Secret Witness for 50 years

[Bobbi]

Tonight 50 years ago, CBS aired S06E18, "Secret Witness".

A night worker, Ted Reynolds (Mark Jenkins), witnesses the murder of Joe Wang who was skimming from his boss, Dan Bok (Mark Lenard).

Bok, a top criminal in Honolulu, hires hitman Bo Lansing (Mark Gordon) to take out Wang.

The problem is the hit took place in broad daylight at about 6am! Duh.

Reynolds writes into the newspaper under their 'Secret Witness' program, thus the title. Reynolds has a lot at stake due to his wife Sue (Cindy Williams) and their young baby.

Once Sue figures out that Ted witnessed the murder, she gets scared and the couple plan to take off for the mainland.

Meanwhile, Lansing is tracking Reynolds down little by little. He eventually finds his witness and shoots Ted just as the young couple are about to flee. Lansing also takes Sue and the baby hostage just as Five-O closes in.

It does not end well for Lansing. Danno snipes him from an upper floor after his car crashes thanks to some Five-O trickery. Lansing confesses that Bok hired him just before he dies.

Mr. Mike's review is here: https://www.fiveohomepage.com/5-0log6.htm#138

I like this episode. It paces well and we see another side of Mark Jenkins, who was the bomber in Season 3's "The Bomber And Mrs. Moroney". It's fun to watch.

We also see an early TV role for Cindy Williams who went on later to play Shirley in "Laverne & Shirley".

Mark Lenard does a good turn of being a bad guy as his most famous role is that of Sarek; Spock's father in the original "Star Trek."

At the end, McGarrett has Ben loosen the lug nuts on Lansing's car. Unless they wiggled the wheel out, it wouldn't have fallen off that quickly. Trust me, I saw a truck lose its back wheel in front of me at 2am in Anchorage several years ago. When the tires were changed out (it was snowy at the time), the lug nuts weren't tightened all the way. It took several hours before that wheel flew off. It was scary. But I'm sure that filming and such, it was a much more controlled situation.

Happy 50th, "Secret Witness"!!

[John Chergi]

Season 6 Secret Witness 3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 Stars Out Of 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
I think Secret Witness is a very good episode. A young Ted Reynolds witnesses the murder of Joe Wang walking home early AM from his night job. Bo, the Hitman, then has a witness to eliminate as well. Reynolds runs for his life as the Hitman is in close pursuit. He shoots at Ted a few times but misses. This sets up the suspense and tense Secret Witness episode as Bo must locate the witness. Ted has a young wife Sue and a baby to support. He's scratching out a living and it's tough watching their struggle with little money. I enjoyed how the Hitman goes down the list of Reynolds names and this is good writing. He just doesn't pick Reynolds with the first name selected. It gives Secret Witness an honesty and realism. Ted believes his best action is to use the newspaper's Secret Witness program. They guarantee confidentiality and Ted writes what he witnessed about the murder and nearly becoming a victim himself. Usually a monetary reward is given as well. McG and HFO become involved due to the seriousness of the situation. They investigate the writer's letter and it appears legitimate. It's now a race to who finds the Secret Witness first. Time runs out on Ted Reynolds. Bo finds their place and Sue and the baby are taken hostage. Ted later arrives and is shot by Bo and left for dead. It's chilling and shocking watching Bo place the gun to the baby. I wonder if this initially written in the script or if that was something ad-libbed by the actor. It's very powerful and shocking. Similar to Father Jack The Priest being shot and killed in Engaged To Be Buried by Rono. I remember watching this in the 1980's as a teenager wondering how it would finish. It was a creative finish. Ben loosens the lug nuts on the tire of Bo's car at McG's direction. As he tries to escape driving, Bo's tire falls off and he can't drive anymore. Danno finishes Lansing off showing his sniper skills. Lansing although gravely wounded confesses that Dan Bok hired him. Lansing soon passes away and the episode ends with the fate of Ted Reynolds unknown. Great point by Bobbi on Sue played by Cindy Williams. She would later be remembered as Shirley on the popular 70's show Laverne and Shirley. JC

[ringfire211]

“Secret Witness” is a top shelf episode from season 6. Top marks across the board! Story, acting, music, etc.