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''Magnum, P.I.'' was an American Television Show that followed the adventures of Thomas Magnum (played by Tom Selleck ), a Private Investigator living in Hawaii . The show aired eight seasons on the CBS network from 1980 to 1988. THE SERIES Thomas Sullivan Magnum III is a former U.S. Navy SEAL While it was never mentioned on the show, when Magnum was in uniform he wore the trident and insignia of a SEAL. and Office Of Naval Intelligence (ONI) officer, who was awarded the Navy Cross The Navy Cross was also shown on Magnum’s uniform, and mentioned on air. and strongly prefers being called “private investigator” over “private eye” or “private detective.” He lives in the guest house of a posh beachfront estate (“Robin’s Nest”) on the island of Oahu , at the invitation of its owner, celebrity author of lurid novels Robin Masters (whose face is never actually seen), in exchange for his expertise in quality control of the estate’s security. Magnum is a graduate of the Naval Academy , where he played Quarterback , and left the Navy in disillusionment after approximately ten years service. Robin’s Nest is managed by Englishman Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (played by Texan John Hillerman ), an ex- British Army Sergeant Major , and is guarded by two highly trained Dobermann Pinschers , Zeus & Apollo (AKA “'''The Lads'''”). Near the end of the series it was suggested that Higgins and Robin Masters might be the same person. In the final episode Higgins ostensibly admits to being Robin Masters, but at its conclusion he recants, perhaps whimsically telling Magnum that he had lied about Robin Masters, leaving viewers to wonder whether he was lying about Robin or lying about ''being'' Robin. During the early seasons of Magnum, the voice of Robin Masters (heard only a few times a season) was played by Orson Welles . Magnum’s lifestyle represents every man’s dream. He comes and goes as he pleases, works only when he wants to, has the almost unlimited use of a Ferrari 308 GTS as well as many other of Robin Masters’ luxuries, keeps a mini-fridge with a seemingly endless supply of Beer , comes into contact with countless beautiful women (who are often his clients or victims in the cases he solves), and enjoys adventures with his two buddies, both former U.S. Marines he served with in VM0-2 (a Marine Observation Squadron) in Vietnam . All three wear a gold Team Ring, which bears a Croix De Lorraine on a black field, as a bond of wartime camaraderie. The buddies are:
''Magnum, P.I.'' was a combination of action, comedy, and drama. The show moved beyond the simple plot lines of the characters solving the crime of the week and confronted the difficulty Vietnam era soldiers faced in making the readjustment to civilian life. In fact ''Magnum'' was one of the first shows to explore regularly the impact of the Vietnam War on the American cultural psyche. As of December 2005 ''Magnum, P.I.'' is one of a small handful of dramas voted by an overwhelming majority to have never " Jumped The Shark " on the user-edited website devoted to that concept.''Magnum, P.I.'' at ''JumpTheShark.com'' ''Magnum, P.I.''’s theme tune was one of many iconic TV themes written by Mike Post . The theme made its debut during the second season of the show, and even replaced the opening and closing theme of the syndicated repeats of all season one episodes. The season one theme was composed by Ian Freebairn-Smith . ''Magnum, P.I.'' was also unique in the 1980’s American media for being the first to offer a positive portrayal of an American veteran of the Vietnam War. Neither Magnum nor any of his friends are apologetic for having fought in Southeast Asia, and while they carry some of the physical and emotional scars of that conflict, they are proud of their service, and ask for no one’s sympathy or understanding. Neither do they “snap,” as other Vietnam veterans were portrayed as being prone to in such movies as '' governments of Vietnam and the Soviet Union were targets of several episodes throughout the series. Tom Selleck was famous for wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt. Selleck also often wore a Detroit Tigers baseball cap (Selleck's hometown team) and Magnum was portrayed as a passionate Tigers fan. In an episode dedicated to this, Magnum goes to Detroit on business and to see a Tigers home stand. Humorously, he misses game after game but well-known Detroit Tigers Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker make cameo appearances at a bar where Magnum is stuck and help him out. RECURRING CHARACTERS The series featured a large ensemble of minor characters who appeared in many episodes over multiple seasons. Many of these actors first played other characters in earlier episodes and then became regulars in the following roles:
TRIVIA magazine.]] One reason this show was set in Hawaii was so that CBS could re-use many of the sets from its other hit show, '' Hawaii Five-O '' which had just completed its on-air run in 1980. Several early episodes make reference to the fictional “Five-0” squad, setting this series in the same “universe” as ''Hawaii Five-O''. Due to crossovers with other programs, the series is also shown to take place in the same Continuity as '' Murder, She Wrote '' and '' Simon And Simon ''. The fictional License Plate on the Ferrari changed from “56E-478” after the pilot to “ROBIN 1”, which remained for the duration of the series. It’s evident the producers hadn’t considered, decided on, or paid for a “ROBIN 1” vanity plate when the initial episodes were shooting, and only added it later. The original plate number can be seen, briefly, in the titles of every episode, just as the 308 pulls away from the shoulder of the highway. Other vehicles in the series displayed similar “ROBIN” vanity plates, including a green Ferrari (“ROBIN 28”) driven by Robin’s nephew, R.J. Masters. It was originally intended for there to be an episode of the science fiction program '' Quantum Leap '' where main character Sam Beckett leaps into the body of Thomas Magnum. The episode would have Beckett (played by Scott Bakula ) stumbling through a day-in-the-life of ''Magnum, P.I.'', and presumably interacting with the varied series regulars. Both ''Magnum P.I.'' and ''Quantum Leap'' were produced by Donald P. Bellisario . Plans for a ''Magnum, P.I.'' movie led to the early demise of the crossover, but some footage was filmed; namely, the end-of-episode “jumping in” scene, in which Beckett jumps into Magnum’s body, turns to the camera, and raises his eyebrows the same way Selleck made famous.The '' Quantum Leap '' episode would also have caused a bizarre continuity error as ''Magnum, P.I.'' had already been established as a television program in the ''Quantum Leap'' “universe.” Selleck’s contract commitment to the ''Magnum, P.I. '' series notoriously cost him the role of Indiana Jones in the first Jones film Raiders Of The Lost Ark , which went to Harrison Ford instead, and in the final season the producers gave a nod to his sacrifice with the episode—“Legend of the Lost Art”—parodying the film. A Family Guy episode mocked Magnum P.I., with Magnum referring repeatedly to Higgins as "Tattoo". When Higgins tries timidly to correct him repeatedly, he steps out of the Ferrari, slaps him to the ground, and asks his name. Higgins, even more timidly, says "Tattoo". This is a clear reference to the Fantasy Island character portrayed by the late Hervé Villechaize . BROADCASTERS
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FILM VERSION Over the years there has been much talk of bringing ''Magnum'' back, as either a television movie or a theatrical film. Most recently, in January 2006 it was announced that a film is again in the planning stages (after several false starts most recently in 2005) and Rawson Marshall Thurber would write the screenplay. ''Magnum, P.I.'' movie news at CNN.com The movie is scheduled for release in 2007. NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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