Magnum P.I. Filming Locations - A Rubber Chicken Guide

[rubber chicken]

Hi folks, a number of people have brought up the fact that the photos in the guide stopped working some time ago. This happened because the server the photos were hosted on went away. The good news is that the folks at Magnum Mania are now hosting the photos on the Magnum Mania server. This means the photos will now survive as long as this website does.

After the previous server went away I went through the long process of changing the url for each photo in the guide, and they've been working since then, but only for me since I was the one person who had the up to date google earth .kmz file. This happened long enough ago that I can't remember when it was. Perhaps last year or the year before. After that was completed I intended to finish a number of individual locations that I had left uncompleted for years. But that hasn't happened, so I'm going to release this version of the guide as is, with one location in visible progress. Many other locations were being worked on in a code editor but hadn't made it into the guide in any form yet. There are however 32 new locations that I believe are in the completed state as I intended.

Other than updating the photo links, I haven't worked on the guide in years, so I'm not 100% certain of the state of things. But I think things should be in order.

Here are some of the notes I kept, showing what's new in this version:


---------------------------------------------------------------

Added Placemarks (between 12-28-2010 & now ) - (version 1.6)
total of 33 new placemarks

In progress:
1.10_23.42 Wiki-Wiki Club knife fight



COMPLETED:
1.3 - Treasures of the Dove
1.6 - campsite of Erin Wolfe
1.15 - Fat Jack's, American Meals
1.16 - Magnum on guard, expecting an attack.
2.15 - Ferrari repair shop
2.16 - "I'd give just about anything to ride in one."
2.22 - City & County Police Dept. Impound Yard
3.11 - "dump" motel of Bridget Archer
3.11 - five minutes with Admiral Wheeler
3.18 - Enoka for Senate
3.18 - Oppenheimer Regal Tribolt lock
3.19 - "I've never hit a woman before."
3.19 - Rose's Cut Rate Warehouse
3.19 - driving away from Rose's
3.23 - disembarking Windsor Tours bus
3.23 - "Boxing, Ryans Gym, 2nd floor"
5.3 - "I'm looking for Lt. Cmdr. Hiller"
5.6 - Archie's Auto Sales, Used Cars
5.13 - Sally Ponting left standing at the altar
5.18 - Desmond & Laurie Crane
6.3 - Magnum and Goldie Morris driving
6.3 - Wailele Hotel: Goldie Morris, & also Mr. Wanda
6.6 - Sammy Garns and family
7.4 - Island Breeze warehouse, janitorial supplies
7.22 - Magnum hit in warehouse shootout
8.1 - showdown with Quang Ki
8.1 - "I can't go home, mom."
8.1 - Veterans Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific (entrance)
8.1 - VRHP, waiting room
8.1 - VRHP, basketball court
8.1 - VRHP, Magnum's room
8.1 - VRHP, exercise room



Added Wallace Alexander photo links to:
Alexander Estate: Lanihau & Haumalu
(This placemark is located in the "Secondary Locations" folder in google earth. For the update look for the paragraph with the red "Update" below the photos on the webpage linked in the placemark.)

Added "historic photo" links to:
2.15 - Crouching Lion Inn
3.12 - Castle Memorial Hospital
5.8 - Magnum speaks with Mr. Gaylord
6.17 - Rick & TC arrive to visit Magnum

Added four links concerning Genshiro Kawamoto to these three placemarks:
6.4 - Sam & Lauren Henderson
7.9, 2 - Arthur Houston
7.17 - John Costa (& Linda Lee Ellison)

Changed "6.3 - hotel of Goldie Morris, and also Mr. Wanda" to "6.3 - Wailele Hotel: Goldie Morris, & also Mr. Wanda (establishing shot)" and added "6.3 - Wailele Hotel: Goldie Morris, & also Mr. Wanda" to split the establishing shot from the actual location where the Magnum and Goldie scenes took place.

1.11 - "I'm looking for a man named Makua."
Added "Edit: More Information"… link to forum post concerning the store.

---------------------------------------------------------------


Here is the new .kmz file: Magnum P.I. locations 1.6.kmz

For those who haven't used a .kmz file before, refer to either the instructions in the page which James has made, or in my original post.


