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Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1)

Episode Screen Caps Episode Number: 1
Season Number: 1.1
Air Date: 12/11/1980
Writers: Donald P. Bellisario, Glen A. Larson
Director: Roger Young
Producer: J. Rickley Dumm
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Guest Stars
Pamela Susan Shoop (Alice Cook), W.K. Stratton (Ens. Healy), Robert Loggia (Philippe Trusseau), Fritz Weaver (Capt. J. Cooly), Allen Williams (Lt. Dan Cook), Jeff MacKay (Ski), Lillian Muller (Greta), Clyde Kusatsu (Medical Examiner), Mel Carter (Sam), Peter Kalua (Kono), Dorit Stevens (Inge)
Episode Brief
When Oahu-based private investigator Thomas Magnum's childhood friend and Naval comrade, Dan Cook, turns up dead, Magnum is adamant that the official cause of death, a burst bag of smuggled cocaine, is bogus. He enlists the aid of Dan's sister, Alice, in taking on the Navy to uncover the true nature of the top-secret assignment Dan was working on before his death.
Rating
9.0(79 votes)Rate Episode
Notes
1 The Pilot was filmed in February and March of 1980, but because of the AFTRA/Screen Actors Guild strike it didn't air until December 11th. Glen A. Larson wrote the original script which was later heavily revamped by Donald P. Bellisario, blending elements from an unproduced script he was developing called "H.H. Flynn" ("a private eye on Rodeo Drive"). The script at one point had a working title of "Cutter", a reference to Thomas' last name in the early drafts. The pilot was presented to CBS in May of 1980. The head of programming at CBS, Harvey Shephard, immediately ordered 22 episodes!

2 All of the indoor scenes of the main house at Robin's Nest were filmed at the Marks Estate in the Nuuanu Valley. This location will later be used as one of the sites for the King Kamehameha Club. All future indoor scenes involving the main house at Robin's Nest will be filmed on a soundstage at the Hawaii Film Studio.

3 The Region 1 Complete First Season DVD incorrectly names the Pilot Movie as "Please Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii".

4 The Ferrari is a targa-topped 1978 308 GTS. The license plate on the Ferrari is '56E-478'. This will change to 'Robin 1' for all subsequent episodes. In 1979, just before the Pilot Movie was filmed, Famed journalist and writer P.J. O'Rourke used this car for a New York-L.A. road trip. He wrote an essay about it called Ferrari Refutes the Decline of The West, and it appeared in his book Republican Party Reptile (1989).

5 The "Team Ring" that Magnum, T.C. and Rick wear bears the symbol of the Cross of Lorraine and is a Vietnam War memento that symbolizes the tight bond of wartime camaraderie that they all shared together. The ring is not an official military decoration or emblem, and is not used in any capacity in the U.S. Navy SEALs or U.S. Marine Corp. It will be worn by all three for the remainder of the series. Magnum's ex-wife Michelle, introduced in Season Two's "Memories Are Forever" (2.5), wears a Cross of Lorraine pendant.

6 Magnum breaks down the fourth wall (by looking directly at the audience) for the first of many times to come.

7 This special two-hour pilot movie was included in the 2011 The Best of the 80s: Magnum P.I. 2-disc DVD set from Universal, along with six other classic Magnum P.I. episodes ("Memories Are Forever", "Home From the Sea", "Blind Justice", "The Kona Winds", "Limbo" and "Resolutions").

8 List of notable filming locations: 9 Rick's club, Rick's Cafe Americain, is named after Humphrey Bogart's club in the classic 1942 film Casablanca. To non-tourists, the club is known as "The Snow Palace"! The club is apparently located in (or near) the Hotel Street vice district. This club will not be seen again in the series and will be replaced with the King Kamehameha Club.

10 This is the only time that the full version of Ian Freebairn-Smith's Magnum P.I. theme song is heard. A shorter version of this theme will be played over the opening credits of the first ten episodes of Season One. Starting with "Thicker than Blood" (1.11) it will be replaced by the more familiar Mike Post/Pete Carpenter "iconic" Magnum P.I. theme song.

