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“Book ‘em Danno.” Jack Lord as Detective Steve McGarrett would say these words to his young police partner Danny Williams (James MacArthur), known to all as “Danno” in the iconic late television series Hawaii Five-0.
Played by actor James MacArthur, the character became the quintessential TV detective show sidekick. When CBS re-booted this series for the 2010-2011 season, they cast the part with Scott Caan, playing Danno, opposite Alex O’Laughlin as Steve McGarrett. But I secretly hoped that we’d get a cameo by James McCarthur, the last surviving member of the original series cast (Jack Lord died in 1998). It would be a fitting shout out to the original series and the last of its cast still around. But now that will never be.
James MacArthur passed away early today at his Palm Desert, California home. He was 72 years old.
The son of stage and screen legend and “First Lady of the Theatre” Helen Hayes and writer Charles MacArthur (Front Page), James MacArthur had a long career from his days as a child actor (he starred in the Disney movie Swiss Family Robinson).
Producers of the current Hawaii-Five-0 series, which airs on CBS had planned to create a guest role for MacArthur. The plans had been moving forward and had even been reported on MacArthur’s website, before the actor’s death.
