Appearing as Himself

Broadcast 21 October 2001 on the CBS television network.

Transcript of segment:

ET Announcer: The famous theme song and the catchphrase ‘Book ‘em, Danno’ helped make Hawaii Five-O one of the most popular cop shows of all time. Today, the man who played Danno has found his own paradise away from Hollywood.

<cut to James MacArthur seated in house>

JM: Book ‘em Danno, murder one.

<cut to opening credits of Hawaii Five-O>

Announcer: That music and those famed shots of Hawaii meant another episode of the longest continuously-running police show in history. Jack Lord starred as Detective Steve McGarrett and James MacArthur was his right hand man, Detective Danny Williams.

<cut to James MacArthur seated in house>

JM: It was one of those shows that just gelled. Why it was such a big success -- there’s fifteen different reasons.

<cut to Jack Lord speaking on The Mike Douglas Show c. 1968>

JL: I love McGarrett. I love the whole project and I love the idea of living in the islands.

Announcer: This interview with Jack Lord on The Mike Douglas Show at the height of Five-O’s success had him raving about his life in Hawaii with wife, Marie.

JL: The wife of my youth who abides with me still.

Mike Douglas guest (Cid Charise?): Awww. He’s a poet.

Mike Douglas: Really? Did you marry your high school sweetheart? Marvellous. She’s not an actress?

JL: Thank God, no.

<laughter>

<cut to clip from Five-O episode>

<cut to footage of James MacArthur and Helen Hayes arriving at a black tie event (possibly a premiere) followed by a still shot with Celeste Holm and Jane Fonda from the stage play Invitation to a March>

Announcer: MacArthur is the son of the late legendary stage actress, Helen Hayes, who was a huge theater star in the 30s and 40s. He’s been acting since he was a kid. He dispels rumors that Jack was difficult on the set.

<cut to James MacArthur seated in house>

JM: Well, I don’t think Jack was difficult in that sense. He came to work absolutely dead prepared and if you weren’t prepared, he didn’t like it. And guess what? He was right.

<cut to still shot of McGarrett and Danno>

Announcer: James spent 11 years on the show. Lord lasted one more. The series ended in 1980.

<clip of Jack and Marie Lord at an awards ceremony joking with and posing for photographers>

JL: <laughing> This better be worth it.

Announcer: Lord became reclusive and stayed in Hawaii, away from thje spotlight. In all our years on the air, the only time Jack did an interview on ET was in 1986 with our Leonard Maltin at the Hawaii Film Festival.

JL: Leonard, we’re honored to have you.

LM: Oh, well, thank you. it’s my honor. Really it is.

<cut to James MacArthur walking by swimming pool, then seated in house>

Announcer: Jack and James kept in touch into the 90s.

JM: We were talking about CBS wanted to do a ‘Five-O Revisited.’ And we talked about it and we had a script and we were going to go to Singapore and so on and so on. And then the calls got less frequent and less frequent. And then I’d call up and say ‘Jack, what’s going on?’ His wife would say, ‘Well, Jack’s not available’ and so on. And before too long, the word got out that Jack was not well and although I don’t think he ever owned up to -- he didn’t-- apparently it was Alzheimer’s.

<cut to still shot of McGarrett>

MH: The actual cause of death was listed as congestive heart failure in 1998.

<cut to James and HB MacArthur as MacArthur lines up for practice golf swing>

HBM: Posture looks good.

JM: Yes, dear.

HBM: Steady head.

<laughter>

<cut to James and HB MacArthur in kitchen, then to MacArthur walking up driveway with a large bundle of mail>

Announcer: James acts occasionally and has been living in the Palm Desert area of Southern California with his wife Helen. He says he doesn’t get recognized that often for Five-O, but wherever he goes, they know the show and that theme song.

<cut to James MacArthur seated in house>

JM: I was in Kuwait making a documentary -- this was before the war there -- and they took me down to their brand new television studio, which was really exquisite and the most modern equipment, and they were showing Hawaii Five-O!

To view a full gallery of images from this program click here.