Hawaii Five-O 2010 - as in Steve: "Book 'em, Danno" - Compare New and Old Theme Song

Hawaii Five-O 2010 - as in "Book 'em, Danno" - Compare New and Old Theme Song

Is it Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0? Is it "Book 'em, Danno" or "Book 'em, Danno. Murder one"? Which one is better - the new or the old theme song?

The 1970s was often called the age of TV cop shows. We had shows like - Police Story, Cannon, Columbo, Toma, Baretta, The Streets Of San Francisco, and Joe Forrester.

Hawaii Five-O, however, was the grandaddy of them all. The show was the longest running crime show on American television (1968-1980) until Law & Order surpassed it in 2003.

Three things most fans remember about Hawaii Five-O:

• the awesome theme song
• "Book 'em, Danno."
• McGarret's dark suits and tousled yet immovable hair.

Here's the intro to the original Hawaii Five-O. Some people say it's the greatest theme song of all times. I agree.

Hawaii Five-O, named in honor of Hawaii's status as the 50th State, is an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police answerable only to the Governor.  It is headed by former U.S. naval officer Steve McGarrett (played by Jack Lord), who was appointed by the Governor, Paul Jameson (played by Richard Denning).  McGarrett's partner is a young State Police officer, Danny Williams (played by James MacArthur).  Chin Ho Kelly (played by Kam Fong) and Kono Kalakaua (played by Zulu) are the other two Five-Os.

Most episodes of Hawaii Five-O ended with the arrest of criminals and McGarrett snapping, "Book 'em, Danno."

McGarrett's tousled yet immovable hairstyle, as well as his choice of wardrobe, wearing a dark suit and tie on all possible occasions, definitely uncommon in the islands, where the temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the good days, was oddly accepted by the viewers. The other members of Five-O also "dressed mainland" much of the time, but every now and then they also wore local styles, such as the obligatory "Aloha shirt," of course.

At the conclusion of each episode, Jack Lord narrated a teaser for the next episode, often emphasizing the "guest villain", especially if the villain is a recurring character, such as that played by actor Hume Cronyn. The line he spoke has, "This is Jack Lord inviting you to be with us next week for <name of episode>" and then, "Be here. Aloha."

This tradition has been continued in the 2010 version of Hawaii Five-0, but is not limited to Alex O'Loughlin. All of the primary cast members take turns with the iconic "Be here. Aloha." line at the end of the preview segment.

Here is intro of the new Hawaii Five-O. It's been cut to 30 seconds from the original 60.

It's still awesome, but I think they should make it a little longer. Don't you think?

Hawaii Five-0 uses the original show theme song composed by Morton Stevens but, then added synthesizer and guitar-based version of the theme was not received well by the critics. Why mess with perfection? Oh well, after negative reaction to the reworked song spread quickly online, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci who had been signed on to script the pilot episode, realized that changing the music was a mistake. They then arranged for studio musicians, including three who had worked on the original from 1968, to re-record the theme "exactly as it was", except shortened to 30 seconds from its original length of about 60 seconds.

On May 19, 2010, CBS announced that a new version of Hawaii Five-O, set in present-day Hawaii and called Hawaii Five-0 with the last character a zero instead of a capital letter, would join the network's 2010–2011 fall lineup. The updated version stars Alex O'Loughlin as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, Scott Caan as Detective Danny "Danno" Williams, Daniel Dae Kim as Detective Chin Ho Kelly, Grace Park as Detective Kono Kalakaua, and Jean Smart as Governor Patricia "Pat" Jameson. It premiered on CBS on Monday, September 20, 2010.

Here's the cast of the new Hawaii Five-0.

Alex O'Loughlin

Alex O'Loughlin comes in as Commander Steve McGarrett of the U.S. Navy. He is recruited by the Governor of Hawaii to lead a special team to help rid the state of the worst of the worst criminals. I love Alex O’Loughlin... I was so disappointed when Moonlight got cancelled. I am so very glad that he got a better show than last year’s failed Three Rivers, as Hawaii Five-0 takes full advantage of all of his skills.

Alex O'Loughlin is a good choice for McGarrett.  I love this guy!

Scott Caan

Scott Caan is recruited as a New Jersey detective, Danny Williams, transplanted to Hawaii to be close to his daughter. He hates Hawaii calling it "pineapple pit", but he's a loving dad willing to deal with Hawaii just to be closer to his daughter. Some great comedic touches to this included the ringtone for his ex-wife being the score from Psycho. Caan possesses such great satirical humor, you can’t help but laugh when he asks a handcuff suspect, laying face down who is struggling, “where are you trying to go?”

Scott Caan is the new "cool" on tv.

Daniel Day Kim

Daniel Day Kim is Chin Ho Kelly, who was kicked off the force but comes back when recruited by Steve. Of our starting characters, Chin is the only one who has grown up and resided on the island. He is also related to the last member of the team, Kono Kalakaua.

Grace Park

The always wonderful Grace Park plays Kono Kalakaua, Chin's cousin and recruited to the unit just before she graduates from the police academy.  I like the change from old Kono to young pretty Kono.

Three reasons I love this show

Chemistry, Chemistry, Chemistry!

The chemistry among cast members is simply refreshing. The casting people should be commended. I love the re-inventing of Kono's character from Zulu to the lovely Grace Park. You'll love the ensamble as a whole. The camaraderie among the cast members is quite believable. Most of all, I love the chemistry between Caan and O'Loughlin, or Danny and Steve. Within the first hour, the fantastic buddy pairing is already created. Theirs is a love-hate relationship leaning toward hate ("I hate him. I hate him so much," Danny moans in exasperation), a line that becomes ironic as soon as the duo begin bonding during shootouts. Their banter, fights, and arguments are nicely done. So adorable! They might just banter their way into the viewers' hearts. They already got mine.

"Book 'em, Danno!" Long live Hawaii Five-0!

Passing of the the original McGarrett and Danno

James MacArthur passed away on October 28, 2010 at the age of 72. Jack Lord passed away in 1998.

Did you know? by Rosie2010

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