Thomas Magnum
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| Magnum P.I. character | |
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| Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV | |
| Height: | 6'4" |
| Jobs Held: | Private Investigator |
| Portrayed by: | Tom Selleck |
| Seasons | 1–8 |
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| Decorations worn by Magnum (Season 1) | ||
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Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV was the main character and namesake of the popular American television series, Magnum, P.I.. Magnum was portrayed by Tom Selleck.
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[edit] Character biography
Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV was born on August 8th or January 5th, between 1944 and 1947, with August 8, 1945 fitting the most references.[1] Both his father and grandfather were naval officers. Magnum himself attended the Naval Academy, Class of ‘67 or ‘68, depending on the episode referenced. He served ten or more years as an officer in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander before resigning from the service in disillusionment in 1979,[2] and promoted to commander when reinstated by the President of the United States of America in a ruse to whisk him away from Hawaii to Washington D.C. fearing he would interfere with a sensitive diplomatic mission. Magnum was a Vietnam War veteran and a former POW who believed his wife Michelle died in bombing during the final pull-out from Saigon. He served in both the SEALs and Naval Intelligence during his Navy years, and as such maintained many contacts in both “communities.” In scenes in which he wore his uniform with decorations, it could be seen that Magnum was awarded the Navy Cross in Vietnam.
After leaving the Navy, Magnum became a largely penniless private investigator “beach bum” in Hawaii who, despite irregular employment, nevertheless managed to live a comfortable existence thanks to celebrity author Robin Masters's offer of the guest house on his Hawaii estate "Robin's Nest" and use of his red Ferrari 308 GTS in exchange for quality control of the estate security. In the course of the series, Magnum and his friends became involved not only in typical “P.I.” cases but also a wide variety of adventures involving espionage, covert operations, paramilitary escapades, and “lifestyles of the rich and famous.” The private investigator/"beach bum" mix allowed the mix of a strong comic element into the action-drama series.
Magnum invariably appeared in khaki boardshorts or jeans, an Aloha shirt, and deck shoes or sandals and only wore socks when jogging (He didn't even wear socks when wearing suits). He often wore battered baseball caps of his favorite sports teams, the Detroit Tigers or USC, and maintained an easy-going cool in all but the most stressful situations. Always an imposing and competent man-of-action, Magnum was nevertheless both vulnerable and occasionally bumbling, which made his character appealing to a broad range of viewer demographics.
[edit] Friends
Magnum regarded friendship as perhaps the most important element of life for him, and the theme of friendship ran throughout the many episodes. His most enduring friendships were with his former Vietnam comrades, Orville "Rick" Wright and Theodore "T.C." Calvin, and their friendship not only survived but flourished under the eccentricities each showed the others, and the extreme, sometimes perilous stresses they shared. His other close friendship, of a love-hate nature, was with Jonathan Higgins (referred to by T.C. as “Higgy-baby”), the ostensible Majordomo (domestic staff) of the estate where Magnum was a perennial guest (or in Higgins’ view, moocher). Magnum persistently tried to foil Higgins’ efforts to impose an orderly regimen on Magnum’s disordered lifestyle, as they traded verbal jabs and one-ups-manship games with each other.
Other friendships were woven throughout his encounters in the series. He continuously took advantage of “Mac” MacReynolds, a Navy officer and intelligence source for his cases, but was devastated when Mac was killed in an assassination attempt on Magnum. For almost every season in the series, Magnum’s investigations paralleled and sometimes crossed those of Honolulu Police Lieutenant Tanaka, with the obvious respect they held for each other going well beyond a shared enjoyment of the Detroit Tigers. Magnum maintained friendships with women as well, most notably Assistant District Attorney Carol Baldwin and Lieutenant Maggie Poole, McReynolds’ successor. Magnum was no less apt to exploit his friendship with Carol or Maggie as he was his male friends, and no less loyal. Numerous episode plots featured “old friends” calling on Magnum for help, requests he always honored, even when helping conflicted with his best judgment.
