Central Dispatch

THE HAWAII FIVE-0 NEWSLETTER

Volume 5 April, 2008 Issue 2

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Fans and Fan Clubs

By Terri Whitman 

The wonders of the internet is amazing to me. Over the last decade, I noticed the comings and goings of several Hawaii Five-0 websites and groups. One of the first sites I discovered was the one owned by Teresa Fogarty. At that time, I had no idea she lived in Australia. While I knew American based TV shows were frequently seen in other countries, I didn’t realize just how extensively my favorite show had traveled.

Therefore, it is not surprising to learn of the many Yahoo egroups out there. The oldest known Hawaii Five-0 egroup, I believe, is the HF0fc. It was also one of the first ones I joined. Since then, there have been many more egroups showing up on the internet. Some are still around, some have closed down and a few have chosen to close off their groups to the public by not allowing any new members to join unless they are invited.

Some people are members of many of these egroups. Why should someone join so many groups you might ask? I guess it is so they can be assured of catching the latest in gossip or tidbit from one of the older fans from the original fan club - the Iolani Palace Irregulars - who might post something about the show or the stars that they have not heard about yet.

Of these groups, others have sprouted out which is only natural. Not only are there groups on Yahoo but on MSN and other servers. The types of groups can vary from being just for the individual star, to being for a mixture of stars and some for writers of fanfiction. There are even groups made up for the characters our favorite star portrayed. And let me tell you, some of the fans in these groups are extremely protective of their star or character. Say something wrong and wham, you might find yourself in a war of words or even worse, suddenly kicked out of the group if the owner of the group or one of their moderators does not agree with you.

Unfortunately, some fans seem to be incapable to separate the star from the character. Sadly, these overtly protective fans have actually driven other fans away from the show. All I can say is that I hope these people will someday return to our fold. At present I estimate there are at least 500 to 700 active fans of the show appearing every so often on the internet and I am hoping these figures are very low.

Another extremely interesting item is to discover new fans learning to love our show because of their parents, aunts, uncles or even their grandparents. Each year, almost every month, I get to chat with a new fan only to find these people are in their 20’s or younger. Any show or star needs new fans like this to keep their memories alive. Now that Hawaii Five-0 is available on DVD, I am hoping the fandom will grow even more.

Hawaii Five-0 is all around us. Sometimes you never know when you will meet a fellow fan. I can relate one story from my job where my boss was at a meeting in another office and on her way out, she heard hear the theme song coming from one of the desk phones of one of the people there. Knowing how I liked the show so much, she asked the person about it and they told her where to find it. Arriving back to our office, she told me about it…and yep…it is now the ring sound I have on my desk phone. This just goes to show you that there are fans out there that are not members of any egroups.

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Hawaii Five-0 turns 40

Just a reminder and an update, things are still in the planning stage for the get together in Hawaii this year. A lot of ideas have been suggested and more people are becoming highly interested in this event. Again, please let me know if you are SERIOUSLY considering on attending. Naturally, the more the merrier.

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Tidbit from Iolani Palace Irregulars, Issue # 2 March 1991

THE IOLANI PALACE IRREGULARS

Issue No. 2 March, 1991

SUBLIME HEROES

A comparison of Steve McGarrett and James T. Kirk

In the late 1960s, two larger-than-life heroes emerged on American television: Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise(“ Star Trek” 1966), created by Gene Roddenberry, and chief investigator Steve McGarrett of Hawaii Five-0, an elite state police unit (“Hawaii Five-0” 1968), created by Leonard Freeman.

Where do such heroes come from? Joseph Campbell tells us in Myths to Live By that we need our mythologies, that the abolition of the old mythic forms and symbols by our technological society has placed us in danger. But is not television the New Mythology, peopling the airwaves with heroes such as Kirk and McGarrett, as well as demons of sorts (J. R. Ewing, for example?) and other lesser beings?

“...although false and to be rejected as accounts of physical history, such universally cherished figures of the mythic imagination must represent facts of the mind...” says Joseph Campbell. Certainly, television fiction is “false and to be rejected as accounts of physical history,” no matter how reality‑based (as “Hawaii Five-0” was at its best). But just as certainly it does present to us certain 'facts of the mind,' templates of behavior - for good or for ill - for us to study and think about and perhaps follow.

Dozens if not hundreds of “Star Trek” fans have written to cast members to tell them how their portrayal of their characters has influenced these fans in their career choices. As a military reserve officer, I regarded Captain Kirk as a role model. There is no way to count how many young people may have entered the law enforcement field because of the example set by Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett.

