When “Cocoon,” the Pilot of the original Hawaii Five-O, aired on CBS on September 20, 1968, fans had the pleasure of meeting Tahitian dancer Helen Kuoha-Torco, the girl whose hips swayed in the iconic theme song for the next 12 years.  

Kuoha-Torco was actually a recurring actress in the series, and she recently took some time to share her experiences with mytakeontv.

mytakeontv (MTOTV):  What were some of your roles in the original series?
Kuoha-Torco (KT):  I appeared in several episodes in roles from featured extras to principal characters.  Besides the Tahitian dancer role, I’ve played a homeless old lady, a court reporter, and a Mom.  The homeless lady was in Episode 3, Season 7, “He Moho Hou.”

MTOTV:  In what scene did viewers first meet you as the Tahitian dancer?
KT:  It was a night club scene that featured Jack Lord and Nancy Kwan.

MTOTV:  Describe your day’s filming. 
KT:  It was a long day/night with a total of 16 hours to be exact.   By wrap time, my hips felt like they had a mean workout. 

MTOTV:  What was the most memorable thing about your experience?
KT:  The most memorable thing about my experience in this role is that the whole entertainment part was featured on me.  And even today, part of my dancing, a small clip, is featured in the introduction with Jack Lord on every classic Five-O episode. 

MTOTV:  What did you enjoy most about playing the role?
KT:  I enjoyed playing the role as a dancer because I was the only dancer.  There were no others.  

MTOTV:  What about challenges or obstacles to filming?
KT:  Well, there were a lot of takes and retakes.  But, I loved filming Hawai’i Five O (Hawaiian spelling).  I enjoyed every day of filming.  I still do enjoy it whenever I get the chance. 

MTOTV:  And you have also appeared in the current series, right?
KT:  Yes, the episode was “Malama Ka Aina” (Respect the Land).  (This was Episode 3 of Season One.  Kuoha-Torco is the mother who helped Grace hide in the bathroom).  I have loved the series since I started filming it with Jack Lord.  I got to know Jack and his wife, Marie, which made it even more enjoyable.  I love Hawai’i Five-O with the new actors as well.  I believe there are only two of us that are originals from the beginning, Al Harrington and myself. 

Thank you Helen Kuoha-Torco for this intimate look at Hawaii Five-0.