Even if you’ve never seen the show, original or re-imagined, you’re familiar with its catchy theme song. Hawaii Five-0 put the state of Hawaii on the map as the setting for one of the most successful police procedurals to ever be made in television history, and it produced plenty of catchphrases along with it. “Book ’em, Danno!” and the term often used for police, “Five-0” itself, were both derived from this successful show.
These things we know. However, there are some things we don’t know about the original show’s main characters, 10 facts of which we’re uncovering for you here.
A Different Steve McGarrett
The famous Jack Lord wasn’t the only man on the list to become the beloved Steve McGarrett character. Actors Gregory Peck, Richard Boone, and Robert Brown were all considered for the part. Yet, fate had other plans, and Jack Lord turned out to be the perfect man for the job. Can you imagine anyone else (besides Lord and the current actor for the role, Alex O’Loughlin) playing Steve McGarrett? We can’t.
The Origin Of Wo Fat
Remember that villain we all loved to hate? Wo Fat, played by Khigh Dhiegh, was a recurring bad guy in Hawaii Five-0 that we all wanted to see taken down by the famous task force. The interesting part about this character is the origin of his name. It comes from a well-known restaurant in the Chinatown neighborhood of Honolulu, named “Wo Fat.” So yeah, not only is Wo Fat a rogue Communist agent but he’s also named after a famous restaurant. We’ll have a hard time not associating him with food from now on.
Lack Of Shared Moments
Wo Fat was undeniably Steve McGarrett’s greatest arch-enemy. The series finale was all about McGarrett finally capturing him. Yet, over the course of the twelve-year series, Wo Fat and Steve hardly ever shared any moments on-screen at the same time in the same scene. Did you ever notice this anomaly? We did, and we figured it was worth mentioning here.
A Poetic Set
Speaking of Jack Lord, he had artistic passion that stretched beyond acting to the written word. According to this article, Jack Lord was an admirer of poetry. During lunch breaks, Lord would recite famous poetry to the cast and crew; he was quite fond of E.E. Cummings in particular.
His love for poetry is utilized in the episode “Leopard on the Rock”, which had Lord reciting some Rudyard Kipling. It’s kind of cool that they added this personal hobby of Lord’s; it’s rather suiting given the complexities of the Steve McGarrett character himself.
Cigarettes Or Nothing
Danny (James MacArthur) was one of the main cast members. There were plenty of unique aspects about him, and we all loved him. He and McGarrett were close, with the expression of “Book ’em, Danno!” shared between them that audiences love to this day. Did you ever notice that he was the only Five-0 member to smoke cigarettes? Cigarettes were a bigger deal back in the day than they are now, so it’s unusual that he was the only one possessing them at the time. Perhaps it was a Danno-only trademark?
A Shared Military Background
Jack Lord had something in common with his character: the military. In real life, Lord served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, building bridges in the likes of Iraq. Meanwhile, Steve McGarrett was former Navy Intelligence, having earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander prior to his time at Five-0.
Despite his full-time job, McGarrett remained in the U.S. Navy Reserves for the duration of the series. Perhaps on some level Lord could relate to his character, which is why Steve McGarrett became a memorable and cherished character to begin with.
Theme Song
When you consider how influential the theme song is, and how popular it was, it’s like it was a character itself. That’s why we just had to include it in this list. It set a tone that was a perfect blend of sound that matched the Hawaiian setting and the action associated with the police procedural as it was catchy and fast-paced. Morton Stevens’ composition was covered by The Ventures; their version rocketed to Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.
The Perfect Background
Kam Fong, who played Chin Ho on the original show, comes with an interesting, and complementary, background. Chin Ho was one of the most familiar characters in the show, alongside Steve McGarrett and “Danno” Williams.
As it turns out, Fong was a member of the Honolulu Police Department for nearly two decades, just prior to his time on the show. Considering he was a former police officer, he had a special insight into playing Chin Ho. Funnily enough, Fong also auditioned for the villainous role of Wo Fat, but we’re glad he wasn’t cast in that role for obvious reasons.
The Legacy
Speaking of Fong, his Five-0 legacy continues to this day. His full name was Kam Fong Chun. One of his children, Dennis Chun, became an actor as well. Dennis had roles in both the classic versions of Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum, P.I. Today, Dennis has a role as Sergeant Duke Lukela on the reimagined version of Hawaii Five-0. That same role has transferred over into the remake of Magnum, P.I. It’s pretty cool that echoes of the classic series still exists in the remake in that the son of one of the original actors, who was on the original show for a decade, is now in the modern version. Sometimes it just works out that way in the film industry.
McGarrett And Magnum
The original Magnum, P.I. tried to get Jack Lord to cameo on the show as his Steve McGarrett character, but Lord reportedly turned down the offer. Magnum used the same studios as Five-0, and Magnum dropped clues here and there that supported the fact that both shows exist in the same fictional universe, which would have provided a perfect opportunity for Magnum to meet Steve McGarrett. Sadly, this never came to be, but it looks like that chance will come again on the remakes of these shows.
