I was watching the 1970 Airport movie a few nights ago and it struck me again during the scenes featuring Helen Hayes: she reminds me so much of James “Danno” MacArthur. The official biographies all assert that Hayes is his adopted mother. Some suggest that her husband Charles MacArthur was the real father while some speculate on James actually being the son of MacArthur family friend Lillian Gish. I’m not agitated enough about this to conduct any serious snooping, and I understand that family secrets are family secrets. But I have to admit to being puzzled that none of the theories about his birth origins I’ve come across acknowledge MacArthur’s uncanny resemblance to his adopted mother nor any willingness to consider the possibility of her being his real mother. Does no one else see the resemblance?

Did you know that Hawaii Five-O actor James MacArthur recorded a few singles? His non-charting “In-Between Years” (1961) featured vocals by the Earls, whose “remember, remember-member” would later make them doo-wop immortals. His version of Harvey and the Moonglows’ “Ten Commandments of Love” (1963) reached #94 in Billboard.  Warning: Both of these are very drippy teen idol spoken word singles, but they’ll make any Five-O fan smile.