The Bygone Days of Crime Shows

Staci here. I miss 70s and 80s television. More specifically, I miss the crime shows of those decades. Rockford Files, Hawaii 5-0, Magnum P.I., Simon and Simon: What is it about these shows that made them so enjoyable? The witty dialogue? The upstanding, reliable characters?

Just a few weeks ago, I was watching Hawaii 5-0 as part of a station’s retro night. This episode dealt with a copy-cat killer plotline, and Steve McGarrett had his usual focus and grim determination when faced with this particularly wily killer. But one of the best aspects of the show was studying the old-fashioned technology and realizing how advanced modern day television science is (I say television science, not actual science, since the response times for DNA samples are ridiculously fast).

Steve’s first big break came from hairs found in the victim’s hand at the crime scene. The lab technician had studied the hairs under a microscope and noticed one hair still had the shaft attached, which implied the victim pulled the hair from the killer’s head during the struggle. From this discovery, the tech could determine that the killer had dark brown hair. In Hawaii. Where most of the population has dark brown hair. Had this been an episode of CSI, they could have extracted a DNA sample, entered it into the database, and had the killer’s address in five minutes.

The next clue was that a pawn shop owner remembered selling the murder weapon to a white guy. But he remembered little else. So now McGarrett knew they were dealing with a white man with dark brown hair. In this day and age, most pawn shop dealers have security cameras installed inside the store, covering the parking lot, and near the cash register, providing several pictures of the culprit to post on the news or for use on a wanted poster. But all McGarrett had was a store owner with a sketchy  memory and little interest in helping the police.

But this lack of technology ultimately didn’t matter. Centrifuge? We don’t need no stinkin’ centrifuge.  Through solid police work and clever deductions, McGarrett and his crew caught the killer and I got to hear those glorious words, “Book ‘em, Dano Murder One.”

Oh all right, McGarrett didn’t really say that in this episode, but I just love that line. Am I the only one who misses these shows?

Comments

[Camille Minichino]

I do get tired of "information by cell phone" on so many shows. Sometimes technology gives writers an easy way out. Like when Jack Bauer is deep in a cave in the middle east and contacts HQ -- and in a few seconds the entire layout of the undergound facility appears on his phone with perfect detail and clarity.
Not that I held it against that show.

[Cathy Akers-Jordan]

I love all those shows, too! I also miss Barney Miller: good characters and great humor.

[Staci McLaughlin]

Camille, who can forget how quickly Chloe could pull up the traffic cams to track a bad guy's vehicle? But I didn't hold it against the show either because the technology is what enabled the action to move at lightning speed.

[Staci McLaughlin]

Cathy, I almost forogt about Barney Miller! Great casting and distinct characters really made this a fantastic show.

[Mysti Berry]

You can watch Rockford Files on netflix instant streaming if you need a hit of old school! He had amazing co-stars, undiscovered. I saw Jaime Lee Curtis as a waitress in an old Colombo...

anyway, I think you hit the nail on the head. Most DNA evidence confirms or excludes suspects that the cops have found the hard way.

[Staci McLaughlin]

Mysti, I recall an episode of Rockford Files that starred an undiscovered Tom Selleck as a suave investigator that made poor Jim feel inferior. Might have to look that episode up on Netflix!

[Ann]

Hi Staci! ... As you can tell from my post, just before yours, I'm a fan of the "old shows" as well. In fact, we had a "Rockford Files fest" earlier this year at home, when we realized we could stream it on NetFlix. This preceded the the "Zena Warrior Princess" marathon. All that instant availability can be evil, sometimes... ;-)

[Staci McLaughlin]

Hi Ann! I try to block the instant availability of these shows out of my mind because I'm worried I might sit down on the couch, start to watch Magnum or Rockford Files, and never get any writing done!