Moderator: Styles Bitchley
But, like you said they are not official studio sets. Some episodes are pretty good quality, others are a little “rougher”...but those are usually original airings, complete with original commercials! I love seeing old commercials from the late 50s and early 60s! Awesome, fun show, as is 77 Sunset Strip & Surfside 6...I wish all of these shows would get official DVD releases! 
Very well stated, and I totally agree! Hawaiian Eye was a very awesome show for its day...and totally believable that it was supposedly in Hawaii! I have it, along with 77 Sunset Strip & Surfside 6 on DVD...homemade ones, however, as all of these shows are now in public domain, and sadly no studio has bothered to spend the money to put out official DVD sets. But, several of the episodes of these shows that I have are original airings, complete with original commercials! It’s very entertaining and even hilarious seeing commercials from the late 50s and early 60s, lol! Also, Hawaiian native actor Doug Mossman played recurring characters in both Hawaiian Eye & Hawaii Five-0.Luther's nephew Dobie wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 2:36 am Hi Guys,
Some of the following was addressed above but I started writing this before and forgot to post it -
MeTV Plus has been running Hawaiian Eye nightly.
I have to say the producers did a good job of weaving in actual Hawaiian footage with the stuff filmed at Warner Brothers.
You can reasonably believe it's filmed in the 50th state and enjoy the story without constantly being reminded it's Hollywood.
The Hawaiian Eye detective agency was located in the stunning, real life Hawaiian Village Hotel, which opened in 1957 to much acclaim.
It was a sensation around the world, NBC even devoted it's entire night time schedule to the grand opening.
It has expanded since and has been featured in countless movies and TV shows, including Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum PI.
Many of the episodes are set in Hawaiian Village's grounds, tourist shops, beach, pools or bars.
The Hollywood built sets of the PI's HQ in the Hawaiian Village are very well done, complete with pool so Conrad's chiseled physique can be put on display for the ladies in the audience.
For the guys there is Connie Stevens, who by the third season had gone from a girlish almost innocent singer to a woman who can belt out a bar room ballad in the Shell Bar(next to the Hawaiian Eye HQ)
with the best of them.
Also like it's sister series 77 Sunset Strip, this show features an amazing amount of the most alluring starlets in Hollywood.
Karen Steele, Myrna Fahey, Joanna Moore, Playboy centerfold June Blair, BarBara Luna, Lisa Gaye, Anne Helm, Diane Cannon, Mary Tyler Moore and more.
Hawaiian Eye at the time was riding a tidal wave of Hawaii mania that was sweeping the US and exciting interest in other nations.
Kids in school were taught and assigned homework about the islands, as opposed to, say, ever devoting hours of study to a Oklahoma. No offense OK citizens.
Becoming the 50th state generated huge interest but what sealed it as a big tourist destination is the mostly overlooked fact that now communist Cuba was no longer an option.
Those teeming millions east of the Mississippi looking for their island travel fix, from Labrador in The Great White North to Florida, now descended on Hawaii.
Hawaiian Eye features quite a number of Hawaiians/Asians in the casts and treats them with respect, no "no tickee no laundry" nonsense.
It works in local references such as The Pali(the main highway) and "Kine" without explaining them and why should they, the Hawaiians aren't the exotic outsiders here, we viewers are the outsiders.
Unusual for 1959.
There is also a lot of in jokes for the savvy viewer, especially if you are familiar with Warner Brothers/ABC's other series on air at the time.
I have caught a few already but am saving them for a future post on the "It Got Past The Censor/In Jokes" thread.
After having watched some 30 episodes from parts of the first 3 seasons, I am pleased to say that the idea that Hawaiian Eye is a warmed over 77 Sunset Strip clone using 77 Sunset Strip
scripts is bull shite. Whatever number of scripts they did recycle have been so artfully altered that I haven't spotted one, and I have been looking.
This series is solid entertainment.
Plus as a life long fan of the Warner Brothers style since growing up on their 1940's movie reruns with Cagney and Bogie, I appreciate the leavening of the violent moments with humor
and slices of life and the offbeat/amusing character types like the singing cab driver Kim(Poncie Ponce) who has an extended family numbering into the thousands.
