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Hawaii 5-0 Returns with 2nd Generation Saigon Kid Artworks

As many of you may already know, the Hawaii 5-0 TV series will be making a come back on CBS TV. It will be a larger production this time with more action and more of a CSI theme.

2nd generation Saigon Kid Salis (Frank’s son) was recently contact about having a couple of his paintings appear in the back ground of a location shoot.

This picture is 4′ x 4′ hanging in the home of Dialta Alliata. It along with another 8′ x 8′ painting may appear in the *pilot* or the first or second episodes.

Way to go Salis!

I was living in Hawaii during the filming of the original Hawaii 5-0 TV series. Many of the people on the production staff and those who appeared in the series where friends and associates of mine at the time. We were all involved in various aspects of the production and filming of the series. It was a blast! And, the parties were a lot of fun and good times for all.

Ahhh … those were the days of *Sweet Aloha* – 🙂

“Book’em Dan-O!!”

Bob

11 comments to Hawaii 5-0 Returns with 2nd Generation Saigon Kid Artworks

  • Bob, I lived for a couple of years in Honolulu and would occasionally would see a convoy of vehicles (including star trailers) for the Hawaii 5-0 crew passing by where I worked near the Aloha Tower. I was there 1974-76, and sorry that we missed the opportunity to reconnect at that time. Where were the Internet and Google when we needed them then, right? My wife and I lived in the tall apartment building on Punahou in the block between the school and the H-1. I now realize that a certain kid called (at that time) Barry would have to have walked by the building to get to school each day from his grandparents’ home — wonder if he was the one who broke my car’s window one day. 😉

    Bruce

    • Bruce – I know the Aloha Tower well. When I was in my early teens living in Aiea, Hawaii we’d meet many new arrivals coming by ship from the Mainland, and see many people off leaving for the Mainland. It was awesome.

      Just so you know – LOL – Punahou students *did not* walk to school!! It was beneath them to walk to school. They were driven by their parents until they hit 16 y/o upon which their daddies gave them expensive sports cars for their 16th birthday – lol. During my school days (both before and after Saigon) in Hawaii I dated girls from Punahou and La Pietra girls school, but Scared Hearts had all the *foxy ladies* – 😉

      I’m thinking you must have lived in the large apartment building at the corner of Wilder Ave. and Punahou.

      During the 1974-76 time frame I lived primarily at the very top of Tantalus Drive (Round Top Drive). It was 5 miles from my door down to the bottom of the mountain either road you took. It was beautiful living up there in the rain forest. The hardest part was motivating myself to come down to take care of business in the city below – lol. I also had a small house in the very back of Manoa Valley. The last house back in the valley before the trail to Manoa water falls started. I’d sometimes stay at it too – usually when I’d been partying late in to the night in Honolulu and was in no shape to drive the winding mountain road to the top of Tantalus – LOL. Then there was my country house out on the North Shore. A little 1 bedroom cottage that sat right on the *edge* (and I do mean edge) of the cliff at the very top of Pupukea overlooking Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach areas. I’d alternate between houses depending on my mood – lol – or which girl friend at which house was *upset* with me at any given time – 😉

      Yes, it’s sad but true, I was a party animal in Hawaii – lol – isn’t everyone who lives in Hawaii!?! – LOL – the *Aloha Spirit* just seems to grab ya and you can’t keep yourself from spreading the Alohaaaaaaaaaaaaa … LOL.

      Back in those years I was traveling a lot between the West Coast, Hawaii, Canada, Asia and the South Pacific. But, home base was Hawaii.

      Geez, I’d have loved to have had the Internet and Google back in those day!!! Heck, I’d have loved to have had them in Saigon days too!!! – LOL – it is really hard today to imagine how we got along without the Internet back in those days. I’ve got a video I’ll be putting on the blog about the latest cutting edge technology in the world when we were in Saigon – mind blowing, it is, it is!!

      Rock Onnnnn … 🙂

      Bob

      • Bob, I don’t think that the kid Barry of whom I wrote had a fancy car when he got to be 16 at Punahou School. According to a recent biography of him (you DO know of whom I speak, right?) that I consulted at a local Wal*Mart for a few minutes(even at their book prices, I’m too cheap to spring for a copy), his grandparents (who lived in an apartment building on S. Beretania) weren’t rolling in dough by any means, and it specifically says that Barry (who began at Punahou when he was in 5th grade) would walk from the apartment, over the H-1 bridge along Punahou Street to the school. I guess I’ll have to read one of Barry’s autobiographical campaign books to see if his admissions of youthful indiscretions include breaking into a VW bug!

