5 TV shows, miniseries focusing on Pearl Harbor attack

The attack on Pearl Harbor was the focus of a... — The attack on Pearl Harbor was the focus of a "Hawaii Five-0" episode. Credit: CBS

By Andy Edelsteinandy.edelstein@newsday.comDecember 7, 2016

Wednesday marks the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to America’s entry into World War II. The “date which will live in infamy” has served as the backdrop for several TV shows and miniseries. Take these five:

THE TIME TUNNEL (Sept. 30, 1966) In the series’ fourth episode, time travelers Tony (James Darren) and Doug (Robert Colbert) land in the Japanese consulate in Honolulu on Dec. 6, 1941, in an attempt to prevent the attack. Tony also finds his naval commander father, who subsequently disappeared during the bombing.

PEARL (1978) ABC miniseries about the events leading up to Pearl Harbor and how they affected its large, star-studded cast, which included Dennis Weaver, Robert Wagner, Angie Dickinson, Lesley Ann Warren and Marion Ross. (To save money, the studio used footage from the 1970 movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!” to depict the attack.)

THE WALTONS (Dec. 7, 1978) It’s 1941 and Mary-Ellen Walton (Judy Norton-Taylor) prepares to join her husband, Curt (Tom Bower), who’s stationed in Hawaii. But she’s too late — he’s killed during the attack. (The episode originally aired on the 37th anniversary of the Japanese bombing.)

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1979) NBC’s adaptation of James Jones’ classic novel (and movie) first aired as a six-part miniseries starring Natalie Wood and William Devane. The mini’s high ratings convinced network execs that it should become a series in March 1980. But viewers didn’t agree with the suits’ expectations and the series was canceled after less than a month.

HAWAII FIVE-0 (Dec. 13, 2013) When McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) prevents the murder of a Pearl Harbor veteran at a remembrance ceremony, Five-0 must use decades-old evidence to investigate a terrible crime committed within the Japanese-American internment camps on Oahu during World War II. The episode began with newsreel footage of the Pearl Harbor attack and ended with these words on screen: “Dedicated to the greatest generation. . . . And all those who fight for our freedom.”

By Andy Edelstein

andy.edelstein@newsday.com

Andy Edelstein, Newsday's entertainment editor, supervises coverage of TV, celebrities, movies and pop music. He has written three books on popular culture, including "The Brady Bunch Book."