You hear that drum roll. You see the massive wave cresting over the reef at Waikiki. Honestly, even if you weren't alive when the original show aired, that theme song by The Ventures is burned into your DNA. But by the time 1970 rolled around, the Hawaii Five-O 1970 cast wasn't just a group of actors; they were a cultural phenomenon that basically put the 50th state on the map for the average American household. Jack Lord was at the peak of his power, the show was a top-ten hit, and the chemistry between the four core leads felt like a well-oiled machine.
It wasn't all sunshine and pineapples, though.
Behind the scenes of that 1970 season—which was the show's third—there was a strange mix of rigid discipline and genuine island camaraderie. Jack Lord ran that set like a naval vessel. If you were a guest star and you didn't know your lines, he’d let you hear it. But that's exactly why the show worked. It had a grit that most "cop shows" of the era lacked.
Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett: The Steel in the Suit
Jack Lord wasn't the first choice for McGarrett. Think about that for a second. Gregory Peck was considered. Robert Brown was actually cast but replaced at the last minute because Leonard Freeman, the creator, felt something was missing. Lord brought this intense, almost Shakespearean gravity to the role. By 1970, he had perfected the "stare." You know the one—the look that made criminals crumble before he even said "Book 'em, Danno."
People often forget that Lord was a serious artist. He was a painter whose works are in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That precision translated to his acting. In the 1970 episodes like "The Second Shot" or "The Reunion," you see a man who isn't just playing a cop; he’s playing a philosopher with a badge. He insisted on the high-collared shirts and the dark suits, despite the sweltering Honolulu humidity. He wanted McGarrett to look like an outsider, a man of authority who never truly relaxed.
His relationship with the rest of the Hawaii Five-O 1970 cast was professional but distant. He wasn't there to make friends. He was there to make the best television show in the world. And in 1970, he was succeeding.
James MacArthur: More Than Just a Sidekick
Then there’s James MacArthur as Danny "Danno" Williams. If Lord was the steel, MacArthur was the heart. By 1970, the "Book 'em, Danno" catchphrase was already legendary, but MacArthur actually hated how it sometimes made his character seem like a subordinate. He was a classically trained actor—his mother was the "First Lady of the American Theater," Helen Hayes.
In the 1970 season, you start to see Danno taking more of the lead. He wasn't just the guy who processed the evidence. He was the one who could talk to the younger witnesses, the one who navigated the counter-culture shifts happening in the late 60s and early 70s. MacArthur brought a softness that balanced Lord’s rigidity. Off-camera, he was the bridge between the intense leading man and the rest of the crew. He was a fan of the islands, an avid golfer, and someone who actually leaned into the Hawaiian lifestyle, unlike the workaholic Lord.
The Local Flavor: Kam Fong and Zulu
One of the most radical things about the Hawaii Five-O 1970 cast was the inclusion of actual local actors in primary roles. This didn't really happen back then. Usually, Hollywood would fly in white actors and put them in "bronze" makeup. Leonard Freeman refused to do that.
Kam Fong, who played Chin Ho Kelly, was the real deal. Before he was an actor, he was a member of the Honolulu Police Department for eighteen years. Think about the authenticity that brings to a set. When he held a gun or questioned a suspect, he wasn't mimicking what he saw in movies; he was doing what he’d done on the streets of Kalihi. By 1970, Chin Ho had become the "uncle" figure of the unit. He was the one with the deep ties to the community, the one who knew which cousin was talking to which syndicate.
Then you had Zulu (Gilbert Lani Kauhi) playing Kono Kalakaua. Zulu was a massive presence—a beach boy, a musician, and a comedian. In 1970, his character was the muscle, but there was always a twinkle in his eye. He represented the "Kanaka Maoli" spirit on screen. However, tension was brewing. Zulu was a free spirit, and Jack Lord’s "military" style of directing began to grate on him. By the early 70s, this friction would eventually lead to Zulu leaving the show, but in 1970, the original "Big Four" were still at their absolute zenith.