        By the way, the apartment building in which my wife and I lived was not on the corner of Wilder and Punahou … I know the one you’re referring to. Ours was one building down Punahou towards the H-1. It was about 10 stories tall, a square obelisk-shape, 2 condos per floor, tall banyan trees in front, with a lovely wild vine that covered the building’s front and extended nearly to the top! Immediately after I proposed to my wife, she informed me she knew exactly where we would consolidate our two apartments’ worth of furnishings, in that building she’d always admired, and funny thing, a condo had just become available.

        We lived on the 7th floor, with a covered lanai facing toward Ewa and the setting sun. Our (her) two crazy cats would (b)lithely hop onto the teak bannister and strut back and forth, causing a visiting co-worker one day to ponder the terminal velocity of a cat. (No, we never tried that experiment.) But I miss the fragrant breezes with the smell of frangipani and other tropical flowers. We kept the sliding glass doors open to the lanai and the breezes, even when at work, and sometimes came home to the smiling cats who had obviously had a field day welcoming some poor unfortunate bird who had wandered into the apartment and couldn’t find its way back out … as evidenced by a pile of feathers in the hallway to the bedrooms. Ah, memories of sweet youth!

        I’ll tune in to the new Hawaii 5-0. But it’ll never be the same without Jack Lord growling, “Book ‘im, Dano!” My wife still recalls nearly bumping into Jack at a pharmacy near Kahala Mall. Wearing his sunglasses, of course!

        By the way, has there been any movement toward firming up the 2012 reunion in Saigon? Are you going?

        Bruce

        • Bruce – Okay, I know exactly which building you lived in now – your wife has good taste!! – 🙂

          I’m not sure I really believe the stories of Barry’s days of poverty, as I know for certain one of the major entrance requirements for Punahou School was *CASH* and a lot of it! I speak from experience, as during my pre-Saigon days while living in Aiea, Hawaii I was expelled from the school I was attending – for repeated mischievous deeds which just happened to be against school rules and regulations – LOL. As a result, my parents first attempted to enroll me in St. Louis School (all boys Catholic school and very, very strict). To assure the denial of my acceptance to the school, I deliberately *bombed* on the entrance exam. I answered any questions I knew the answers for with the *wrong* answer. The questions I did not know the answers for, I just took a wild shot in the dark by answering with totally unrelated answers – LOL. The school informed my parents that I had scored the *lowest score* in the history of the school … perhaps a world record to this day – LOL. Next, in their plan for my rehabilitation was to modify my school environment to remove me from the *peer group* I was involved with at my current school, by sending me to Punahou School where I would hopefully become associated with a better (in their opinion) *peer group* … LOL. This phase of their plan was immediately aborted once the school made them aware of the enrollment costs and other expenses associated with attending Punahou School … reality hit them … they could not financially afford to send me to Punahou School. So, I joyfully continued at my old school. However, there was some discussion on the horizon of sending me to a Military Academy (if I didn’t shape up) – LOL. But, once again after making considerable sacrifices to Pele the Fire Goddess and other Tiki Gods … my prayers for salvation were answered … when dad was reassigned to Washington D.C.

          Perhaps some day I’ll write about my school days *adventures in paradise* … why Bette Midler who lived in Aiea also, and attend the same school as me, didn’t graduate with me … piracy on the high seas of the Hawaiian Islands … the day the school biology pond turned *bright colors* … the day the alcoholic metal shop teacher nearly had a heart attack in the class room (exploding garbage cans do that, ya know) … ditching school all day skinny dipping parties at Salt Lake … first encounter with a Samoan psychopath who became a good friend … the day the *JP* (student police) busted the smoking party in the Boys Room … gambling at its finest at the Boys Room Lunch Hour Casino … why my French teachers little heart to heart talk with me, as she gave me a complimentary D Minus grade, turned out to be the *gospel truth* upon my arrival in Saigon … why teachers should not wear the same Aloha shirt as students when attempting to break up a fight between 2 students (sorry about the black eye Mr. Sato) … and, of course, we can’t leave out *May Day, is Lei Day* aka school wide mass make out party (in violation of school rules, naturally) – ohhhh those sweet, sweet wahines with kisses sweeter then wine – 🙂

          And, my parents were *concerned* about my *peer group* … what was wrong with them, anyway!?! – LOL.

