Central
Dispatch
THE
Volume
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A new year is here and with it a chance at many new
beginnings. After a year of changes, many of them violent and destructive, I
hope this year will be better for everyone. This year I hope to find additional
former members and old time fans of the show. In doing so, I’m going to try to
encourage them to share with us some of their memories about the show we all
love. Sometimes these connections arrive by purest accident and in this issue I
have two such items. The first is from Jerry Coopersmith,
a former writer for the show, and the last is from a long time fan who was lucky enough to watch Al Harrington perform at one
of his shows in
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Jerry Coopersmith
-
Here is a chapter of 5-0 lore that is perhaps not widely known.
In 1985 I was hired by CBS to write a
For research, the network sent me to
The British colonial officials rolled out the red
carpet for Jack, and as part of the project I enjoyed the VIP treatment too.
They took us on a Royal Navy cutter to small picturesque islands lying off a
part of
On another day, Jack and I took a ferry to the
On the ferry ride to
After coming home, I wrote the script for a 2-hour TV
movie entitled "The Return of
My wife and I enjoyed
My best wishes to you for the holidays, and of course, Aloha.
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A Fan’s Memories of
By Mitch Gora
Mitch and Al Harrington
It was just about the time
I was a high school senior in 1975 and still an avid
Five-0 fan. With the school year almost over, word had spread about a class
trip to
More than half the trip was over and I still was unsuccessful in learning where Five-0 may be shooting. A twist of fate would aid in my mission. As we sat waiting for a luau show to begin, the lights slowly rose to a dim, red fiery glow. The drum beat and out walks the emcee, Al Harrington. What a great surprise! The show was fantastic and I was going to make a point of meeting this man afterwards, no matter what.
The show ended and Mr. Harrington was very accessible to all who wished to take pictures and talk. I had waited for the crowd to thin to approach him. I introduced myself and told him what a fan I was. He had told me how he was a teacher and began acting and eventually after playing other roles on the show, was cast as Ben. He was glad to sign a small piece of paper I was able to scrounge up and I have kept it to this day. We talked for only a short time but during those few minutes I was able to convince him to give me some much needed information. I remember him saying that he shouldn’t be telling me, but if I would go to the airport the next day, it was there that the show would be filming.
The next day, accompanied by a friend, I made my way to the airport. After looking around for a while, I finally came upon the trucks and vans and trailers from the show. I watched for sometime as crewmembers came and went. The filming was apparently somewhere inside and I wasn’t able to get in. I sat and thought about how I had written Jack Lord as a youngster and months later, shortly before Christmas, I received a short note from him wishing me a joyous noel. Eventually my patience paid off when I happened to turn and saw a cameraman with his equipment exiting. I kept a keen eye on that door and 20 steps behind was Jack Lord. Taller then I had expected, a large smile on his face, some papers in his hand, he looked right at me while I shot a short amount of footage with my Dad’s old 16mm film camera. There he was not more than 10 feet from me. He crossed the street to where the trailers and equipment were staged, turned, and waited. Although he gave a wave hello, my excitement at the time and the fear that someone would turn me away, stopped me from approaching him. I am sure now that he would have been more than willing to greet me and talk for a while. Not going over to him is a moment that I regret now, yet I was thrilled to death at that time. My mission had been completed and the rest of my trip was a blast!
Later that year, I had joined the Air Force and many joked that I would now lose my claim to never having missed an episode. What was I going to do while in basic training? To make a long story short, I quickly became aware that each night, volunteers were recruited for CQ (charge of quarters) duty. What was that I wondered? To my surprise, those who volunteered were to watch the phones in the office in case of emergencies. The added bonus was that as a perk, you were allowed to smoke and had access to a television. Bingo! Guess who was on CQ duty on a certain night every week?
Since that time I have been back to
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As I said before, when I can I’ll try to include
pieces from the original
If anyone else with copies of the old newsletter like to submit them so that others could enjoy, please contact me at tw1151@comcast.net .
The
Issue
Number
Two members have recently submitted similar commentaries on James MacArthur, after seeing him with his mother as co-host of the syndicated movie package "Canterbury Cinema Classics."
