After the hip, breezy opening credits sequence (with most of the cast riding surfboards on the foamy waves off Honolulu), "Hawaiian Eye" becomes a strictly set-bound detective series that drags its feet in the proverbial sand. The ABC show (popular for four seasons, though not in reruns) was recently seen, briefly, on the American Life network, but I was disappointed with the writing, the direction, the slim budget and the way gorgeous, mercurial Connie Stevens is shunted off to the Shell Bar without much dialogue (once Troy Donahue joined the cast in the final season, Connie's role was apparently expanded). Grant Williams is handsome but bland, muscular Robert Conrad is inert, but Poncie Ponce gives the proceedings a little bounce. Sometimes, the stories about these "great old TV shows" are actually much better than the programs themselves.
Review of Hawaiian Eye