  • Frank

    My youngest just started a new job (a very good job) in Honolulu this week. Her office is in the old Dole Cannery. Her husband will join her in two weeks. We kept their dog while they traveled the world this past year. We’ll have Marley for four more months while the Hawaiian animal restrictions are worked through. My son and daughter ate Pho last night…yes Bob, it was at the restaurant in Wahiawa … lol!! They had driven up there to purchase a surf board for Jodie. Our grand-daughter,Paije, who plays volleyball for San Diego State University has a tournament in Honolulu in September…so guess where we’ll be for a week? Rough!!
    Love the comments from you and Bruce about Hawaii.. Frank

    • Frank – so Jodie has now experienced *the sound of the Gecko* Pho restaurant – LOL – 🙂

      I suppose now that Jodie has got her board you’ll be calling her *little surfer girl* … hmmm? … wasn’t that a *song*!?! – 🙂

      By the way, one has not truly lived until they have surfed Waimea Bay during the winter surf – talk about a *near death experience* … riding down the face of a 25 to 30 foot wave is a *rush* that is beyond words to explain what it feels like … while shooting the tube there is no doubt in your mind that you have turned over your entire existence to *the Creator* as you become *one* with the wave and the whole of creation touching the *light* of all that *IS* … while a quiet calm peacefulness overcomes you, as realize you are but a tiny *cell* of all that is *creation* … a Spiritual awakening like few others we could encounter in this journey we call life … and, a true test of one’s *faith* – 🙂

  • I love reading all the recollections from your youths and adulthoods in Hawaii.
    We lived there in 1949, when I was 4. My favorite memories are of our move-in day, when my 18 mo.old brother got his head stuck inbetween the ballastrades of the staircase and my Naval Officer Dad being mortified when they had to call for folks to extracate him. Right before they began sawing the posts, my mom greased his ears one more time, and slid him out. I also recall having all the tops of my toes regularly sliced off by the chainlink fence surrounding our apartment complex.
    However, I also remember trips to beautiful Waimea Bay for picnics. At that time there were no steps or asphalt paths, as in 1970 when my husband and I spent a morning at the Bay during an R&R reunion.
    In 1949, to reach the beach, you walked sandy, meandering paths down the cliff. It was deserted,uncivilized natural beauty.
    As kids, we would spend hours filling up red wagons full of hibiscus blossoms, and enjoy eating fresh papaya. In the evenings,the DDT truck would regularly make the rounds down our streets and we all would stand outside and breath the chemicals belching from it. OMG
    My best friend was also a navy junior named Liliokalani Barrel Blanchard, nicknamed, “Lani,” and I coveted her name!!
    Hawaii holds a special place for me from childhood recollections, to our 3-day decompression stay on the flight home from Saigon and 2 R&R trips in 1970. My last view of Hawaii was of magnificent Maui in 1994.
    I have often wondered if the last lei I tossed into the Pacific reached the shore. Perhaps I will have one more trip back.
    Thank you all for your memories. I have always said that when we have our children, I hope God will provide a way for them to live in a dorm for one year of college and to see Hawaii during their lifetime…one gives you the experience of dealing with real-life isues and decisions, and the other to experience seeing the true colors and beauty of life.
    Aloha.
    Suellen

    • S’Ellen – Yes, Hawaii was truly beautiful back then before Statehood when development (or I should say *over development*) started. I first stepped foot in Hawaii in 1956 at the *old* airport which I’m sure you remember. Back in the days when it was just a Tower with a 3 foot high chain link fence separating the terminal from the run ways. The planes would park about 20 feet from the fence. There was always a Hula Troop playing Hawaiian music, singing and dancing hula to welcome people as they walked down the steps from the plane and where greeted by lovely hula girls giving them a Lei and a kiss on the cheek. Back in those days you *really* felt like you had arrived in Hawaii. The palm trees gently swaying in the trade winds, everyone smiling wishing you Aloha and welcome to the Hawaii, and the sweet scent of tropical flowers in the air …

      I recall Waimea Bay and water fall from the mid 1950s very well. Back then Waimea Bay was usually deserted because it was *off limits* for swimming because of the extreme under toe and rip tide hazards – remember all the signs posted there warning people not to go in the water. And, you are correct, there was no beach park there like there is now. The river from Waimea valley and water falls used to run right under the bridge and in to the beach area. It was more of a swampy area most of the time right behind the sandy beach area, because the waves would pile the sand up high near the beach forming a damn so the river water couldn’t get out to the ocean until the tides and waves moved the sand around to create a low spot.