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JIMMY - 1992
By Maryann GaIIant
Recently I viewed a segment of Canterbury Cinema Classics. For those with no idea what Canterbury Cinema Classics is, it's a weekly syndicated television show featuring old movie classics and hosted by Jams (officer Dan Williams) MacArthur and his mother, actress Helen Hayes.
These programs are up to date and this is the first
my eyes have set upon the
My initial reaction: He lost the fight. I'm referring to an article I had read years ago, in which he spoke of the constant battle he fought keeping his weight in check and raved about a new diet called the Sweet and Sour Diet. Alas poor James, as so many of us, lost the battle.
My second response was disbelief of his snow-white hair. My son Lee reacted to MacArthur's glasses: "Aren't those what you call Coke bottle glasses?" He never was a Danny fan but I had to admit the glasses did look kind of thick.
On the other hand, friend and fellow member Helen Volk had a different opinion. "They're wire‑rimmed glasses! They always tend to look thicker than they are! "I’ll accept that, I think to myself as I push my wire‑rimmed glasses back in place.
The voice remains the same. Close your eyes and you see officer Dan Williams romancing Anne Archer (Jane Michaels in "Beautiful Screamer"). The biggest thrill was when he let out a "Danny giggle." I'd recognize that giggle if I heard it while standing in the middle of a Guns 'N' Roses concert wearing plugs in my ears!
The one thing that came through loud and clear to me is, I was watching a man who was obviously comfortable being himself. That's tough for most people. Even I admit to self-induced hair color to cover the gray. However, for James MacArthur to be comfortable with himself is somewhat astonishing to me. Growing up the son of famous actress Helen Hayes and well‑known playwright Charles MacArthur, our Jimmy had to be hobnobbing and elbow‑rubbing with some of the world's most famous people. Not on legendary film stars, but great statesmen and politicians from around the world. A day hardly goes by that you don't pick up a newspaper and read about the offspring of a famous star getting into some sort of trouble or act irrationally. Even those who are famous in their own right seem to be fighting or running from something they themselves can't explain. Not our Jimmy.
It's a wonder to me, for it would seem he has had to put up with happenings that would send the rest of us screaming for sanity. For instance, at least once a year, every television station in the country runs some sort of Helen Hayes tribute. How would any of us react to having our bare‑butt baby pictures splashed across the screen? For our Jimmy, it isn't only a matter of baby pictures but home movies of him in the buff as a small child.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to observe the updated Jams MacArthur. To view one of your favorite stars after many years have passed is usually disappointing, for we expect them to be eternally young. I can honestly say I was not disappointed. As a matter of fact, I am as comfortable with the up-to-date James MacArthur as he seems to be with himself.
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AS TIME GOES BY
By Helen D. Volk
In watching a television program originally aired in
the late 1960s and 1970s, I often find it difficult here in the early 90s to
remember that the actors, the people, have aged a few decades. Places wrinkle. Hair color changes. Bodies grow fuller. I still see Dan and
Steve - Jim and Jack - as in their 30s and 40s. How could it be any other way?
With over 200
Life moves on, and reality crept into my temple a few weeks ago when I saw the 1991 James MacArthur with his mom, Helen Hayes, as hosts of the series Canterbury Cinema Classics. The taped segments were oh, too short. The conversation too brief. The scene too limited. But the effect was wonderful.
I had been warned his hair was white, he wore glasses and his war with his weight was partially lost. But James MacArthur was still the Danno of old. His looks were me thing, but his manner and voice were the same.
As soon as that man on the screen opened his mouth, he was Danno, the Danno in hundreds of episodes, thousands of scenes of Five-0. The voice is the same And the giggle. Remember the Danno giggle? The moment he laughed at one of his mom's comments, Jim gave himself away. While the camera focused on Helen Hayes this time, I could see the bright, boyish eyes and big smile that went with that giggle, time after time, when Danno giggled.
The ease with which Jim sat and talked with his mom
reminded me instantly of that me special episode of
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Anyone interested in copies of
Ron Evans, owner of e/p Partners, www.networksplus.net/caseyguy/epPartners.htm,
also offer VCR tapes of
Hard copies of the newsletter are available
The
Submissions, which are always welcomed, to the newsletter can be emailed to me at tw1151@comcast.net. Deadlines are one month before each issue. You can find the Central Dispatch on Terri’s Jack Lord Connection located at www.thejacklordconnection.com
See you in April, 2006
Be There! Aloha!