Last night, I finally cracked open my Hawaii Five-O Season One DVDs and I am enjoying the heck out of them. But, boy, have times changed since Season One was filmed in 1968!
The smoking! People smoked all the time. Cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. In offices, in restaurants, in cars, while walking down the street, on the beach, everywhere.
The Sansabelt slacks and white shoes!
The hippies, man!
The handguns were small and the cars were huge, unlike today's cop shows where the police carry huge handguns but drive small cars.
Actors came in all ages, shapes, sizes, and degrees of attractiveness, including a surprising number of people with really bad teeth and bad dental work. It seems to me that the people on TV shows today, even the minor characters and extras, are much more homogeneous and a lot closer to perfect.
One thing hasn't changed, though. Danno is still absolutely adorable.
I just finished watching an episode called "Samurai," which had one of the most bizarre casting choices I've ever seen. Ricardo Montalban played a Japanese gangster, complete with makeup to give him Asian eyes. But wait, you say, Ricardo Montalban has a Spanish accent. Yes. Yes indeed, he does, and it was in full evidence. Bizarre. It was just bizarre.
Honestly, the show holds up much better than I had feared. Yes, it's dated. I laugh every time McGarrett gives his secretary a peck on the cheek, asks for a cup of coffee, and calls her "Love." But, the stories are still entertaining and unlike some other older TV shows I've watched on DVD (I'm looking at you, Moonlighting), I am not constantly distracted by the anachronisms (like the reel-to-reel tape players) or dated production values.
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