Classic TV: Hawaiian Eye (1959)

 Warner Bros. added to its family of crime dramas in 1959 with Hawaiian Eye, which, despite the setting, was shot almost entirely in Hollywood on the WB lot. The opening sequence may have been the extent of their location shooting.

Anthony Eisley was the headliner, at least in the first season, joined by future icon Robert Conrad and Connie Stevens, who'd scored a novelty hit that year with "Kookie, Kookie, Lend me Your Comb", with Edd Byrnes (77 Sunset Strip). The series also introduced America to Poncie Ponce, a poor man's Don Ho or Arthur Godfrey, what with the ukelele.

Hawaiian Eye lasted four seasons, but Eisley was gone after the third season. Troy Donohue moved over from Surfside Six in the final season, and Grant Williams ("The Incredible Shrinking Man") joined the show in a recurring role in season 2. Eisley would later join Jack Webb's repertory company, appearing frequently on Dragnet.

Full episodes are not available on YouTube, but we do have the intro:

The perception of the exotic setting became a reality a few years later, thanks to the original Hawaii Five-0. Otherwise, this was standard WB fare of the period, and the opener even included a brief cameo from 77 Sunset Strip star Efrem Zimbalist, Jr..

Rating: B.