The Recurring Shadows: Wo Fat and the Guest Stars
You can't talk about the cast without mentioning Khigh Dhiegh. He played Wo Fat, the Red Chinese agent who was McGarrett’s Moriarty. Even though he wasn't in every episode, his presence loomed over the 1970 season. Fun fact: Khigh Dhiegh wasn't actually Chinese. He was of Anglo-Egyptian descent and born in New Jersey. But his performance was so nuanced and chilling that he became the definitive TV villain of the decade.
The 1970 season also featured a revolving door of incredible guest stars who would go on to be huge names:
- A young Christopher Walken (appearing as Chris Walken) in the episode "Run, Johnny, Run."
- Hume Cronyn playing a master thief.
- Marion Ross before she became Mrs. C on Happy Days.
These actors often remarked on the "closed" nature of the set. You were either on the Five-O team or you were an outsider. It created a strange, high-pressure environment that resulted in some of the best crime drama ever filmed.
Why the 1970 Lineup Was the "Gold Standard"
There’s a reason people specify the Hawaii Five-O 1970 cast when talking about the show’s legacy. This was the year the show moved away from being a simple police procedural and started tackling "heavy" themes—sovereignty, the Vietnam War's ripple effects, and the drug trade.
The chemistry between Lord, MacArthur, Fong, and Zulu was perfect because it wasn't forced. They didn't hang out at bars together after filming. They were coworkers who respected the craft. That professional distance actually made their on-screen partnership more believable. They looked like a specialized task force that reported directly to the Governor because, in the minds of the viewers, they were.
The 1970 season (Season 3) included iconic episodes like "Over Fifty? Steal!" and "The Gunrunner." In these stories, the cast had to do more than just chase cars. They had to act. Lord’s monologue at the end of "Beautiful Screamer" is a masterclass in controlled rage.
The Logistics of Filming in Paradise
Living in Hawaii in 1970 wasn't the luxury experience it is now. The production was headquartered at a converted warehouse—the old Hawaii Film Studio at Diamond Head. It was hot. It was cramped. The cast often complained about the lack of air conditioning.
Jack Lord, ever the perfectionist, would often demand retakes in the midday sun. This led to the famous stories of the cast sweating through three or four identical suits a day. This physical toll is visible on screen; the actors look exhausted, which actually added to the realism of the show. They looked like cops who had been working a twenty-hour shift.
Preserving the Legacy
If you're looking to dive back into the world of Steve McGarrett, don't just settle for the 2010 reboot. The 1970 season is the "sweet spot." It’s where the production values finally caught up to the ambition of the scripts.
To truly appreciate the Hawaii Five-O 1970 cast, watch the episodes with an eye for the background. You’ll see a Hawaii that doesn't exist anymore—pre-high-rise Waikiki, empty coastal roads, and a raw, rugged beauty. The cast were the stewards of that image. They took the responsibility seriously, especially Kam Fong and Zulu, who felt they were representing their people to a global audience.
How to experience the 1970 era today:
- Watch "The Second Shot": It’s a classic Season 3 episode that showcases the tight coordination between McGarrett and Danno.
- Look for the "Jack Lordisms": Notice how Lord uses his hands. He was an expert at using props—a phone, a pen, a piece of paper—to command a scene.
- Check out the local cameos: Many of the "criminals" in the 1970 season were actually local Hawaiian stage actors. Their performances give the show a flavor that no mainland production could replicate.
- Visit the Jack Lord Statue: If you ever find yourself in Honolulu, there’s a bronze bust of Jack Lord at the Kahala Mall. It was funded by fans, proving just how much this cast meant to the people of Hawaii.
The 1970 cast wasn't just a group of people making a TV show. They were the architects of the modern police drama. Every "tough boss" and "loyal sidekick" trope you see in shows like Law & Order or NCIS traces its lineage back to that warehouse in Diamond Head and the men in the dark suits.