Magnum, P.I.

Magnum, P.I.

Title card (seasons 3-8)
Genre Crime drama
Created by Donald P. Bellisario
Glen A. Larson
Written by Donald P. Bellisario
Glen A. Larson
Chris Abbott
Jay Huguely
Reuben Leder
Directed by Ray Austin
Michael Vejar
Ivan Dixon
Starring Tom Selleck
John Hillerman
Roger E. Mosley
Larry Manetti
Narrated by Tom Selleck
Theme music composer Ian Freebairn-Smith (pilot, early season 1)
Mike Post
Pete Carpenter
Composer(s) Ian Freebairn-Smith (pilot, early season 1)
Mike Post
Pete Carpenter
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 162 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Donald P. Bellisario
Glen A. Larson
Tom Selleck
Producer(s) Tom Greene
Location(s) Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Running time 48 min. (excluding commercials)
Production company(s) Universal Television
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Picture format Original Broadcast:
4:3 480i (SDTV)
Remastered:
4:3 1080i (HDTV)
Audio format Monaural
Original run December 11, 1980 – May 8, 1988
Chronology
Related shows Simon & Simon
Murder, She Wrote

Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network.

According to the Nielsen ratings, Magnum, P.I. consistently ranked in the top twenty U.S. television programs during the first five years that the series was originally broadcast in the United States. [1] It has had a lasting impact and is currently aired in syndication on Cozi TV.

Premise

Private Investigator Thomas Sullivan Magnum resides in the guest house of a posh, 200-acre (0.81 km2) beachfront estate, known as Robin's Nest, in Hawaii, at the invitation of its owner, Robin Masters, the celebrated-but-never-seen author of several dozen lurid novels. Ostensibly this is quid pro quo for Magnum's services based upon Magnum's expertise in security; the pilot and several early episodes suggest Magnum also did Masters a favor of some kind, possibly when Masters hired him for a case. The voice of Robin Masters, heard only a few times per season, was provided by Orson Welles (one last "appearance" was provided by a different actor, Reid Crandell).

With Magnum living a luxurious life on the Estate and operating as a P.I. on cases that suit him, the only thorn in the side of this near-perfect lifestyle on the Estate, is Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (played by Texas-born veteran actor John Hillerman), an ex-British Army Sergeant Major, a (on the surface) stern, "by-the-book" ex-soldier whose strict ways usually conflict with Magnum's much more easy-going methods. He patrols Robin's Nest with his two highly trained "lads", Doberman Pinschers, Zeus and Apollo. Often as a humorous aside during various episodes of the series, Magnum must bargain with Higgins for use of estate amenities other than the guest house and the Ferrari 308 GTS (e.g., tennis courts, wine cellar, expensive cameras). The relationship between Magnum and Higgins was initially that almost of a "friendly nemesis", but as the series progressed over the seasons, an unspoken respect and fondness of sorts grew between the pair, and as such, many episodes dedicated more screen time to this "odd couple" pairing after the relationship proved popular with fans.

A recurrent theme throughout the last two seasons (starting in the episode "Paper War") involves Magnum's suspicion that Higgins is actually Robin Masters since he opens Robin's mail, calls Robin's Ferrari "his car", etc. This possibility is contradictory to numerous references throughout the series' earlier run (e.g., phone calls from abroad; the fact that Robin is recognized by famous people). Although the three of them have been together before, Magnum is convinced that Higgins hired an actor to play Robin Masters (a short rotund guy with an Orson Welles voice, as Magnum puts it).

Aside from Higgins, Magnum's two other main cohorts on the islands are Theodore "T.C." Calvin (Roger E. Mosley), who runs local helicopter charter service Island Hoppers - and so often finds himself persuaded by Magnum to fly him during various cases; and Rick Wright (Larry Manetti) (who refuses to use his birth name, Orville), who owns a local bar. In the Pilot, this was "Rick's Place" in town, inspired by Casablanca, with Rick appearing in suitable 1930s attire. However, after completion of the Pilot, executives on the series felt that audiences would be unable to fully connect with this element, and instead Rick moved to running the plush beachside King Kamehameha Club - which has exclusive membership and Higgins on the board of directors, and yet Magnum often strolls around, using the facilities and running up an ever unpaid tab, further fueling the Magnum / Higgins feud. T.C. and Rick are both former Marines from VMO-2 with whom Magnum served in the Vietnam War.[2] The series was one of the first to deal with Vietnam veterans as "human beings" and not as shell-shocked killers, and was praised by many ex-servicemen groups for doing so. Magnum often dupes, tricks or bribes T.C. and Rick into aiding him in various ways on the cases he works on, much to their frustration, though the deep friendship between the group, including Higgins, proved to be one of the key elements of the series over its eight-season run.

