Tonight 50 years ago, CBS aired S05E13 "I'm A Family Crook -- Don't Shoot!"

The Lovejoy family has arrived in Hawaii! The family consists of father Arnold (Andy Griffith), mom Rhoda (Joyce Van Patten) and daughter Melissa (Kimberly Louis). Arnold and Rhoda are a pair of married grifters going from state to state running petty cons.

However, things soon turn serious when Melissa grabs a briefcase of a guy caught in chaos created by the Lovejoys. The guy isn't just any guy - he's bagman Frank Butrell (Bryan da Silva) who works for Charlie Walters (Bob Basso). Walters is a pretty nasty guy and Five-O has been on his trail for quite some time. So much so, they're tracking Butrell all the way to Charlie's house. But the team is shocked when Butrell arrives empty-handed!

Five-O isn't the only one following Butrell - there is a direct competitor to Walters, Shibata (Seth Sakai) also watching.

Arnold knows they're in deep doo-doo when he opens the briefcase and finds the brass knuckles. Soon they're picked up by Shibata and his crew. Shibata and crew meet a bad end but it's an impressive explosion!

Walters becomes really nasty when he kidnaps Melissa in order to get the briefcase back. It turns into a big confrontation at Walters' house and he's nailed because he handled marked money. The Lovejoys are sent about their way if they promise to never return to Hawaii. They can't help themselves pulling off one more con but the would-be victim is none other that Ben!! Oops!!

Mr. Mike does such a better job at this than I do. His review is here: https://www.fiveohomepage.com/5-0log5.htm#109

This is hands down one of my favorite episodes. It's funny, plain and simple. Things are over the top and if you're an Andy Griffith fan, this is a must watch! Joyce Van Patten holds her own too and the pair are hilarious!

Basso thoroughly enjoys his role. He and his henchmen blow up a car with parts literally going in every direction, bust down doors and he shoots his bagman! So for some blood-letting, it's still a funny episode. It's near the top of my list for essential Five-O episodes.

Happy 50th, "I'm A Family Crook -- Don't Shoot!"