Booking Hawaii Five-O : An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series [Hardcover]

Karen Rhodes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786401710 | ISBN-13: 978-0786401710 | Publication Date: February 1, 1997

On September 26, 1968, Hawaii Five-O premiered on CBS. The show’s exotic locale and quality writing and acting made it a fixture in the network’s line-up for the next 12 years. Today the detective series continues to be very popular in syndication. The show’s history is covered first, focusing on its development and its stars. Complete casts and credits for all regulars are provided for each season; the episode guide gives the title, original air date, director, producer, guest stars, a detailed synopsis of each show, and information on Honolulu residents who appeared in it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A former librarian, Karen Rhodes lives in Middleburg, Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 341 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786401710
• ISBN-13: 978-0786401710
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,812,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Treasure Trove, January 15, 2002

By 

Darthjal "Darthjal" (North America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Booking Hawaii Five-O : An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series (Hardcover)

I'm glad I have this book - it's a handy resource when I need to find out if someone ever appeared on the series (though some of the names in the index are out of order - John Lennon, for example, who btw is not THE John Lennon) or in a particular episode.

However, as an "episode guide," it's of limited usefulness; if you happen to remember each episode by name that's fine, but if you are reading one of these entries and trying to figure out if it's one you've seen, good luck. I was really hoping for a brief synopsis of each episode. That would make for a much bigger book, granted, but also a more useful one. We are talking about nearly 300 episodes here - some of us (and even historians) might need a little help.

This might be excusable if the episode writeups were lighter on opinion and heavier on relevant information. "The Guarnerius Caper," for example, is the story of a Soviet violinist whose instrument is stolen, causing considerable diplomatic discomfort. Hawaii Five-O often did episodes about political relations with make-believe nations; this is one of the few episodes that acknowledges real-life politics: the Cold War. Is any of this mentioned in Rhodes's discussion of the episode? Sadly, no.

Thus, as a "critical history," it is even more disappointing than the episode guide. It's a sketchy history at best, and reads more like a fan's personal memoir. Criticism is far more credible when the author tries to be objective; at times it seems Rhodes is writing a love poem to Steve McGarrett (and/or Jack Lord). She makes a catty remark about someone who quit the show to pursue other interests (Zulu wanted to do comedy), and editorializes on the worthlessness of basketball (the show was sometimes pre-empted by basketball during its original run).

She also makes nonsensical observations. For example, she says it was a sad social comment that "The Child Stealers" passed up a healthy Asian boy in favor of a white one. Since neither of the kidnappers were Asian and they were trying to pass off the kidnapped children as their own, it wasn't sad - it was necessary.)

Nevertheless, I do feel the book's a keeper. No one else has taken the time to compile a book like this, and it was sorely needed. While it comes up short both as an episode guide and as a critical history, it's still a good read. There are fewer photos than some of us would like (I'll look again, but I don't recall seeing any photos of Duke or Ben), but many of the photos are rarities, and that was a treat. Rhodes's enthusiasm leaves objectivity by the wayside, but it also gives the book a lively voice that makes you want to bask in the genius of one episode after another. The book was written with care and love, and it shows.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sadly, I cannot recommend this book., April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Booking Hawaii Five-O : An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series (Hardcover)

I have been a longtime Hawaii Five - O fan and was delighted to hear that someone had finally done an episode guide and critical review of the long running series. But, I'm sorry to say, this ain't it, folks. The author has already explained why she could not meet with the stars and crew for research on this book, making one wonder, frankly, why the publisher bought it. As an episode guide it is only so-so; most of the symposis are sketchy at best, assuming one already has a knowledge of all 12 years worth of episodes. The 'critical review' part of the book is primarily recitations of likes and dislikes by the author and her friends. Some are perfectly valid and some are unbelievably trivial. Note the thrashing the final episode Woe To Wo Fat receives. Although not a strong episode to begin with, the author totally misses the point to the ending - it's tongue in cheek! After 12 years, I think 5-0 was entitled to a laugh, especially when Wo pulls out the proverbial file while in jail. There is nothing in the book that cannot be gleaned by public resources, i.e. old magazine articles, Honolulu newspapers, etc. Perhaps the author had more sources than this - maybe these were the items 'deleted' by the publisher, but the end result is a rather bland, overpriced episode guide. Sorry, but Steve McGarrett & team deserved better than this!

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WORST "episode guide" I HAVE EVER SEEN!, August 9, 2006

By 

a customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Booking Hawaii Five-O : An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series (Hardcover)

Beware! This is NOT an episode guide. It is only commentary on all of the episodes. An episode guide SHOULD give a synopsis, or at least 2 or 3 lines describing the episode. This book lists each episode title with credits. Then it makes commentary on each episode and only in a rare few cases does it describe the episode. It assumes that you already know each episode. Descriptions of most of the episodes just don't exist in this book. What an expensive disappointment! Save your money and use internet episode guides for this great TV series.