Magnum lives a dream lifestyle: he comes and goes as he pleases, works only when he wants to, has the almost unlimited use of a Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole as well as many other of Robin Masters’ luxuries. He keeps a mini-fridge with a seemingly endless supply of beer ("Old Dusseldorf in a long neck"), wears his father's treasured Rolex GMT Master wristwatch, is surrounded by countless beautiful women (who are often victims of crime, his clients or connected in various other ways to the cases he solves). Other characteristics specific to Magnum are his thick mustache, a Detroit Tigers baseball cap, a rubber chicken, and a variety of colorful Aloha shirts.

Nearly every episode is narrated, in voice-over, by Magnum at various points; and Magnum and Higgins often break the fourth wall by locking eyes with or, occasionally, directly addressing the audience; other characters also do this, though less frequently.

At the end of the seventh season, Magnum was to be killed off, which was intended to end the series. The final episode of the season, "Limbo", after seeing Magnum wander around as a ghost for nearly the entire run-time, closes with him appearing to walk off into heaven. However, following outcry from fans, who demanded a more satisfactory conclusion, an eighth, final season was produced, to bring Magnum "back to life", and to round the series off.[3] A number of other episodes also make reference to supernatural occurrences and the seeming existence of ghosts.

The show also recognized the existence of the fictional elite police unit that appeared in the series Hawaii Five-O. In the pilot episode, Magnum references the unit's chief McGarrett by name. This was a tribute to the long-running show starring Jack Lord, that ran on CBS from the fall of 1968 through to the summer of 1980—to be replaced, in essence, in the fall of 1980 by Magnum, P.I.. The successor series to Hawaii Five-O, Hawaii Five-0, paid tribute to Magnum, P.I. when in the 2013 episode "Hoa Pili" the cast referenced the show Magnum, P.I. as they were flying over the island in a helicopter to the sound of the Magnum, P.I. theme.

Cast

The Cast of Magnum, P.I.:
(left-to-right) Larry Manetti as Orville "Rick" Wright, Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, Roger E. Mosley as T.C. and John Hillerman as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III.

Recurring characters

Guest stars

In addition to the reoccurring stars and the weekly appearances of minor actors to fill the roles of victims and crooks, dozens of notable actors appeared on the show. Lew Ayres, Dennis Weaver, Elisha Cook Jr. as Ice Pick, Kathleen Lloyd as Carol Henry Gibson, Eugene Roche as Luther, Carol Burnett, Scatman Crothers, Tyne Daly, Ted Danson, Norman Fell, Robert Forster, James Doohan, Katherine Cannon, Ernest Borgnine, Pat Hingle, Richard Johnson, Robert Loggia, Ed Lauter, Geoffrey Lewis, Jose Ferrer, Miguel Ferrer, June Lockhart, Anne Lockhart, Fritz Weaver, Dana Wynter, Barry Van Dyke, Rebecca Holden, John Ireland, Vic Morrow, Darren McGavin, Vera Miles, Barry Nelson, Nehemiah Persoff, Noah Beery, Jr., Kim Richards, Barbara Rush, John Saxon, Beverly Garland, Jill St. John, Sylvia Sidney, Joseph Wiseman, William Windom, Erin Gray, Judith Chapman, Samantha Eggar, Morgan Fairchild, Dana Delaney, Alfonso Ribeiro, Michael V. Gazzo, Kathleen Nolan, Vincent Caristi, Andre Philippe, Charles Lucia, Michael Spilotro, Christine Belford, Marcia Wallace, Gretchen Corbett, Meredith MacRae, Mercedes McCambridge, Leslie Uggams, Peter Davison, Red West, Cameron Mitchell, Jimmy Borges, Norm Compton, Ian McShane, Romy Schneider, Larry Pennell, Angela Lansbury (as Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote), Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker (as Rick and A.J. Simon from Simon & Simon), Frank Sinatra, and Sharon Stone, to name just a few, all appeared before, during and/or after making their names on the stage, in movies and/or television.