Hey MaiTaiMan!MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:52 am I love Hawaiian Eye...and actually have a couple complete series sets on DVD!
Welcome back! After I bought the complete MPI box set a few years ago and started watching all the episodes from the beginning (I'm in the middle of season 4 right now) I would visit this site and read the reviews of the episode that I just watched and your reviews always caught my eye. Maybe it's because of your colorful jungle bird shirt avatar or maybe because you reviewed every episode and that's why your name stuck in my mind. Anyway your reviews date back probably 10 years or more. And all of a sudden here you are! 
Nice to see some old "new" faces around here!Yeah, it’s been several years since I’ve been on the site...good to be back!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 3:50 pmHey MaiTaiMan!MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:52 am I love Hawaiian Eye...and actually have a couple complete series sets on DVD!
This site, and miamiviceonline.com are the only fan websites that still have actual forums to discuss the shows on. Almost all the other shows just have Facebook pages (which is usually just an endless drove of photographs and pictures that I can usually find with just a simple Google image search anyway). 
I'm not a MIAMI VICE fan but I remember watching a few episodes before a trip to Miami a few years back. I remember visiting http://miamivicelocations.org/ to check out some of the locations where a few of the episodes that I watched were filmed.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:10 pmYeah, it’s been several years since I’ve been on the site...good to be back!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 3:50 pmHey MaiTaiMan!MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:52 am I love Hawaiian Eye...and actually have a couple complete series sets on DVD!
I love MV, but it’s a different style of show than “Magnum”. The original fansite was .org, but it eventually was phased out and online.com was created...and it’s WAY better!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:19 pmI'm not a MIAMI VICE fan but I remember watching a few episodes before a trip to Miami a few years back. I remember visiting http://miamivicelocations.org/ to check out some of the locations where a few of the episodes that I watched were filmed.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:10 pmYeah, it’s been several years since I’ve been on the site...good to be back!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 3:50 pmHey MaiTaiMan!MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:52 am I love Hawaiian Eye...and actually have a couple complete series sets on DVD!
Some episodes are okay. But others are really bizarre like the one with John P. Ryan who holds Tubbs captive in his home, complete with prison cells and an execution chamber. Ryan is dressed like some kind of Old Testament prophet and hams it up BIG TIME!!! The whole thing felt like some really dark and disturbing comic book. I just can't get into something like that.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:48 pmI love MV, but it’s a different style of show than “Magnum”. The original fansite was .org, but it eventually was phased out and online.com was created...and it’s WAY better!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:19 pmI'm not a MIAMI VICE fan but I remember watching a few episodes before a trip to Miami a few years back. I remember visiting http://miamivicelocations.org/ to check out some of the locations where a few of the episodes that I watched were filmed.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:10 pmYeah, it’s been several years since I’ve been on the site...good to be back!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 3:50 pmHey MaiTaiMan!MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:52 am I love Hawaiian Eye...and actually have a couple complete series sets on DVD!
Towards the end of the show, new writers started popping out some pretty weird and bizarre plots, which sadly caused ratings to drop. But, there are still some good episodes in Seasons 4 & 5, too!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 6:14 pmSome episodes are okay. But others are really bizarre like the one with John P. Ryan who holds Tubbs captive in his home, complete with prison cells and an execution chamber. Ryan is dressed like some kind of Old Testament prophet and hams it up BIG TIME!!! The whole thing felt like some really dark and disturbing comic book. I just can't get into something like that.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:48 pmI love MV, but it’s a different style of show than “Magnum”. The original fansite was .org, but it eventually was phased out and online.com was created...and it’s WAY better!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:19 pmI'm not a MIAMI VICE fan but I remember watching a few episodes before a trip to Miami a few years back. I remember visiting http://miamivicelocations.org/ to check out some of the locations where a few of the episodes that I watched were filmed.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:10 pmYeah, it’s been several years since I’ve been on the site...good to be back!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 3:50 pm
Hey MaiTaiMan!
