Magnum Mania!

Luther Gillis: File #001

Episode Number: 94
Season Number: 5.10
Air Date: 12/6/1984
Writer: Reuben Leder
Director: Ivan Dixon
Producer: Reuben Leder
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Recurring Characters

Eugene Roche (Luther H. Gillis), Orson Welles (Robin Masters - voice only), Kwan Hi Lim (Lt. Tanaka)

Guest Stars

Gary Grubbs (Dexter), Don Knight (Dan Davies), Gary Pagett (Artie)

Episode Brief

When Robin Masters and Higgins both ask Magnum for help in cases that could have dire repercussions for them, Magnum recruits the rather blunt St. Louis-based P.I. Luther H. Gillis to help him with some delicate matters.

Rating

8.5

(21 votes)

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Notes

¹ This is the third "Luther-centric" episode, and the eighth "Higgins-centric" episode of the series.

² Elmo Ziller, Higgins' deceased half-brother, makes another "appearance". The first time we saw him in "The Elmo Ziller Story" (2.21), it wasn't revealed until the end that Higgins was pretending to be Elmo. This time, we know it's Higgins from the very beginning.

³ The Kahala Hilton is used as a filming location for the King Kamehameha Club for the fourth time. It was previously used in "Echoes of the Mind" (5.1 & 5.2), "Mac's Back" (5.3) and "Tran Quoc Jones" (5.9).

⁴ The estate's private phone number is 555-2481. This is different than the one mentioned in "Don't Say Goodbye" (1.15). (Noted by Mike Barnes)

⁵ The computer access code that Robin gives Magnum ("Rosebud") is, of course, a homage to the classic film Citizen Kane (1941), which Orson Welles (the voice of Robin Masters) wrote, directed, produced, and starred in when he was only 26 years old. This is the last time we will hear Orson Welles' voice in the show. Somewhat surprisingly, he played the voice of Robin Masters for only a total of four episodes!

⁶ The red University of Southern California cap that Magnum wore in "Squeeze Play" (4.7) is seen hanging on his hat rack as Higgins walks past it. It was also seen in the previous episode "Tran Quoc Jones" (5.9). The only time Magnum is seen wearing it is in "Squeeze Play". (Noted by N1095A)

⁷ Magnum is seen "playing" his saxophone again.

⁸ Higgins slugs a bad guy (and kicks him off a ship), a rare sight!

⁹ Luther sleeps with a teddy bear!

¹⁰ Sometime in WWII, Higgins cracked the safe of a Nazi high command in Rome.

¹¹ Higgins mentions his time spent in a Calcutta jail again. He previously mentioned spending an unspecified amount of time in jail there in 1950. Here, he adds 1949 to the mix.

¹² In the spring of 1954, Higgins was in Kenya again where he was the youngest in a squad of six spending three months guarding the Andrews farm from marauding Mau Mau. He and the Andrews daughter Elizabeth took long walks in the grass, read Shelley and listened to the BBC. But he was transferred to the front again. Four months later she married Dan Davies, a member of the new squad.

Quotes

¹
Luther: Where'd you get this stuff? This is a bank.
Magnum: (sigh) I have a friend in the prosecuting's attorneys office, Carol, that our computer's talk to each other.

²
Luther: So much for sweet dreams in paradise. I guess I'm either used to freezing St. Louie winters, or summer nights that steam the starch out of your shorts.

³
Magnum: So why did you hire me, then?
Higgins: I hired you because you have more dumb luck than anyone I know!

Flubs

¹ Luther says he was in Florida in the spring of 1954, investigating and trying out with the St. Louis Browns baseball team. One small problem - In 1954, there was no St. Louis Browns baseball team. The team had just relocated to Baltimore following the 1953 season. (Noted by Mike Barnes)

² During the scene where Higgins and Luther find Warren dead in a dumpster, if you look closely, you can see Warren move his left hand. You can also see him breathing! (Noted by IslandHopper)

³ When Higgins recounts his time in Kenya (during 1954) to Luther, he says that he was the youngest one in his platoon. In 1954 Higgins would have been in his mid-thirties. Higgins was Sergeant-Major in 1954. There is no way he would have been the youngest person in the platoon. (Noted by wilko)

⁴ After the brawl outside the bar (which we never actually see), Luther's band-aid (over his left eye) changes size and angle in different scenes. (Noted by Jay-Firestorm)

⁵ During the final pool game, "Elmo" is seen shooting striped balls. At the end of the game, he is shown sinking a solid ball. (Noted by Justin Watts)

⁶ When Higgins kicks Dan Davies off the boat at the end, you can easily tell that it is John Hillerman's stunt double.

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