Setting

The boathouse, or guesthouse in Magnum, P.I., during the mid-2000s.

Robin's Nest is the fictional beach front estate on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, which serves as the residence of the main characters. In the series, it is portrayed as owned by a renowned novelist Robin Masters, who is seldom present at the estate and entrusts Jonathan Higgins as the estate's caretaker and Thomas Magnum as its security expert. Higgins resides in the estate's main house while Magnum occupies the guest house.

In reality, Robin's Nest is a private residence owned by Hawaiian politician Eve Glover Anderson, the stepdaughter of Cox Communications heiress Barbara Cox Anthony.[8] The property is known locally as "The Anderson Estate."

The Anderson Estate is located on the east shore of Oahu at 41-505 Kalanianaole Highway (Route 72) near Waimanalo Beach (21°19′30″N 157°40′48″W / 21.32500°N 157.68000°W). It was built in the early 1930s, and comprises a large main house, a boathouse (which in the series appears as the guest house that Magnum occupies), a gatehouse, a private tennis court, a beach front and the tidal pool.

Vehicles

Cars

Robin Masters' cars

Others

Aircraft

(in the episodes "Dream a Little Dream" and "Missing Melody")[14]

Development

Selleck's contract commitment to the Magnum, P.I. series famously cost him the role of Indiana Jones in the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which went to Harrison Ford.[15] Selleck was unable to take the part of Indy as Magnum was due to start filming in March 1980. However, because of the 1980 AFTRA/Screen Actors Guild strike, the start of production on Magnum was delayed until December 1980, which would have allowed Selleck to play Indy.[16] In Magnum, P.I.'s final season, the producers gave a nod to his sacrifice with the episode "Legend of the Lost Art", which parodied the film.[17]

Episodes

Crossovers

For re-run and overseas purposes, the first half of these crossovers (the Magnum episode) also had alternate endings filmed, which wrapped the story up in a single episode and so allowed repeat showings to be shown as "stand alone" stories instead of being two-part crossovers.

Broadcast history

Season Time slot
1 (1980–81) Thursday at 9:00-10:00 pm (EST)
2 (1981–82) Thursday at 8:00-9:00 pm (EST)
3 (1982–83)
4 (1983–84)
5 (1984–85)
6 (1985–86)
7 (1986–87) Wednesday at 9:00-10:00 pm (EST)
8 (1987–88)

Ratings

Awards

Selleck won an Emmy in 1984 for his portrayal of the title character. Three years later, co-star John Hillerman also won an Emmy.[19] In 1981, series creators and writers Glen A. Larson and Donald P. Bellisario received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Episode in a TV Series.[19][20]

Golden Globe Awards[21]

Year Category Nominee(s) Result
1982 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Tom Selleck Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV John Hillerman Won
1983 Best TV-Series - Drama Nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Tom Selleck Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV John Hillerman Nominated
1984 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Tom Selleck Nominated
1985 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Tom Selleck Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV John Hillerman Nominated
1986 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Tom Selleck Nominated
1987 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Tom Selleck Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV John Hillerman Nominated
1988 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Tom Selleck Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV John Hillerman Nominated

Primetime Emmy Awards

Year Category Nominee(s) Episode(s) Result
1982 Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Tom Selleck Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography for a Series Woody Omens "Memories are Forever" Nominated
1983 Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Tom Selleck Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Mixing for a Series "Did You See The Sunrise?" Nominated
1984 Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Tom Selleck Won
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series John Hillerman Nominated
1985 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Tom Selleck Nominated
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series John Hillerman Nominated
1986 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Tom Selleck Nominated
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series John Hillerman Nominated
1987 Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series John Hillerman Won
1988 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Tom Selleck Nominated
Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series John Hillerman Nominated
Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series Gwen Verdon "Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts" Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography for a Series John C. Finn III "Unfinished Business" Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series "Resolution" Nominated

Other Awards

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Work Result
1982 American Cinema Editors Best Edited Episode for a Television Series Michael Berman & Ed Guidotti "Memories are Forever" Won
1981 Edgar Allan Poe Awards Best Television Episode Donald P. Bellisario & Glen A. Larson "China Doll" Won
1981 People's Choice Awards Favorite New TV Dramatic Program Nominated
1984 Young Artist Awards Best Young Actress, Guest in a Television Series Dana Hall Won
Best Young Actress, Guest in a Television Series Kim Richards Nominated
Best Young Actor, Guest in a Television Series Chad Sheets Nominated
1985 Best Young Actor - Guest in a Television Series R.J. Williams Nominated
2003 TV Land Awards Hippest Fashion Plate - Male Tom Selleck Nominated
2005 Favorite Private Eye Tom Selleck Nominated
2009 Hero Award Won

DVD releases

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released all eight seasons of Magnum, P.I. on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4.

