When "Hawaii Five-0" went on the air 43 years ago this week, on Sept. 26, 1968, locals were concerned that a crime show might portray Hawaii negatively. Somehow, however, the 300 million people who watched the show in 80 countries did not see Hawaii as crime-ridden. They saw beautiful beaches and mountains. With the opening shot of a perfectly formed wave, they were hooked.
KHON2 News anchor Joe Moore, who guest starred in about 15 episodes, believes that the economic impact of the original Five-0 was enormous. "Because the show aired before the explosion in cable channels and the Internet, its worldwide audience every week was much larger than for the remake. The huge growth in our tourism can be directly attributed to the exposure given the islands every week on ‘Hawaii Five-0.’ It was an hourlong commercial for Hawaii every week for 12 seasons."
When the show began in 1968, about 800,000 tourists came to Hawaii each year. When the show ended in 1980, that number had climbed to nearly 4 million.
The idea for "Hawaii Five-0" began with the late Gov. John Burns. He envisioned a special state police task force that reported directly to the governor to deal with serious crime. CBS producer Leonard Freeman turned the idea into a TV show. Freeman’s mother-in-law, Amelia, lived in Hawaii, and encouraged him to produce a show here so she could see him more often.
Additionally, there are a few more tidbits you probably didn’t know about "Hawaii Five-0."
Its name reflects that Hawaii is the 50th state. Freeman’s original title was "The Man."
Gregory Peck and Richard Boone were considered for the role of Steve McGarrett before Jack Lord.
Lord was seriously considered for the role of Captain Kirk in Star Trek. Lord wanted to co-produce the series and own a percentage of it. The show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, wasn’t willing to meet his demands and cast William Shatner instead.
McGarrett’s arch enemy’s name, Wo Fat, came from the former Chinatown restaurant with the same name.
When Jack and Marie Lord died, they left more than $40 million to local charities.
Bob Sigall, author of "The Companies We Keep" books, looks through his collection of old photos to tell stories each Friday of Hawaii people, places and companies. Email him at Sigall@Yahoo.com.