If someone could please change the 1.5 link to the new 1.6 link on the guide page, I would very much appreciate it! (I haven't been around enough to know who is doing this sort of thing nowadays.)




K Hale - I don't know the answer to your question regarding getting the file onto a phone, as I've never tried that. I know it worked for me on an iPad. Anyone else know the answer to this question?

[Rembrandt's Girl]

WOO HOO!!! Yay, RC! Thank you so much for fixing the links, and for all the new locations! Wow, I can't wait to dive in and see what you've found!

Glad to have you back on the boards too!!!

[Rembrandt's Girl]

WOO HOO!!! Yay, RC! Thank you so much for fixing the links, and for all the new locations! Wow, I can't wait to dive in and see what you've found!

Glad to have you back on the boards too!!!

You found the Wiki-Wiki Club, RC! I spent hours & hours looking for that street, and even looked in Wahiawa. Ugh! Funny coincidence it was on Cane Street. And it was even the same shops from "The Black Orchid". Sheesh!

Question for you... do you also think the actual brothel buildings are located there? After Judge Caine & TM's conversation they turn left just past the crosswalk into the alley which I've circled below. But the brothel/apartment building and the identical one behind it appear quite long, and I'm thinking they wouldn't fit there in reality. Plus there's even another building behind the two brothel buildings in the episode. We also know the baseball field was there during filming. What do you think, RC?

[/img]

[rubber chicken]

Sorry for the delay... The brothel location for the placemark "1.10 - Wiki-Wiki Club knife fight" (that I placed here) I'm confident is very close to the exact location. I see that this is one of the placemarks that I wasn't completely finished with, and since I couldn't find a high quality aerial photo of the old buildings I might have placed it there temporarily. Since the field property line probably hasn't changed, the placemark should probably be moved to the left off the grass and onto the present day parking lot, and maybe north 20 yards.

Magnum turns left like your image shows, but then he turns right again down a second alley, which is the brothel alley, heading south south east along the west side of the field fence line. As you know the alley he turns left into was in the middle here, and the building on the left was in the show, although it has now lost most of its north side, and the entire second floor. The building seen to the right of the alley in the show no longer exists, and was replaced by the building seen in street view. The old buildings south of the first alley had a rear alley along the fence line, seen in the next three photos:

.


In The Black Orchid, Magnum and Louise DeBolt Jackson also take a left into the first alley. The background building in the previous three photos with its tiny vent window and sloped back roof is seen in these three photos:

.

[Rembrandt's Girl]

Thanks for the detailed explanation & screen caps, RC! I forgot the right turn they take into the second alley, the Wiki-Wiki Club alley, so I thought you were indicating that perhaps the brothel buildings were perpendicular to Cane Street instead of parallel. As I'm sure you can attest, on Oahu typically the apartment buildings are constructed perpendicular to the street, and this is unusual to have them run parallel... that's why I thought you were saying they were in the location I circled. I'm guessing in Wahiawa, where space isn't an issue as in Honolulu, they could freely build them parallel to the street. Unfortunately when I was searching I didn't even consider looking at any building that wasn't perpendicular.

Yay, I love that you found it and thanks again, RC!

[Gorilla Mask]

oups ! Discovering this thread is both a bit it frustrating and really exciting !

I thought that the 1.5 version in the website was the last one, so, for myself, i was beginning to complete it with my little means…

… however, it is obvious that RC is far more qualified than a little frenchy that never been in Oahu ! (sob)

Thanks RC for discovering Wiki wiki club place ! i spent some hours trying locating it on the maps but all has changed so much in forty years...

[Pahonu]

oups ! Discovering this thread is both a bit it frustrating and really exciting !

I thought that the 1.5 version in the website was the last one, so, for myself, i was beginning to complete it with my little means…

… however, it is obvious that RC is far more qualified than a little frenchy that never been in Oahu ! (sob)

Thanks RC for discovering Wiki wiki club place ! i spent some hours trying locating it on the maps but all has changed so much in forty years...

Funny you mention 40 years. Magnum was tracking down 40 year old leads in the episode and now it’s you guys tracking down a location 40 years after the episode was made.

