Herman Wedemeyer had an amazing career before getting into acting on Hawaii Five-O. He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame for a playing career that included him finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He was elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives. Yet he probably received the greatest honor of his professional career when Jack Lord told him to report to wardrobe to be fitted for a sportsjacket. No longer was he playing Duke Lukela as an HPD officer. He was Five-O. How could this top being a football star and politician? There’s hundreds of people that are Heisman runner-ups and Hawaiian Representatives. But there’s only a handful actors who have carried the mythical badge of Steve McGarrett’s Five-O. However he was still on unit probation since Herman isn’t part of the opening credits on Hawaii Five-O: The Eighth Season. After going through Zulu and Al Harrington, Jack Lord was cautious about giving out that honor.
“Murder: Eyes Only” is a two hour special that gives us high seas action. McGarrett (Jack Lord) isn’t merely Hawaii’s top cop. He’s also found time to serve in the Naval Reserve. During his active time on a ship, a madman has sent a letter bomb onto a base. There’s no more maneuvers for McGarrett as the brass orders him to investigate. Who could be behind such a terrorist plot? Why it’s Wo Fat. The episode was made with the full cooperation of the Navy so there’s a lot of fresh shipboard footage instead of the usual stock film action used by a normal series. There’s even a visit to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. “McGarrett is Missing” crashes a small plane with McGarrett and mobster Charlie Bombay (Charles Cioffi). This simple prisoner transport turns into a cross country chase as Bombay gets the upperhand on an injured McGarrett.
“Target? The Lady” exposes Susan Dey (The Partridge Family) as a money runner for a bookie operation. She witnesses a murder and becomes a target of the sloppy hitman. Five-O needs to grab her. Marc Singer (The Beastmaster) is helps Dey. “Death’s Name is Sam” puts a jet in jeopardy as killers plot to shoot it down with a surface to air missile (SAM). George Takei (Star Trek‘s Sulu) beams down. “The Case Against McGarrett” brings back Honore Vashon (Harold Gould). He’s a model prisoner, but he drops the good guy role when he grabs a pack of hostages. He demands McGarrett in exchange for the VIPs. He sets up a kangaroo court to convict McGarrett for crimes against the Vashon’s family. “The Defector” has Pat Hingle (Batman) fooled into thinking a Chinese agent has really defected.
The interesting element of the series is about how little we know about the members of Hawaii Five-O when they’re not on the job. There’s very little personal backstory that comes forward during an investigation. Very rarely does McGarrett pull off a member because their too close to the case. “Retire in Sunny Hawaii — Forever” discloses that Danny Williams (James MacArthur) has relatives. In this case his Aunt Clara (Helen Hayes) flies to the island for a vacation in paradise. It quickly becomes a nightmare when an elderly man she chatted up during the long flight ends up a victim of a homicidal scam run by Charles Durning. Duke is the initial investigator who gets fooled. Hayes is really McArthur’s adoptive mother and not merely an aunt. “How to Steal a Submarine” has Jack Cassidy (David Cassidy’s dad) as vice principal that offers an extra credit project in drug smuggling. “The Waterfront Steal” makes Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica) part of thievery crew that target the dock warehouses.
“Wooden Model of a Rat” finks McGarrett as stealing recovered art by a smuggling ring’s mastermind. Turns out the top cop enjoys collecting little Asian statues. Ed Asner (Mary Tyler Moore Show) sets up McGarrett to be royally framed. “Turkey Shoot at Makapuu” brings back the glory days of hang-gliding. A couple local thugs plan on shooting a lady as she soars over the island.
Hawaii Five-O: The Eight Season has McGarrett promote from within the police force into his special unit instead of introducing us to a new face. Duke handles the new gig without looking too out of place. He’s been receiving orders from McGarrett since the first episode (when Harold played Lt. Balta). The only difference now is that his wardrobe gets to vary.
The Episodes
“Murder: Eyes Only,” “McGarrett is Missing,” “Termination with Extreme Prejudice,” “ Target? The Lady,” “Death’s Name is Sam,” “The Case Against McGarrett,” “The Defector,” “Sing A Song Of Suspense,” “Retire In Sunny Hawaii — Forever,” “How to Steal a Submarine,” “The Waterfront Steal,” “Honor is an Unmarked Grave,” “A Touch of Guilt,” “Wooden Model of a Rat,” “Deadly Persuasion,” “Legacy of Terror,” “Loose Ends Get Hit,” “Anatomy of a Bribe,” “Turkey Shoot at Makapuu,” “A Killer Grows Wings,” “The Capsule Kidnapping,” “Love Thy Neighbor — Take His Wife” and “A Sentence to Steal.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfer is from the 35mm source so you get the crisp details of Honolulu in 1975. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. McGarrett’s voice rumbles as law across this tropical paradise. The episodes have English subtitles.
Episodic Promos (1:00) are attached to every episode except “Murder: Eyes Only.”
Hawaii Five-O: The Eighth Season keeps the tropical crime coming in the most unexpected places. Ed Asner exposes criminal mastermind capabilities. His scheme brings McGarrett to his knees. The power of the series is seen with the US Navy’s extreme cooperation to open the season. This is another fine collection for fans of McGarrett and his crack crew.
CBS DVD presents Hawaii Five-O: The Eighth Season. Starring: Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong and Herman Wedemeyer. Boxset Contents: 23 episodes on 6 DVDs. Released on DVD: March 16, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.
