Jameson." However, in two tenth season shows -- #227, The Big Aloha and #226, Tread the King's Shadow -- he is referred to as "Phil and "Phillip"!

What was the origin of the nickname "Danno" for James MacArthur's character?
According to an interview with MacArthur in the April 1998 issue of Cult TV magazine: "Jack [Lord] and I were shooting a thing one day and we both had our guns out and were going to surround someone. Jack said something like, 'Go down there, Danno,' and I just stopped and said, 'Danno? Who's Danno?' We cut and Jack said, 'You know, I had a friend named Dan when I was a kid, and we used to call him Danno,' and the next thing you know ... It was really Jack's invention."

Why did some Five-O episodes run under the title "McGarrett"?
CBS had a late-night "series" to compete against the talk shows (Johnny Carson in particular), which consisted of reruns of their best shows such as Five-O, Magnum, P.I. and others. They even bought an additional fourth season of the cancelled ABC series T. J. Hooker for this gig. They selected episodes from the twelfth season of Five-O to run in this slot, and changed the title to McGarrett.

What was the license number of McGarrett's car?
F6-3958. McGarrett was the only member of the team to have the same license number through the entire run.

What was Steve McGarrett's home address?
In early episodes, 404 Piikoi Street. This is an actual address, though it is not in a residential area. In fact, it is across the street from the Ala Moana Shopping Center, and was the location of a business called "Records Hawaii." Since their departure some years ago, a number of businesses came and went in that building which was torn town and replaced by part of a skyscraper complex. Back when the show was being produced, this address was the administrative/production office for Five-O. That's where they'd meet every morning before going to work at the studio or on location. The building that is there now is not the same building that was there then. In 'V' For Vashon: the Father, McGarrett is living at 2085 Ala Wai Blvd., which is a real apartment building.

Did Hawaii Five-O ever win any Emmy awards?
Yes. Two. Morton Stevens won them for the music to the episodes "Hookman" and "A Thousand Pardons, You're Dead."

Are there any plans to make a theatrical movie of Hawaii Five-O or revive it on the small screen?
Click on this link for detailed information.

Is Five-O available on video or DVD?
Some episodes of the show were available on tape through Columbia House in the U.S.A. and Canada -- not any more. You can often find these for sale on Ebay. The show's first three seasons are now available on DVD, with a fourth slated for June of 2008.

Will you make copies of episodes for me?
If you are convincing enough, I may relent and make copies of episodes for you on DVD (not of any episodes currently available commercially on DVD, though -- go and buy the box sets!). You can contact me through the link on the main Five-O Page. Be warned, I consider doing this a major PITA since it ties up my computer for hours, and I am not going to do it for peanuts. Anyone interested in copies of Hawaii Five-O episodes (mostly all full versions) on VHS tape can contact Barbara Brindle at 105 Warren Road, Sparta, NJ 07871. Unfortunately, Barbara does not have an email address. Ron Evans, owner of e/p Partners, http://www.networksplus.net/caseyguy/epPartners.htm also offers VCR tapes of Hawaii Five-O, Jack Lord and James MacArthur, among others.

Is there a Hawaii Five-O WWW page?
Mike Quigley maintains The Hawaii Five-O Home Page at http://www.mjq.net/fiveo.htm (you're already there!) and there are several others as well:

Is there a Hawaii Five-O fan club?
The Iolani Palace Irregulars, founded by Karen Rhodes, was the international appreciation society for Five-O for several years. Unfortunately, it ceased to exist in April of 1998. Its successor, The Hawaii Five-O Fan Club, is accessible through http://www.hawaiifive0.org/. If you want to write to them via postal mail, their address is The Hawaii Five-0 Fan Club, c/o Kerry Lynch, 142 Castle Street #3, Great Barrington, MA 01230

Is it Five-O (as in "oh") or Five-0 (as in "zero")?
This is a matter of debate. According to Viacom, who distribute the show, it is zero. But the Five-O soundtrack album, released in the late 60's, uses "oh."

Revised January 10, 2006