Talk:MacGyver

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Assessment comments

[edit] Jury Rigged??

Is the actual term not "jerry rigged?"

I've heard both terms. This url (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-jur1.htm) describes the etymology better than I could.--X 0 17:41, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

Which brand did MacGyver use, Victorinox or Wenger? No one responed at the SAK page, so I thought I'd try here. madoka 08:33, Nov 15, 2004 (UTC)

I'm fairly sure they never said anything other than just "Swiss Army knife" on the show itself. For what it's worth, this page notes that the SwissChamp, by Victorinox, is the real-life model that comes closest to doing everything Mac's knife did (as if any real-life knife could do everything Mac's knife did...). And there was an MacGyver tie-in toy Swiss Army knife, which had a Victorinox logo on it, but I'm not sure that proves anything. --Paul A 16:15, 15 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Although my memory is fuzzy, but I'd be surprised that he used SwissChamp. I have this one, and it's bulky and heavy. It's more likely that the prop they use changes depending on the episode's need. My personal experience tells me that carrying any SAK model more than ~3/8" thick is impractical; the SwissChamp is well over 1" thick. I estimate from memory (which I admit is very fuzzy) the model he carries is about the same size.

Surely at least one episode showed the SAK with the logo facing the audience? There was a scene in the intro where he was welding something, is it clear enough to make out the logo? madoka 05:58, Nov 16, 2004 (UTC)

I can say conclusively that in the pilot episode, when MacGyver is asking the hostage where the missle is located and later throws a knife at him to cut himself loose, it is patently obvious that it is a Victorinox knife -- they zoom up on the logo.

According to the MacGyver Online FAQ page he mostly used a Victorinox Tinker, although the knife did change to allow the use of various tools as required fr the episode. Rockatteer (talk) 22:41, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Angus

I remember one funny piece of dialogue from one episode. MacGyver teams up with a woman. (I don't remember the exact quotes)

- What about your first name? You must have a first name!

(MacGyver gives the woman some kind of business card)

- Is that your first name?

- Yes.

- I think I call you MacGyver.

Just some funny trivia...

MacGyver's actual name was discovered during a 'time travel' episode set in a somewhat fictional middle-ages. Pete is King. Mac discovered that The Bad Guy(tm) used a binary poison on him, found in Morganaland (Scotland).

Sorry, but my memory is rather fuzzy.

The women was Lulu in the episode The Lost Amadeus. MacGyver was showing a security guard his ID when they where locked in the shopping mall. Rockatteer (talk) 00:10, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Minnesota

"He graduated from Alexander Ramsey High School in Roseville, Minnesota."

Do you know which episode was the source of this information? The all references I have for him indicate Mission City, Minnesota which is apparently a made-up town.

[edit] MacGyver in Family Guy

One of the bulletpoints in the trivia says "In an episode of Family Guy, Peter Griffin writes to MacGyver." Does anyone know which episode that this is in?

I can't recall the exact episode, but it's an episode where Brian is in trouble. Peter writes "Dear MacGyver, please save my dog. I have enclosed a straw, a rubber band and a paper clip.". MacGyver, upon reading the letter in the next scene, bends the paper clip, sticks it in the straw, puts the rubber band on the bent clip, and puts tension on the rubber band. The entire assembly then collapses and the rubber band flicks the paper clip into MacGyver's eye. --X 0 14:39, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

The episode name is listed there now. it's "Brian: Portrait of a Dog". —LrdChaos 17:05, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] DVD Releases

Clarify which countries the DVDs were released in? Or was it a global release? --Jamesedmo 11:14, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes, please avoid regional chauvanism. There's more to the world than the USA. According to Amazon UK, the first season is available on DVD in Region 2 and PAL format, whereas something like the first four seasons (or three or five - not sure) are available in NTSC format (presumably in Region 1).--Peter Knutsen 17:39, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] MacGyver's vehicles

In the section "MacGyver's vehicles", there is a paragraph which says:

Throughout the series, MacGyver drove a number of vehicles; most frequently a hardtop (unknown) Jeep Wrangler YJ of grayish-green color. (actual color unknown)

How can the colour be both grayish-green and unknown? SeventyThree^(Talk) 17:36, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Because it’s really badly faded and has traces of both brown and green on it when you see close ups of it. I always thought it was faded brown until I saw a close up pictures and saw the traces of green on it. Rockatteer 23:48, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Is it coincidence that both colours are used for camoflage? Could it be that the jeep's actually both colours? SmUX 23:44, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

I recall Mac & son riding motorcycles in the final ep. Konrad Smuts

[edit] Pronunciation?

