Last Thursday’s death of actor James MacArthur — of “Hawaii Five-O” television fame — piqued my interest far more than the typical celebrity news.
I was always a fan of the original Hawaii Five-O series — especially the theme music — and liked MacArthur’s Danny “Danno” Williams character on the show, as well as his work on “Swiss Family Robinson” and other roles.
But my particular interest in MacArthur’s passing was due to a chance encounter I had with him more than a quarter-century ago — and on a Colorado golf course, no less.
Golf played no small role in MacArthur’s life, though he called himself “a duffer.” If it had not been for the sport, MacArthur probably wouldn’t have met his wife of the last 26 years of his life, Helen Beth Duntz.
Which brings me to my crossing of paths with MacArthur, who was perhaps most famous for being on the receiving end of the “Book him, Danno” line on Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to ’79.
In August of 1983, I was in my first full year of working as a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, and one of my assignments that month was covering the Columbia Savings LPGA Classic at Columbine Country Club in Littleton. Coincidentally, I had worked at Columbine for most of the previous eight summers — first as a caddie, then bag-room attendant, then as the caddiemaster/starter.
The 1983 Columbia Savings LPGA Classic was memorable as Pat Bradley notched the first of her two LPGA wins in Colorado en route to the LPGA Hall of Fame. Another future Hall of Famer, defending champion Beth Daniel, finished second at Columbine.
But it was a caddie that year that made the tournament distinctive in my mind. While I was walking around the course, I noticed a familiar face toting the bag of one of the LPGA players. But given that the caddie was wearing a visor, I wasn’t sure of his identity until I approached him after one of the rounds. And, sure enough, it was James MacArthur, about four years removed from his final season of Hawaii Five-O.
MacArthur was caddying for his then-girlfriend, H.B. Duntz, who would become his wife the next year.
I asked MacArthur how he came to be caddying at the tournament, and here’s the story he told me:
“I belong to the country club in Hawaii, Waialae, where they play the Hawaiian Open (on the PGA Tour),” MacArthur said. “This girl, Honey Bear (his nickname for her), Helen Beth Duntz, is a teaching pro there. She called me to give me some lessons.
“We went out a few times and she called me (at the condominium in Aspen where MacArthur then spent the summer) and said, “˜How’d you like to come down and experience what a tournament is like?’ And I said it sounds like fun.
“I said, “˜hell yeah,’ even though I’ve never caddied before. I’d do it for her. Anybody who looks like that and can hit the ball like she does, why not?”
MacArthur said he gathered some valuable information by being up close with some of the best women’s golfers in the world during the competition at Columbine.
“I had a good time,” he said. “Being on the inside of a tournament is fascinating. It’s a whole other world. I’m a duffer, but I just came here hoping to learn something from watching good golfers.”
MacArthur said he was recognized by a few spectators during the week, but with his visor on, most people walked by without thinking twice.
“I wasn’t hiding from anyone,” he said. “I just never go out on a golf course without a visor, with the sun and everything. But I’m not here to be recognized. I’m here to be supportive of her.
“A couple of people asked what I was doing here. I just said I was helping my girlfriend. It’s really an experience. Lots of things in life you try once just to see what they’re like.”
