Product Description

Filmed entirely on location in Hawaii, the show followed Jack Lord as he played Steve McGarrett, head of an elite state police unit investigating "organized crime, murder, assassination attempts, foreign agents, felonies of every type." James MacArthur played his second-in-command Danny ("Danno") Williams, with local actors playing members of the Five-O team.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12654 in DVD
• Brand: HAWAII FIVE-0
• Released on: 2008-06-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish, Portuguese
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 405 minutes

Amazon.com
Could it be that with Hawaii Five-O’s fourth season, a third of the way into its remarkable '60s-'70s run, the show has gotten... well, cool? Actually, there are signs throughout this six-disc set of 24 digitally-remastered episodes that point to yes. Let’s not get carried away here; Five-O is still basically as square as Tiananmen and Trafalgar, and as long as Steve McGarrett (portrayed, as ever, by Jack Lord) is in charge, its groove factor will never rival that of, say, CSI: Miami, or any other glossy new millennium cop drama. Indeed, the show’s corniness and utter lack of irony remain integral to its charm. But there are a few interesting developments in this ’71-’72 season. There’s a good complement of snappy dialogue (one particularly large perp is "so big he could go bear-hunting with chopsticks"). And although the pacing can be pretty stodgy, the editing is a bit more deft; many scenes flow more naturally, and in at least one instance ("I Want Some Candy, and a Gun that Shoots," wherein a sniper is picking off cops on a coastal highway), the entire episode is more exciting than the Five-0 norm. The direction and lighting are also more stylish, while the music (not just Morton Stevens' classic theme song but the incidental sounds as well) and location scenery, two elements that have always been among the series’ strong suits, are as good as ever; in fact, the islands look so lush and inviting that one wonders why the bad guys can even get motivated to commit their dirty deeds.

But they do, of course, and McGarrett and his faithful team (James MacArthur as Danno, Kam Fong as Chin Ho, and, in what remains one of the great TV credits ever, "Zulu as Kono") are there to stop 'em. This time around they’re dealing with everything from a big money travelers check scam ("3,000 Crooked Miles to Honolulu," with Jed Clampett... er, Buddy Ebsen as a guest villain), eco-terrorism ("Is This Any Way to Run a Paradise"), political assassination ("Rest in Peace, Somebody"), and racism-rape ("Skinhead"), along with the usual murders and encounters with Red Chinese nemesis Wo Fat (Khigh Dhiegh). McGarrett is for the most part still as stiff as his hair, but Lord occasionally displays considerable passion, as when he breaks down in tears upon being informed that a nasty car accident did not leave him paralyzed (in "The 90-Second War," a two-parter). As always, bonus material is limited to brief, previous-week promos for each episode. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Another great season, another great DVD set!
Hawaii Five-0: The Fourth Season delivers more of what we love most about the show in 24 exciting remastered episodes.
All of the episodes are once again digitally remastered, looking very pristine for shows from 1971 that are 37 years old. The only hint of grain is in the occasional piece of stock footage that appears in the episodes.
Despite the now ubiquitous disclaimer on the box, none of the episodes appear to have been cut based on run times and my extensive memory of the shows from VHS tapings.

There is one small change from previous seasons: the discs themselves no longer feature artwork this time around, probably to save on costs. Instead, they are the standard CBS DVD silver with the show logo.

As before, episode promos are included for some of the shows, although fewer than in previous seasons.

This season is one of the very best, with a number of excellent episodes and very few stinkers, if any, in the bunch. In fact, a few of the episodes are downright edgier in terms of content than previous seasons, including one which features several ethnic slurs from a thug that Paramount's editing department left intact.
The best episode in my opinion is the season opener, "Highest Castle, Deepest Grave", in which a millionaire (Herbert Lom from the "Pink Panther" movies) is implicated in the 10-year-old murder of his wife. Watching a great theatrical actor of Lom's stature clash with Jack Lord makes their many scenes together sizzle with dramatic tension.

Other stories from this season include a plot to kill the Governor, a traveler's check scam masterminded by a college professor, a serial killer who dresses up his victims, a soldier accused of rape, a man who is murdered at his own birthday party, an embezzler who gets rolled by hippies, a psychotic sniper, a great caper episode about a carefully-plotted armored car heist, and another two-parter featuring everyone's favorite Five-0 villain Wo Fat.

The season features loads of other great guest stars including John Ritter, Annette O' Toole, Buddy Ebsen, Vic Morrow, Marion Ross, Jackie Cooper, Loretta Swit, Tim O' Connor and Hume Cronyn returning as Lewis Avery Filer, the criminal mastermind he played in Season 3.

All in all, another outstanding effort on the part of CBS DVD and Paramount. Now we get to wait for the much-anticipated Season Five, which features arguably the best storyline ever from the series.

Five-O was hitting its stride!
Five-O started before I was born and ended before I really watched much TV. So I was relegated to watching the reruns with my grandfather and my dad. Well, now that the DVDs are out, I can't get enough of this show. It's amazing how good it is still today. Sure some of the dialog is now dated and the stories are very straight forward but that's what is so good about Hawaii Five-O. That and the fact that Steve McGarrett is the coolest cop IN THE WORLD. This season, we start to see some repeating themes from the first 3 seasons and it give the show some continuity and character development. Can't wait for 5 - 12 to be released!

Long-Running Series Deserves DVD Release
Nothing lasts 12 years without having something going for it. In the case of Hawaii Five-O, it easy to dismiss it as a typically television crime drama that got lucky by finding its audience and keeping it. The same could be said for Law and Order. Except, in television years, luck usually runs out after two or three years. Gimmicks get old, the formula is figured out, and sharks are jumped so often they don't even complain.

But shows that last five years, much less 12, have to have something besides luck, gimmicks, and great scheduling. Hawaii Five-O had a number of things going for it. First of all, let's be honest. The setting was, and still is so lush and exotic that it is easily intoxicating. Hawaii is beautiful, and most people either live there or want to live there. Filming on location has always been a blessing when it's been done, and probably no more so than on this series.

Next, Jack Lord, playing Five-O chief Steve McGarrett, was one of a long line of no-nonsense law enforcement figures. The strength, integrity, and dedication of these kinds of characters cannot be overstated, and these characters will always have lots of fans rooting them on, not unlike Law and Order's Jack McCoy.

Finally, watching shows like this is always a treat because you see so many stars that were either big stars enjoying a working Hawaiian vacation, or lots of up and coming stars before they got their big break. Hawaii Five-O was a natural draw for both categories, and it's fun to watch them and remember when.

It's also fun to remember when you could look forward to hearing one of the best and most recognizable theme songs in television history. Not a small thing when you add it with the other factors. Hawaii Five-O had a lot going for it then, and it has a lot going for it now.