      I remember many trips out to Waimea Falls with my church youth group. Because the maximum speed limit any place on the island was 45 mph and the roads from Honolulu were still just 2 lane (more like 1 1/2 lanes in some areas) it would take a couple hours to drive out to the falls. Then once at Waimea Bay you turned onto a dirt road just after going over the bridge. Just after turning onto the dirt road to the falls, on the right side, was an old *haunted house* with many stories about it. Then we’d follow the dirt road back into the valley winding along the river for a couple miles when the road would end. From there we’d walk on a muddy slippery path for about a mile or so back to the water fall. We’d pick quava, mountain apples and bananas to eat along the way. At the falls there would always be a group of local boys diving from the top of the falls into the pool below. There were 2 different places to dive from – the *low side* on the right hand side of the falls, or the *high side* on the left hand side of the falls. At that time they didn’t know how deep the pool at the base of the falls was, as nobody had ever exploded it with diving gear to find out. Legends said it was bottomless. The water was clear on the surface, but once you got about 5 feet deep it got darker and darker the deeper you when until at about 10 feet depth you couldn’t see anymore. Few people ever dived from the high side of the falls, except the local boys, as it was about a 75 foot leap of faith to the pool below, which had large rocks hidden under the water – if you didn’t know *exactly* where and how to dive you’d land on one of them – which proved fatal on several occasions. The low side of the falls was only about a 40 foot leap of faith into the pool below. There was no trail to the top of the falls. You had to climb up the face of the falls on the right (low) side using little rock out crops and hand holds, and if you started off on the wrong foot, once you got about half way up, you couldn’t go any more, as your feet would be in the wrong position to continue without falling off the cliff. You couldn’t dive head first from the falls as the water in the pool was very *soft* and you’d go too deep down into the pool, then because you couldn’t see in the darkness you didn’t know which way to swim to get to the surface. After climbing up to the top of the cliff, you’d have to rest for a spell then pick a leave from a guava tree, tear it half way down its length, fold it into a cone shape, place it between your teeth so when you entered the water the leave would press up against your nose to prevent water from going up your nose and drowning you. Then once you had your leave in place, you’d walk out to a certain spot on the ledge and jump off feet first. The trick was to maintain your balance so you’d hit the water feet first, then just seconds before you hit the water ball up into a cannon ball type form which would stop you from going very deep into the water. If you hit the water in a standing position, you’d go to deep and have trouble finding your way to the surface. Also, if you were not careful when you balled up right before hitting the water you’d turn in a forward position, which meant you’d do a *belly flop* that would impress on you in no uncertain way *why* you never wanted to do that again!! – LOL.

      The test of manhood and rite of passage to become accepted into the local boys group who hung out at the falls all the time was to *dive from the high side* of the falls – a 75 foot leap of faith to the pool below, praying you’d miss the underwater rocks. After many, many dives from the low side, one day I finally got up the courage to dive from the *high* side. Looking down at the pool below from the ‘jumping spot’ was scary. The people at the base of the falls all looked really small from up there – like little midgets. And, of course, any time someone was preparing to dive from the high side, the people below would gather looking up waiting in anticipation to see if the dive would really happen or not (many who thought they would, didn’t after standing on the jumping spot for a few minutes). It was a strange feeling standing up there with everyone looking at you, waiting to see if you would actually jump or chicken out – lol. If you didn’t jump they’d all think you were chicken … if you did jump, they’d be waiting to see if you missed the rocks hidden under the water – LOL. Finally, with all my friends below cheering me on to *jump* I counted to 3 and … jumped. As I was going down the world below kept getting smaller and smaller – LOL. Then suddenly I was at the water, but forgot to *ball up* at the last second so hit the water feet first, missing the hidden rocks, but going down, down, down, down, down as it got darker and darker until I was in total darkness under the water … as I was going down deep and deeper I kept trying to paddle my arms and hand up and down (sort of a vertical breast stroke) trying to stop myself from going deeper and start swimming to the surface – but the water is so soft it is difficult to get the resistance needed to swim back upward. Then finally I slowed down and started trying to swim to the surface. But because it was *dark* down there, I didn’t know which way was up, down or sideways – LOL. So, I just keep looking upward (anyway what I thought was upward), kicking my feet, and breast stoking forward hoping to finally see *light* in front of me as I got nearer the surface. Then I started getting short on breath (it’s hard to take a big gulp of air before hitting the water with a leave between your teeth – lol) so I started pumping faster to find *light* – LOL. Suddenly, before my eyes I saw a dim greenish golden color of *light* and swam toward it. As it got closer and closer I finally surfaced – on the opposite side of the pool from the falls … seems once I lost my bearings under water, I’d swam across the pool under water … no wonder it took so dang long and I ran out of breath!!! – LOL.