[edit] Personality
Magnum was endowed with a rich assortment of personality traits, quirks, and preferences. He was an avid sports fan, not only of professional sports (a lifelong Tigers baseball fan), but of American football (being a former quarterback for Navy he evinced an intense fondness for the annual Army-Navy Game that often worked its way into plot lines), and during varied episodes he tried out for a professional football team, coached and played both basketball and softball, and participated in the Ironman Triathlon. Magnum regularly worked out on a surf ski and participated in local competitions, and enjoyed daily swims in the tidal pool off Robin's Nest.
Magnum was an Everyman in the sense that his lifestyle represented every man's dream: coming and going as he pleased in an island Paradise, working only when he wanted to, the almost unlimited use of a Ferrari 308 GTS and other luxuries, a mini-fridge filled with a seemingly endless supply of beer, interaction with innumerable beautiful women, and adventures with his best buddies usually on his own terms.
[edit] His "Stuff"
Magnum’s drink of choice was Old Dusseldorf beer in a long-neck bottle, though he enjoyed sneaking fine wines out of Robin Master’s wine cellar when he thought Higgins wasn’t looking. Among his trademarks was his “stuff,” souvenir possessions collected over the years such as baseball bats and gloves, a gorilla mask, and a rubber chicken. Perhaps his most valued possession was his wrist watch, a Rolex GMT, handed down to him by his late father, a naval aviator killed in the Korean War when Magnum was only five. His personal weapon, seemingly carried with reluctance, was standard military-issue Colt M1911A1 .45 automatic. He, along with Rick & T.C., wears a team ring with a Croix de Lorraine on it from their time in Vietnam. A genuine Gaugin hung on the wall of the guest house he occupied, he had free use of Robin’s Ferrari, and he often bartered with Higgins for use of expensive cameras, the tennis courts, and other accoutrements of rich living.
[edit] Character Growth
The series was also marked by Magnum’s character growth over eight years, shedding an immature and often lazy beach bum streak that at times fostered an occasional callous hardness and a tendency to resolve problems by violence. Yet the change was subtle, almost imperceptible, and throughout it he managed to maintain the humor and other appealing traits which drew his friends (and viewers) to him. That he went back into the Navy, and simultaneously took on the role of responsible father, at the end of the series’ run was only superficially surprising; his character had been meandering toward that responsibility in small increments for years.
[edit] References
- ^ See the five references in the notes subsection below. The earliest date is August 8, 1944 and the latest is January 5, 1947.
- ^ "I Witness" In Magnum's opening narration he mentions the year he resigned and started as private investigator.
[edit] Notes
- Personal details: In “Memories are Forever” (Ep.2-05), Magnum’s drivers license was shown on screen giving the viewer the following information: SSN 546-10-8740, Hair BRN, Weight 205, Height 6'4", Eyes BL, DOB 1/05/46, and his old address (pre Robin’s Nest) of 11435 18th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816.
- Age/Birthday: The first episode to reference Magnum’s birthday was “Memories are Forever” (Ep.2-05) which listed it as January 5, 1946 on his drivers licensee.
- “Try to Remember” (Ep.2-15) Magnum—waking up in the hospital with a serious head wound—gives his birthday as August 8, 1944.
- “Letter to a Duchess” (Ep.4-06, aired 1983-11-10) Magnum gives his age as 38, putting his birth date between November 1944 and November 1945.
- In “On Face Value” (Ep.4-19) Magnum makes a point of being ten—not yet eleven—on August 4, 1956 when he attended his first Tiger’s game during their pennant race. This would put his birthday between August 5, 1945 and August 3, 1946. (August 8, 1945 fits in the “Duchess” range, matches the year Sellek was born, and would fit with a wounded Magnum having simply misspoken the year in “Remember”. On-the-other-hand, January 5, 1946—also in this episodes range—would match his drivers license.)
- “Forty” (Ep.7.17, aired 1987-02-11) is about Magnum’s 40th birthday, which would mean he was born in February 1947, which does not fit with any of the above dates.