Silly Q. How do you pronounce the name? --AstroNomer 15:39, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

Macgyver? IPA [məˡgaivɻ]. The last consonant should be syllabic, but I can't find the symbol for that here. That's also muh GUY ver. Sorry no one answered your question before now. I hope that gets it answered. JordeeBec 04:04, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

Richard Dean Anderson pronounces it "mihGY-ver". ClintFord 15:33, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Birthplace

MacGyver: Richard Dean Anderson himself was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The MacGyver Character was born in Mission City, Minnesota on March 23, 1952. Rockatteer 23:39, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Animated gif

Someone uploaded an animated gif of the title screen. I didn't look quickly enough so all I saw was the final frame which seemed like nonsense so I reverted it. There is no mention of animation in WP:IMAGE. Anyone know precedent / rules / have strong feelings about it? I'd prefer non-animated since it really does end up looking like a non-descript smudge if you aren't looking at the image while it plays. And what happens if you want to print the article? Weregerbil 23:02, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I uploaded the animated, but I don't blame you for changing it back, even though the animated looks cool, you're right, it won't show up well on alot of people's computers and its not fair to them. As for a precedent; there was an animated gif of Yoda on some Star Wars entry, but it appears to have been removed.

[edit] Popularity in different countries /about Finland

"MacGyver", "Miami Vice", "Magnum, P.I." and "Knight Rider" are still extremely popular in many countries such as Indonesia, The Philippines, Finland, Ukraine, Hungary and Argentina and are regularly aired on prime-time slots.

The sentence above in the article seems to sound very much like some promotional stuff. I wouldn't quite include Finland in the list; although these shows have also been quite popular in Finland, Finnish TV audiences are now way more mature than that and therefore enjoy more contemporary content. As an exception to the rule, one of the YLE channels shows something that I think is "Father Knows Best", to appease audiences that used to watch this in their youth back when this show was relatively new. If anything, "The A-Team" and "The Equalizer" could also be added to the list.

Despite the fact that I live in Estonia, four primary Finnish channels (YLE1, YLE2, MTV3 and Nelonen) can be well seen in Northern Estonia and I don't remember noticing MacGyver being aired for quite some time now (many years?), although I haven't checked current or recent Finnish listings either. It used to be hugely popular in the late 1980's to early 1990's both in Finland and Estonia and enjoyed primetime placements on TV.

Finnish YLE2 aired "MacGyver" when the show was still in production, while "Knight Rider" was aired by MTV3 during late 1980's and very early 1990's.

Estonian EVTV (later TV3, after a merger with RTV) aired "Miami Vice" during early-to-mid 1990's, which then enjoyed huge popularity, IMO.

Kanal 2 started airing "MacGyver" at around 2000 (maybe a few years earlier) or so, but it was placed in a kiddie/after school slot and the show's text was "read over" by a male actor, who used to (maybe still does) "read over" telenovelas. This cheapskate duplicating practice is usually common to shows that are marked as kids' shows, because small (pre-school) children, who are likely to watch at that time, cannot properly read yet.

That kind of practice by Kanal2 ended after some time with MacGyver, which didn't air then, and now that it's being aired again, the series is shown with subtitles. Subtitling a series or a film is usually a sign that it's meant for a more mature audience (not young children anymore) and that the content is usually professionally made, even if cinematic quality in terms of acting and production values may be dismal (such as B-movies).

I removed Argentina from the list, since it was not more significantly famous there than in other countries, and it is not aired in prime-time spot (although it was in the 90's)
-Mardus 03:41, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

MacGyver is still very popular in Finland and shows like MacGyver, A-Team, Miami Vice and other 80's shows are still shown in a channel called SubTV (2nd most popular channel in Finland). So it should be kept in the list. Teemu R 16:39, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't watch much TV so I don't know if it is in a prime time slot, but the Koreans call my pocket tool a "MacGyver knife", which seems to indicate a fair amount of popularity. Expat in Korea, 17 Jun 06 (KT)

The show was hugely popular in Taiwan too. I read a magazine called The Free China Review which talked about how it was their most loved series from the US while it was on and I believe stated Anderson was in commercials there. As I recall they said that Taiwanese parents felt MacGyver was a better role model for kids than many other American TV characters.--T. Anthony 15:40, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Real science?

"All of Mac's exploits on the show were ostensibly vetted to be based on real scientific principles [...]"

I've never seen the show myself, but I've heard that once he built an airplane out of a go-cart and a large fan. Just having a propeller and a cockpit doesn't make an airplane, perhaps this should be rephrased. Could someone more familiar with the show take care of this? Thanks in advance.

