My Favorite TV Shows

Back in the 70's, channel surfing wasn't associated with watching TV. You knew which days and times your shows were on. Simple as that. My Tito Oking Tapia and I were big fans of the 70's police and detective shows. His favorites were Streets of San Francisco starring Karl Malden as detective Mike Stone and the young Michael Douglas as Inspector Steve
Keller and Baretta with the tough looking Robert Blake. Mine were Hawaii Five-0 with Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett, James MacArthur as Danny Williams, Kam Fong as Chin Ho Kelly and S.W.A.T. with the handsome Robert Urich as Jim Street and Steve Forrest as Lt. Hondo Harrelson.

Tito Oking and I would watch these shows in our room - I sat on the floor in front of the TV and he usually laid in bed or sat on the desk chair. It was our ritual; our bonding moment. Hawaii Five-O's theme was already main stream back then, but when the Theme from S.W.A.T. came out, it was the song that inspired me to play "SWAT" with my cousins. I would hum the song as I imagined myself jumping out of the SWAT truck for the big attack during our cops and robber games.

In school, SWAT was the theme song in the Ateneo rock garden in grade 5. We would pre-arrange sword fights with other classes during our lunch period. Imagine being the remaining member of your team,  trapped in a corner of the rock garden,  as twenty to thirty sword swaying boys screaming this song as they run towards you from all directions. You're dead! Book 'em Danno.