      After I got out of the water and caught my breath, I looked at the friends I’d come with, in particular, the guys who’d said if I dove from the high side of the falls – they would too. Then said to them, “who’s going next!”. They all chickened out – LOL.

      I then turned around an looked up at the local boys sitting at the top of the falls. They all looked at me and gave me the *shaka* hand gesture (the local way of saying, “you’re cool” ). I then decided I’d earned the right to sit at the top of the falls with the *royalty of the falls* so climbed back up the cliff and hung out with the local boys up there. We got to talking and they told me about some other *tricks* of the trade, so to speak, of diving off the falls. Like the *spot* in a tree directly across from the falls – when you see it going down, is when you ball up so you hit the water in a ball, then as soon as you hit the water you lunge forward shooting your hands and arms straight up and out … this makes it so you only go about 5 feet deep into the water and shoot straight out of the water at about a 45 degree angel as you surface. Gee, thanks guys for telling me this after I dang near drown on my first jump – LOL. They turned me on to a few other of their *secrets* for jumping the high side. It seemed to be sort of a rite of passage – a test of courage- that once you jumped from the high side, they accepted you into their group. They turned out to be a very nice bunch of guys. They were more or less self appointed life guards at the falls always making sure nobody got hurt or did stupid things while enjoying the falls. On later visits to the falls, I learned they had a *communications* system – a whistle code – they used in the event a visitor to the falls got hurt. They had a certain way of whistling that would echo down the valley and could be heard by the people living in the few houses in the valley at the time. When they heard the whistle code, they would call the police who would send help. The divers would administer CPR and first aide then begin carrying the injured person out on the trail from the falls to the end of the dirt road.

      After sitting and talking with the *royalty of the falls* gang for a while, I decided to make my second jump from the high side. This time I used all of their *secret* tricks and made a near perfect dive. After that each time I’d visit the falls, I’d always climb the cliff, hang out with the local boys up there, and jump from the high side along with them.

      Of course in recent years the falls have been turned into a total commercial operation with nicely paved roads from the highway to the visitors center (or more correctly said ‘tourist trap’) with electric buses taking people back to the falls on a paved pathway to the falls where concrete and asphalt viewing areas have been built around the pool at the base of the falls, and a team of *hired* on staff divers are the only people allowed to dive from the falls. They put on shows at pre-set times through out the day.

      As the song says, “they paved paradise to put up a parking lot … ”

      Bob

      [ Note: Since 2008 Waimea Valley and Falls has been returned to the Hawaiian people through a Hawaiian Cultural and Archeological Preservation organization. To date they have found over 78 archeological sites in the valley dating back over 1000 years. Thank goodness the valley and falls are no longer being raped by commercial tourist operations, and will be preserved for all time as the scared Hawaiian cultural area it always was, before it fell prey to paving paradise to put up a parking lot … ]

    • I too remember the *mosquito wagon* (DDT truck) it came down our street every Wednesday evening right after sunset as the mosquitoes started to swarm. Everyone in the neighborhood would run inside and close their windows and doors until the DDT fog cloud would settle down. Ours was big red tanker truck with huge fog sprayers across he back of it. It sprayed the DDT fog cloud so thick you could hardly see through it. Hmmm … I wonder how long the drivers of those trucks lived!?! If I recall correctly they stopped spraying the DDT when they finally figured out that it didn’t do any good at controlling mosquitoes – LOL

      When I lived in Aiea area, we lived up on the hillside above Aiea at Halawa Heights a couple blocks down the hill from Camp Smith. It was awesome and beautiful to set on our lanai at night and watch them burn the sugar came fields down below.

      Did you ever go *ti leave* mud sliding. That was always a fun thing to do – LOL

      Bob

  • Hey, Bob. I took my first leap at Waimea Falls the Saturday before Labor Day in 1975. I’ve never leaped again. Some days it does seem like I am “going down, down, down, down, down as it got darker and darker until I was in total darkness.” But ever since Linda accepted my proposal that day, there alongside the waters of the pool, it’s been more light than darkness. 😉

    Bruce

    • That is awesome, Bruce, that you proposed to your wife at the falls. Waimea Valley and Falls from a Spiritual perspective have always been extremely scared grounds to the Hawaiian people since ancient times – there is much Aloha in the valley.

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