But did you personally like that John P. Ryan episode?MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 7:07 pmTowards the end of the show, new writers started popping out some pretty weird and bizarre plots, which sadly caused ratings to drop. But, there are still some good episodes in Seasons 4 & 5, too!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 6:14 pmSome episodes are okay. But others are really bizarre like the one with John P. Ryan who holds Tubbs captive in his home, complete with prison cells and an execution chamber. Ryan is dressed like some kind of Old Testament prophet and hams it up BIG TIME!!! The whole thing felt like some really dark and disturbing comic book. I just can't get into something like that.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:48 pmI love MV, but it’s a different style of show than “Magnum”. The original fansite was .org, but it eventually was phased out and online.com was created...and it’s WAY better!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:19 pmI'm not a MIAMI VICE fan but I remember watching a few episodes before a trip to Miami a few years back. I remember visiting http://miamivicelocations.org/ to check out some of the locations where a few of the episodes that I watched were filmed.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:10 pm
Yeah, it’s been several years since I’ve been on the site...good to be back!
The John P. Ryan episode is okay, though it’s not one of my favorites. The show changed somewhat by Season 3, but for the most part the episodes were still pretty good! By Season 4, however, the plots were getting too bizarre or ridiculous. There were still some good ones though. However, the prison episode is not one I like, lol...it’s the same old stereotypical prison plot that every show in the 70s-90s had to do.ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 8:38 pmBut did you personally like that John P. Ryan episode?MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 7:07 pmTowards the end of the show, new writers started popping out some pretty weird and bizarre plots, which sadly caused ratings to drop. But, there are still some good episodes in Seasons 4 & 5, too!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 6:14 pmSome episodes are okay. But others are really bizarre like the one with John P. Ryan who holds Tubbs captive in his home, complete with prison cells and an execution chamber. Ryan is dressed like some kind of Old Testament prophet and hams it up BIG TIME!!! The whole thing felt like some really dark and disturbing comic book. I just can't get into something like that.MaiTaiMan wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:48 pmI love MV, but it’s a different style of show than “Magnum”. The original fansite was .org, but it eventually was phased out and online.com was created...and it’s WAY better!ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 4:19 pm
I'm not a MIAMI VICE fan but I remember watching a few episodes before a trip to Miami a few years back. I remember visiting http://miamivicelocations.org/ to check out some of the locations where a few of the episodes that I watched were filmed.
Yes I heard that the show went downhill after the 3rd season. Some say after the 2nd season. Although I liked the first few episodes of the 3rd season, including the Liam Neeson one and the one with Laurence Fishburne, where Castillo went undercover in a prison. Season 4 is supposed to be the worst one. I only saw the one with Brian Dennehy (another OTT performance) as the crooked televangelist. Didn't like it.
But, Seasons 4-5 still had episodes worth watching! They just sadly had more goofball ones mixed in. Hawaiian Eye was the little engine that could. HAWAII FIVE-O is the BIG engine that did!Luther's nephew Dobie wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:34 am Whenever the two supposedly lookalike ABC TV series 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye are mentioned they are lazily dismissed in some quarters as clones of each other.
The legend says many of their scripts were supposedly traded back and forth between them, the only alterations basically being the lead's names and location mentions.
This perceived wisdom is, as far as I can determine, buffalo chips.
So what's the real story? I'm glad you asked. Here is the origin of the myth of the recycled scripts.
In 1960 the Writers Guild of America went on strike from January 16 to June 10.
To keep their series in production Warner Brothers did recycle previously filmed scripts, altering them so a 77 Sunset Strip script could be used on Hawaiian Eye, and vice versa.
When this happened the credits read "Teleplay by W. Hermanos", a nom de plume for Warner Brothers and a in joke for industry insiders.
"W" for Warner and "Hermanos" being Spanish for brothers.
That being said, Hawaiian Eye has a grand total of 6 episodes scripted by W. Hermanos, out of 134 episodes.
Episode 28 - "Murder, Anyone" (April 6, 1960)
Episode 29 - "Typhoon" (April 27, 1960)
Episode 30 - "Shadow of the Blade" (May 4, 1960)
Episode 31 - "Dead Ringer" (May 11, 1960)
Episode 32 - "Little Blalah" (May 18, 1960)
Episode 33 - "Assignment: Manila" (May 25, 1960)
I guess the supposed script cloning made for a good story and an easy way to dismiss Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside Six and Bourbon Street as less than the entertaining series they were.
Wonder if CBS would pick it up. They'll go for anything these days.