Jobarts^-Talk 08:15, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

The things that MacGyver does are all based on some scientific principle, though they're usually stretched or entirely broken for the show. For instance, in one episode, Mac drains the coolant from his jeep, then hooks jumper cables to the battery. When the bad guy steps into the puddle of coolant, he tosses the cables into it, causing the bad guy to be electrocuted. Solid science, being electrocuted while standing in a conductive liquid. Unfortunately, DC current, especially DC current at 12 volts, wouldn't cause a person to be thrown back in a shower of sparks like they were on the show.

The airplane thing was a LITTLE more realistic than just sticking a prop on a go-kart. He assembled wings out of, I believe, some tarp material and either aluminum rod or bamboo. The ventilation fans that he used for the prop had an actual airplane prop as a fan blade. So thats kind of a reverse oddity there. Instead of Mac using something for an unlikely purpose, the proper item he needed was being used in an improper fashion in the first place. --X 0 14:38, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] MacGyver vegetarian?

MacGyver was definitely not vegetarian, unless he converted, visibly, in a later episode.

I've seen most of the episodes by now (most of them multiple times) and the only time I remember MacGyver eating meat is in the episode set in India, on the train, where he makes a lie detector. He orders a sandwich with some lamb meat in it. But it's an early episode, almost certainly 1st season (where he works for DXS, rather than Phoenix) and it is possible that they added the vegetarianism quite early in the show, perhaps in the 2nd or 3rd season (out of 7).--Peter Knutsen 04:10, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

I'd point to the fact that he seemed to agree with fishing, and in fact downright endorsed it some episodes. (Sidenote:thank you for the information, Peter, Churnett). --Thomi 09:28, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Please sign what you write (place the cursor at the end of what you've written, then click the tenth icon from the left, the one that looks like a hand-written signature. Also keep in mind that many vegetarians eat fish. They avoid only meat from land-dwelling animals (and presumably ceteceans).--Peter Knutsen 16:53, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

For my response, I direct you to the wikipedia article on vegetarianism, which clearly states that feeding on fish is inconsistent with the diet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism BTW, Macgyver also ate a lizard with Kate Connelly in the episode "The Gauntlet". --Thomi 09:28, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Or just type four tildes in a row to do it for you: ~~~~. It gets substituted when you save it. Cburnett 23:58, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

Ok, but he clearly eats tofu based food quite a lot, and is shown cooking vegetarian-style food quite a lot; probably he was tried to be shown as a kind of vegan, or someone really concerned with the environment.Milkmate 16:08, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

Just as an addition, I was just watching the 7th Season episode "Walking Dead", and at the end, Mama Lorraine says that after all the gods had done for MacGyver, he owed them a goat. When MacGyver looks shocked at this, she adds, "Don't worry. I told them you're a vegetarian." Now, this may be interpreted either way - as a joke, or as actual confirmation that Mac's a vegetarian (or both), but here it is for what it's worth. --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 06:02, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Heres what the MacGyver Online web site FAQ says about it: MacGyver Online FAQ page Rockatteer (talk) 22:30, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] MacGyver Video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=683741565135387718&q=gypsy

I've heard that MacGyver is highly popular in eastern europe. Can anyone confirm this? --85.166.245.106 13:20, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] MacGyver a non-drinker?

I'm watching an episode (unknown which one) right now where MacGyver treated his grandpa to a glass of non-alcoholic eggnog, which made me wonder: is he (Mac) a non-drinker? Does anyone know? --x-Flare-x 03:52, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't recall an episode where he did. Cburnett 04:55, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, MacGyver was a teetotaler. As demonstrated in that episode, as well as another where a bartender woman offers him a free drink because he helped her fix her drink dispensor spiggot. He ordered a ginger ale, I believe-- and she asked if he was sure he didn't want anything with alcohol in it. He replied with something similar to "never touch the stuff", or something. So yes, he doesn't drink. ClintFord 16:04, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

He doesn't drink. This is because when he was 13 (I think) he and his friend tried drinking. He got very drunk, but hated it the next morning. His friend continued to drink, and died while driving drunk. I don't remember the episode, but I've discussed it with some friends, and all of them remember it from the show. --213.167.96.221 13:08, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

The first episode was "Phoenix Under Siege," from Season 2, and that second one is "Twenty Questions" from Season 6, just for the record.147.9.167.197 (talk) 22:35, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] MacGyver as a verb

Should the invariably last minute nature of MacGyver's escapes be included in the definition? I think in popular usage a solution to a problem that is either remarkably clever or completed just in the nick of time would qualify as a MacGyver. amRadioHed 04:03, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] More along the lines of WTF...

from the trivia section Macguyver is also a user in the famous OTF.

