I'm a Family Crook -- Don't Shoot!
This underrated episode is rarely cited in the "favorites" of Five-O fans, but it should be.
(Mike says that it should be in "any fan's top ten" in his review.)
Written by Jerome Coopersmith, this one pretty much has it all, from clever scenes, plot twists, a war between factions of organized crime, a charming family of scammers (including their young daughter), and some laughs. The final scene is one of the few "comedy" endings of the entire series, which isn't typically known for humor!
Andy Griffith plays Arnold Lovejoy, a scammer who, along with his wife and daughter, travel from state to state and engage in various cons against "marks" they find on the street.
They pack a surprising amount of action into the one-hour program.
The main villain, Charlie (Bob Basso) is a ruthless gangster from Chicago, who seems to have established a dominant presence in Oahu. He's at war with an Asian gang led by a man named Shibata (Seth Sakai), but it is implied that Charlie's gang has more muscle and the general upper hand.
A clever plan is used to mark the money which Arnold Lovejoy returns to Charlie, which ends up being Charlie's undoing.
It is unclear why Charlie's men simply don't force the man at the hotel front desk to return the suitcase he's holding for the Lovejoys. While the hotel clerk has been instructed not to give it to anyone else, I doubt he would argue at gunpoint! It seems that going through the trouble to kidnap and kill the Lovejoys to get the suitcase (plus the possibility of the cops getting it) is too much risk!
It's not clear why the police simply don't storm Charlie's place when the Lovejoy child has been kidnapped. Wouldn't that AND the suitcase (which Arnold could testify was the reason the girl was being held), plus the businessmen on the list testifying against Charlie, be enough to convict him of various serious crimes? It seems McGarrett put the entire family at risk with their ruse, which was planned to end with the police storming the place with all three Lovejoys at Charlie's place anyway!
This episode holds up really well upon modern viewing. A similar episode could be made today without appearing dated.
This show aired in December 1972, when I was a 9-month-old baby with bronchitis. I know this because my mom kept a diary of the first year of my life, and noted my bronchitis at the time of month this episode aired. It was the only time I had bronchitis in my life.
