Hawaii Five-0 (1968) - 118 mistakes in entire show

Audio problem: Throughout series: "Hawaii Five-O's" favorite sound effect was squealing tires, and the effect was nearly always added whether McGarrett's big black Mercury actually "peeled out" or pulled away at a normal speed. More than once, the tire squeal sounded when the car was sitting on beach sand. Nice trick - if you could do it. But alas, you can't "burn rubber" on a beach.

Continuity: Throughout first season: Due to stock footage spliced in from the pilot film, McGarrett's '68 4-door Mercury sedan often peeled away from the Ionali palace and then turned into a '67 2-door coupe as it cruised down Honolulu's streets.

Deliberate "mistake": Throughout series: Five-O was said to be Hawaii's state police force, and was shown headquartered in the Iolani Palace. For decades, tourists were disappointed to learn that in reality, Hawaii had no state police, and that the palace was a state museum, not a state police station.

Continuity: There's much too abrupt a transition between Reese falling into the water and his body suddenly being back on the dock. As there's no time lapse implied at all, he seems to reappear on shore by magic. At least a brief shot of the body being fished out of the water might have helped.

Revealing: McGarrett's office is on the 2nd floor. Yet the photo backdrops outside his windows in this episode show us a ground-level view of grass, streets and a building. This boo-boo vanishes in subsequent episodes, replaced with the more likely views of balconies, palm trees and blue sky.

Factual error: McGarrett places the kidnappers' ransom tape on the reel-to-reel recorder, and before the tape is threaded or the machine properly turned on, the message immediately starts to play.

Factual error: Throughout this episode, the Japanese assassins are inaccurately referred to as "the Bushido." They should, as the episode title implies, be called Samurai. Bushido was the revered code by which Samurai warriors lived, but was never an appellation for them.

Continuity: McGarrett strong-arms Tommy-Tommy, the Hawaiian fence, on the beach, and the guy gets sand all over his face during their scuffle. When McGarrett pulls him to his feet, the sand is still there. But in the next shot, all but a small patch near his temple has disappeared.

Continuity: McGarrett gets out of his car wearing a gray suit, and walks into Dennisen's office wearing a blue one.

Continuity: Throughout the episode, Larsen's first name is "Dan." But in the end credits, he's listed as "Steve."

Continuity: Danno walks several feet into McGarrett's office to make a report. Though there's no break in the dialogue and no time for him to have moved, the shot cuts and he's suddenly standing outside the door as they finish their conversation.

Continuity: Auston leaves the unconscious Dan Williams lying on his back. But in the next shot, Danno's lying on his side. Later, the seriously wounded Danno instantly changes positions between shots several more times, switching from face down to face up on the floor.

Continuity: Kealoha puts his gun back in its shoulder holster before walking a few feet across the parking lot to meet McGarrett. When we cut to a two-shot of them, Kealoha puts his gun away all over again.

Factual error: Two deaths by bubonic plague, spread by casual human contact, have Five-O scrambling to prevent an epidemic on Oahu. But the disease isn't spread this way (its vector is fleas on infected rats). And since the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, bubonic plague has been imminently curable, so there was no need for panic, other than, of course, to make the episode more dramatic.

Continuity: During the stand-off, Big Chicken is standing several inches to McGarrett's left, on the other side of a seam in the concrete wall. When the shot cuts to a closer angle, Chicken is instantly close enough to touch shoulders with McGarrett, and is now blocking the concrete seam.

Plot hole: The first murder victim is so dim-witted that it strains the viewer's credulity. Her creepy blind date, who plans to kill her, is wearing surgical gloves already - but somehow she never notices.

Factual error: In the final shootout scene at the end, Manning's .38 caliber 6-shooter pistol fires 8 successive shots at McGarrett without being reloaded.

Factual error: Danno, who's posing as a Marine, has hair that's far too long to be permitted in the Corps. In fact, all of the Marines in this episode have non-regulation (too long) haircuts. 'T'was the same then as it is now: US Marines are given "buzz jobs," and hair longer than an inch is not allowed.

Factual error: At the end, Simms shoots at McGarrett and is instantly riddled with bullets from the 8 or 9 cops who shoot back. Yet, when McGarrett walks over to the body, there are no holes - and no blood - marring Simms' pristine uniform.

Continuity: Pool balls redistributed on pool table between the time after the Sargeant breaks and McGarrett casually takes a shot. Especially, noticeable since Tommy, the other player, does not move off the table's edge after the break when two balls comes towards his position and his bottom or pants may interfere with their travel. In the next shot involving the table, those balls are not there and the rest of them seem more evenly distributed across the table.