WTF does that mean? and his name is misspelled... This is either some kind of vandalism, or need serious elaboration, as it is it makes 0 sense... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tamman2000 (talk • contribs) .

There's no reference, and the top google hit for "macgyver otf" is this article. I'm taking it out. matt kane's brain 13:56, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Runtime of Episodes

Why is the runtime listed as "Approx. 60 minutes" when the actual content of the episodes is something closer to 45 minutes? This seems to be highly inconsistent across different TV shows: Law and Order's runtime is "about an hour" while Star Trek: Next Generation's is "42-45 minutes". How does one try to establish a consistent policy on indicating runtime? 68.80.111.166 18:49, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

The reason for this problem is that in some countries, including North America, the episodes take one hour to air, due to the large amount of advertisement that are shown throughout the show in the advertisement breaks. In some countries, like Norway, there are no advertisement breakes in the show and therefore they last only the 44-45 minutes that they actually take. I will change the listing to 45 minutes as this is the actual length of an episode (also on the DVDs for those who watch them). Arsenikk 11:35, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] MasterCard Commercial

Is that really Richard Dean Anderson in the MasterCard Commercial? It sure as heck looked like someone else of a generally similar appearance to me. --Enigmatick 03:42, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's him. These commercials were initial aired during the last Superbowl. Remember, he's almost 20 years older now. Watch one of the last episodes of Stargate:SG1 and compare it to MacGuyver. --X 0 19:34, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

I did. I'm pretty sure that's not him. ----Enigmatick 18:12, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

It is Richard Dean Anderson- he had his hair dyed.

What are you on about? It's obviously him, have you seen the commercial? Doesn't matter what color his hair is, you still recognize him.

[edit] MacGyver as the paradigm of the bricoleur

I added a reference to bricolage/bricoleur since these are existing terms for the same concepts referred to by the neologisms MacGyverism and MacGyver ("he is the MacGvyer of car parts"). --Nick 15:04, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] TV movies

Anyone know if the TV movies will ever come out on DVD? I think there were two and I've never seen them, but would like to. --Metallurgist 00:20, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] MacGyver does use guns

Review season two, it shows him firing and AK-47 at a soldier198.24.31.120 16:17, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Actually, it's from Season 1, the pilot if I recall correctly. (I have it on DVD, but haven't watched in a while).--Enigmatick 16:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, it's definitely the pilot. He lived in an observatory or something too, the show wasn't really fully developed.

[edit] Foreign Country Listings

The page lists the BBC showing the series in the late 70s, before it existed. 82.5.219.55 19:13, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Featured article

This article should be a featured article. Although I won't be trying to get it to featured article status myself, I don't think there's much work to be done until it's ready. --ReCover 18:17, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

I changed the list of things MacGyver is interested in on this page. I deleted golf, and added mountain climbing. In the Season 1 epsideo, "countdown," MacGyver reminds Pete of their upcoming golf match. Pete gets the hint and switches from the conference call to a private line. He asks Mac what's wrong, adding, "You never played a round of golf in your entire misspent life, what's up?" Mountain climbing seemed like a good substitute, since several episodes include Mac either climbing up a steep face or zipping down an overledge.

[edit] Link to a resource?

I'm wondering if it's worth while adding a link to the MacGyver Online web site which has a whole host of information about MacGyver? The site goes to lengths to insure the information is accurate, often using it's large forum of dedicated members to debate and work through information to ensure it's accuracy. It seems like this would be the closest thing to an official web site there is now. Rockatteer (talk) 00:04, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't see why not. Given that the show is not active anymore, and that site probably contains a wealth of information relative to the topic, it seems as logical to me as linking a 3rd party Star Trek Wiki on a Wikipedia Star Trek page. I did a bit of searching on Wikipedia, and I can't find anything that might say no, unless you are the maintainer of that site. Are you? (even so, someone else might be persuaded to add it for you). --P shadoh (talk) 19:06, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Organizations in MacGyver - Links or new category?

I want to add a category on organizations in the MacGyver film series... the DXS, the Phoenix Foundation, HIT and the Challengers' Club are the big ones in my mind. Does the topic deserve a whole new page or should I just add it here? 147.9.201.154 (talk) 00:20, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Okay, I put it in this article, right after "Characters"... I didn't think there was enough for a seperate page, but the Phoenix Foundation and DXS deserved a little elaboration. 147.9.201.250 (talk) 21:11, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Stargate

How exactly did the Stargate reference to MacGyver "break the fourth wall"? I removed that claim. - Sikon (talk) 14:12, 30 April 2008 (UTC)