On October 1, 2013, Universal released Magnum, P.I. - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 42-disc set features all 162 episodes of the series as well as bonus features.[22][23]

DVD name Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 2* Region 4
The Complete First Season* 18 September 7, 2004[24][25] September 13, 2004 December 1, 2004
The Complete Second Season 22 April 12, 2005 July 4, 2005 September 19, 2005
The Complete Third Season* 23 January 31, 2006 January 30, 2006 July 12, 2006
The Complete Fourth Season 21 April 4, 2006 June 26, 2006 September 20, 2006
The Complete Fifth Season 22 October 10, 2006 February 12, 2007 March 21, 2007
The Complete Sixth Season 21 February 27, 2007 May 7, 2007 July 4, 2007
The Complete Seventh Season** 22 October 30, 2007 March 31, 2008 June 4, 2008
The Complete Eighth Season*** 13 March 4, 2008 May 19, 2008 September 3, 2008
Seasons One, Two****, Three & Four 84 N/A November 20, 2006 N/A
The Complete Series 162 October 1, 2013[22][23] TBD TBD

* Includes the crossover Season 2 episode from Simon & Simon titled "Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend".
** Includes the crossover Season 3 episode from Murder, She Wrote titled "Magnum On Ice".
*** Includes the bonus Season 5 episode from The Rockford Files titled "White on White and Nearly Perfect" featuring Tom Selleck.
****Includes bonus episodes from The A-Team, Season 2 titled "Diamonds 'n' Dust" and Knight Rider, Season 2 titled "Brother's Keeper".

References

  1. Entry for Magnum, P.I from the Museum of Broadcast Communications website
  2. The three buddies wear a gold Team Ring, which bears a Croix de Lorraine on a black field, as a bond of wartime camaraderie
  3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080240/trivia?tr=tr0733474
  4. In the final episode, "Resolutions 2", the priest at Rick's wedding announces his full name as Orville Wilbur Richard Wright, a form he never used as he disliked being named after both of the Wright brothers, and chose the more appropriate nickname. The series ended in a cliffhanger, as the audience never sees whether Manetti's character said the legally operative phrase "I do". The name may be a discontinuity, as early on in the series Roger E. Mosley's character had referred to him as "Elliot," though in the first episode he is identified as Orville.
  5. IMDB.com
  6. "Almost Home" - Season Three, Episode 10
  7. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533171/
  8. "Isles' richest person, with $12.6 billion, dies". The.honoluluadvertiser.com. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  9. Ferrari 308 GTS, Magnum Mania, The Ferrari, http://magnum-mania.com/Articles/The_Ferrari.html
  10. 10.0 10.1 Magnum, P.I., TV Series, 1980-1988, Internet Movie Car Database, http://imcdb.org/movie_80240-Magnum,-PI.html
  11. Mercedes-Benz SL [R107]
  12. Nissan_S130
  13. T.C.'s Chopper, Magnum Mania!, http://magnum-mania.com/Articles/The_Chopper.html
  14. http://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N9267F
  15. "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark | Making Raiders of the Lost Ark". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  16. Nixon, Agnes (creator) (2007). "Tom Selleck: More Than Magnum". Biography. A&E. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  17. Huguely, Jay (writer) (February 10, 1988). "Legend of the Lost Art". Magnum, P.I. Season 8. CBS. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 "TV Ratings > 1980s". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Magnum, P.I. (series) at the Internet Movie Database
  20. The 1981 Edgar Award was won for an episode entitled "China Doll."
  21. http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/film/24502
  22. 22.0 22.1 "All 8 Seasons with Tom Selleck Come Together with ' The Complete Series' ". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  23. 23.0 23.1 "Bigger, Better Box Cover Art for The Complete Series DVD Set". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  24. The Region 1 version of the Season 1 DVD release comes with an extra disk, featuring extra episodes from later in the series.
  25. The Season 1 release (both Regions 1 and 2) has an error in the episode "China Doll": the musical cues are about 30 seconds off throughout much of the episode.

External links

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