Tonight, CBS aired S03E23, Part 1 of "The Grandstand Play".

Major League baseball player Lon Phillips (Pernell Roberts) has moved to Honolulu and the minor leagues after his wife's death. His son, Gary (Elliott Street), is developmentally challenged and Lon figures Honolulu is safer than most cities of the time. It also help he has a friend not he team, Coley Bennett (Jock Mahoney).

The episode opens at a baseball game that Lon is playing in. Gary is in one of the house seats very near the governor and a guest (Barry Atwater). Gary makes his way to the concession stand to buy a hot dog where he meets an older woman (Electra Galias) who can barely stand up. Because of his manners, she kisses him and then wipes the lipstick off with a handkerchief.

This same woman is later found dead under the bleachers, strangled to death. Five-O is on the scene immediately with McGarrett meeting the governor and his friend in the locker room. The woman was Emily Workman and the governor's guest is her husband, soon to be ex, Lester. Workman explains to McGarrett that Emily had a habit of becoming drunk and publicly embarrassing him. They're separated and going through a divorce.

While that's happening, Danno is talking to people who could be witnesses in the press box. Gary is among the people to voluntarily speak to Five-O. Turns out, Gary wasn't supposed to leave his seat and when his dad shows up, becomes skittish with the police. Five-O knows something else is going on and Gary isn't being 100% truthful.

In the mix is Horton (Don Chastain), who is the one who actually killed Emily, and his girlfriend (Josie Over). We see them burning some negatives at a point in the episode and she wants to get away clean. When they see a picture of Gary and Lon in the newspaper, they know they have a witness to take care of.

Horton begins snooping around, even going to the Phillips apartment where he gives the landlord (Ed Fernandez) a bogus story about looking for someone else. Meanwhile, he makes multiple phone calls to the place at the same time Jenny (Peggy Ryan) is trying to call in too.

She keeps trying, at one point telling McGarrett and Danno that she got a busy signal but it wasn't. The three figure out someone else is trying to call in. She eventually contacts Lon who arrives at Five-O.

Lon isn't forthcoming with McGarrett but does tell him about the guy snooping around and he finally shows McGarrett the handkerchief he found in Gary's dresser.

Kono stakes out the apartment but Gary runs when he spots Kono. The chase is on with Horton on Gary's tail. Part 1 ends with Horton getting into car and aiming for Gary.

Mr. Mike does a much better job in his 4-star review covering both parts: http://www.fiveohomepage.com/5-0log3.htm#71

Todd recently posted on the forum that is an underrated episode. I agree! It's excellent. It's also a study in contrasts. On one hand, we see the loving father-son relationship between Lon and Gary and on the other, the Workmans being the epitome of dysfunction.

There's a goof too: the handkerchief when it's originally seen had the initials EW in cursive but when we see it with Lon at Five-O, the initials are printed. It's not so much of a distraction as to take away from the episode. But Atwater's haircut leaves a lot to be desired!

We get to see the Five-O team in action with various tasks. While they know Gary had something to do with Emily's death, they discover pretty quickly he's a witness rather than a perpetrator. They also know Gary's life is in mortal danger. McGarrett handles Workman himself and through their conversations we discover the divorce proceedings are nasty with a custody fight for the children.

Somehow, Gary eludes everyone even taking a bus tour of Honolulu. It shows Gary's innocence and builds the tension and urgency of the need to find him. But when he bolts after seeing Kono, he takes a bus to parts unknown where he becomes a sitting duck for Horton.

At the end of Part 1, we're left wondering what happened to Gary. Was Horton successful in silencing the witness? We'll have to wait until next week to find out!

Happy 50th "The Grandstand Play, Part 1"