What ‘facts of the mind,’ what universal truths, what mythic traits are embodied in Kirk and McGarrett? What experiences have they undergone to make them what they have become to so many viewers? There are similarities, and these seem deeper than the differences between the two characters.

Both have a definite moral base from which to operate. For Kirk, it is the Prime Directive, the most fundamental law underlying Starfleet's entire mission: that no Starfleet officer shall interfere with the internal affairs of any living, growing society. It seems, however, that Kirk's interpretation of the scope of the Prime Directive is rather loose. Not so for McGarrett. His moral underpinnings are the Constitution and laws of the State of Hawaii. “No one is above the law in Hawaii,” McGarrett tells British MI-6 agent Harry Wells in “Termination With Extreme Prejudice.” No one. Including Steve McGarrett, for he most of all is bound by those laws.

Their devotion to and enforcement of the moral base brings personal tragedy to each, destroying love for the preservation of the higher good. The love of Kirk's life, Edith Keeler in “The City on the Edge of Forever,” must die so that human history may resume its proper course. Kirk must balance against this one cherished life those of millions who would otherwise perish. For McGarrett, the anguish is as deep. The Five-0 chief's devotion to law has led an enemy to a dark plan: McGarrett's ladylove, Cathi Ryan in “Man in a Steel Frame,” is murdered with his own gun; other evidence is manufactured to implicate him. He comes close to slipping the leash of his self-control as he conducts an investigation in which he is the prime suspect. At the end, apprehending the murderer, he does lose control completely and nearly beats the man to death.

Leadership is an important facet of both men. Both are graduates of military academies: Kirk is the pride of Starfleet Academy, McGarrett, an alumnus of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. Kirk chooses a Starfleet career and rises to the rank of Admiral (in the movies, though he is eventually busted back to Captain). Impelled by a childhood experience - the hit-and-run death of his father - McGarrett pursues a police career after serving in the Navy, but he retains a reserve commission, and we see Commander McGarrett serve the Navy several times during the twelve years of the series.

Both Kirk and McGarrett are driven, compassionate men. Both have an almost evangelistic side to them, exhorting others to what they see as the good and righteous path. Both are compassionate toward the cultures in which they find themselves: alien worlds claim Kirk's attention, while McGarrett is sensitive to the dilemma of the Hawaiians in the midst of a growing American state. It cannot be merely coincidence that both are portrayed by intense, passionate, emotive actors, William Shatner and Jack Lord.

What is the stuff of heroes? It is the sense of mission, the capacity for tragedy, and the higher traits of compassion and leadership, as embodied in heroes such as James Kirk and Steve McGarrett.

Karen Rhodes (developed in correspondence with Terry Conaway)

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A word from our sponsors:

2008 Hawaii Five-0 calendars are now available

The 2008 Calendars will be ready for mailing by November 1, 2007. Once again, we have two to chose from. Hawaii Five-0, the seventh season has screen captures from 12 different episodes from that season. The Jack Lord calendar has pictures of Jack from magazines, photos and screen captures. The cost for each calendar is $11.00 in US funds. The cost for non-US residents is $15.00 for each calendar. Payment can be made through Paypal momh50@aol.com or by sending a check or money order to Debbie Fitzgerald, 682 Durham Road, Adams, TN 37010. As in the past, all proceeds will be sent to charity.

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Anyone interested in copies of Hawaii Five-0 episodes (mostly all full versions) can contact Barbara Brindle at 105 Warren Road, Sparta, NJ 07871. Barbara does not have an email address so you’ll need to phone her at 973-729-9232. Her rates are reasonable and she’s very reliable.

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Ron Evans, owner of e/p Partners, www.networksplus.net/caseyguy/epPartners.htm, also offer VCR tapes of Hawaii Five-0, Jack Lord and James MacArthur, among others. His email is caseyguy@networksplus.net.

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Karen Rhodes, author of Booking Hawaii Five-0, would like contact from anyone who has purchased the unauthorized DVD set being sold on the internet by dvdavenue.tv or anyone else. She says she is specifically interested in getting a look at the episode guide they advertise to go with the DVD set, to check for possible copyright infringement. Contact Karen at bitbucket001@comcast.net

Hard copies of the newsletter are available.

The Hawaii Five-0 Newsletter is available in print form. Membership is $10 per year for four issues (foreign subscriptions are $14.00 US funds). Checks for membership may be made out to Annette Nixon/H50FC. You can contact Annette at Spinkick@colint.net and ask her for her mailing address. Any additional financial contributions are always welcome. The newsletter will be available on the 15th of January, April, July and October.

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 July, 2008

Be There! Aloha!