11 The chopper that T.C. flies in the Vietnam War flashback sequences is the OH-58 Kiowa. (Noted by IslandHopper & golfmobile)

12 Early in the episode, just after the Ferrari races through the closing front gate at Robin's Nest, one of the Doberman Pinchers has the gates close on its neck! The dog is quickly able to free itself, however, and doesn't appear to be hurt.

13 Lillian Muller (Greta) is a former Playboy "Playmate of the Year" (1976) and Dorit Stevens (Inge) appeared in Playboy's Sept. 1983 pictorial, "Girls of the Atlantic Coast". Dorit also appeared on several memorable early 1980's posters ("Dorit Wants You!").

14 Episode director Roger Young will direct Tom Selleck in the 1984 movie Lassiter.

15 Series co-creator/executive producer Donald P. Bellisario also worked as a 2nd Unit director for this Pilot Movie.

16 In Scotland in 1959, Higgins was a commando in the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own).
Quotes
1
Magnum: It's funny the things a grown man will do for a living. (Narration)

2
(to "The Lads")
Magnum: Hey guys!

3
Magnum: Don't look at the dogs, work the lock... (looks at dogs)... You looked at the dogs!

4
Magnum: Higgins, you yo-yo!

5
Higgins: Don't ruin my whisky with ice! I'm not a bloody American!

6
(To Capt. J. Cooly)
Magnum: Dan Cook was murdered and I'm gonna prove it! And when I do, you can kiss those gold stripes you spent thirty years egg-sucking for goodbye!
Flubs
1 When Magnum pulls over to the side of the road after "stealing" the Ferrari, he unclips the roof (while still in the car) and slides it to the rear of the car (back out of view of the camera) and peels off. But where did the roof go? Are we to believe he just let it fall to the roadside and left it there!?

2 In the car chase, just before they go into the Pali Tunnel, you can briefly see cameramen filming (and a camera light) in the reflection of the Ferrari's back windshield. (Noted by Jeffrey van Rossum)

3 When Lt. Cook is dying and holding on to the chain fence, as Magnum drives by, the area he is holding on to has hardly any dead vines. Not even a moment later when his hand drops off the fence there are many more vines. (Noted by Mark S.)

4 As Magnum is emptying the envelope onto the table you will see several other items on the table including Dan Cook's dog tags and keys. However, these items are off to the side and as Magnum shakes Dan's ring from the envelope it falls onto the table and comes to rest far away from the other items. The close-up of the "Team Ring", however, shows it right next to, and almost touching, the set of keys that weren't there when the ring fell out onto the table. (Noted by IslandHopper)

5 After emptying the envelope, Magnum flashes back to Vietnam. Watch for the third shot of the helicopter (OH-58 Kiowa). In this close-up shot, the helicopter is seen flying across the screen from the right to left. Look at the tail section of the helicotper and you will see that the word "MARINES" is reversed/backwards as it appears the negative was reversed in this shot. All of the other letters and numbers are obviously reversed as well. The "HY" on the vertical stabilizer should be "YH" and so on. This same flub is also visible in Part 2 of the "Pilot Movie" right after you see Magnum, Phillipe and the rest of the Team waiting at the LZ to be picked up by T.C.. Phillipe tells to Magnum to take the Team to the chopper and says that he'll cover and Magnum says "Don't wait too long." Then you see the helicopter with the reversed images. (Noted by IslandHopper)

6 As you look at the close-up of the "Team Ring" you can tell that the right lower bar is not symmetric with the corresponding bar on the left side. It is not as wide and seems flawed. The flub is that a close-up of the same ring is shown in the ending credits, but the imperfection is now on the left side of the ring, not the right as before. Also, in the ending credits, the wooden table that the ring is resting on is much darker than the table shown in the guesthouse scene. Additionally, the ring from the envelope doesn't appear to be the same ring worn by Dan Cook after he was punched in the stomach and is seen grabbing on to the chain-link fence. The imperfection does not seem to appear on the ring worn by Dan in this scene. (Noted by IslandHopper)

7 When Thomas is waiting for Alice to arrive at the airport, the shot of the plane landing shows a white aircraft with a red stripe and a blue underbelly. In the next shot, as Thomas looks out at the plane, it's metallic grey.


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