[Gorilla Mask]

You're Right Pahonu, i got that strange idea too while reviewing this great episode... Precisely when Judge Cain had his flashback getting across the street backyard aboard the ferrari...

... a really good moment with full of nostalgia... and now whe are in the same case, just 40 years after the filming.

When fiction joins reality...

[Gorilla Mask]

Hello,

Since i do not know where to post my findings, i will elect to adress it here. After all, this is the the dedicated RB guide topic which is surely the best place to discuss new hypothesis about filming locations!

Of course, the forum is a huge place, so some of my hypothesis should have been already discussed and disclosed for long elsewhere? in that case, let me know.

At first, i will evoke the (very short)airstrip you could see at the beginning end at the end of "The Black Orchid" (1.16).

I spent somme hours to see where it would better fit. Surely an old and abandoned airfield somewhere in Oahu. I was amazed to notice how many old USAF, Marines or US Navy old aistripes and airfields could be accounted at Oahu !

And i was leading on that good source:

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/HI/Air ... Oahu_N.htm

Scroll the page to the end and you will see pictures of Haleiwa old bitumen-coated airstrip. Il match pretty close the episode (his orientation; length, the proximity of the beachside and access tracks for cars... From Google Earth, You can spot the old emplacement of the wooden ACT for the approach SSW. You could barely see it from the episode prologue.

The fact that the filming team uses numerous spots in the vicinity tends to strengthened that hypothesis.

BTW, Haleiwa is an historical place. It is one of the few airstripes from where an handfull of US fighters did take off to retaliate against Kido Butai airplanes during the infamous Pearl Harbor attack.

Edit: this link to the GE satellite view pointing to this alleged position

https://ibb.co/fCsckrv

[Gorilla Mask]

regarding old Oahu abandoned military airstripes, i had now to mention Bellows airfiled.

It was badly attacked during Pearl harbor raid too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellows_Air_Force_Station

The nice beachside where TM meets Judge Caine in 'Least We Forget' (1.10) introduction was probably filmed on location at Bellows Recreation center, near what seems (to me) to be a semi natural breakwater:

http://hawaiibeachsafety.com/oahu/bellows-field-beach

Edit: i post this GE view to illustrate my guess

https://ibb.co/2hM2xtv

[Gorilla Mask]

Dead's Man Channel (9:57).

https://ibb.co/yyQCDQg

Here is Manoa Campus (University of Hawaii) where the above establishing shot of Prof. Martinez Office was taken.

https://www.kitv.com/story/33276007/uh- ... -beautiful

further edit of my post: below epiosde topic you can find some more informations found by EnsHealy concerning the map that Magnum finds on the Student's desk… Well, the remote Dead Man Channel appeared to be located just in the vicinity of Rabbit's Island, South-West coast of Oahu !

Here: http://magnum-mania.com/Forum/viewtopic ... 7&start=84.

[Gorilla Mask]

That time "Missing in Action" (episode 1.9).

Magnum will encounter strong opposition from Tobin, a deserter, former "Delta" CIA secret service agent, at:

102 North King Street, Chinatown, Honolulu.

1980 episode closeup: https://ibb.co/J33TzRd

2020 street view: https://ibb.co/k9xdxLs.

Well, the builiding front has not evolved much. It is a shop now (Wing Wha Jewelry).

[Gorilla Mask]

"Missing in action" again

The final scene (where Newton shots Tobin) was a piece of puzzling for me. Here are some clues:

https://ibb.co/ZKRv6VJ

An old rusting towing barge... You can see Honolulu freight harbor (silos and warehouses) in the background and also Ko'olau Range mountains chain on the horizon. Not much, will you say...

See these, now:

https://ibb.co/HB2KYRf
https://ibb.co/VgHRVS5
https://ibb.co/3fS7FQ1
https://ibb.co/y49yGQv

In these various action shots, you could see various green and greyish (and well maintained) hangars and builidings. On is particularily visible behind the (awfully yelling...) Rebecca Holden ! If you could deflect your glance from her ( ) you will see aircraft tails too (a C-47 and a F-102A). That might be a kind of USAF museum line up.

Then...

https://ibb.co/HxfwZPW

Final "sunset" ( ) wide angle shot... Newton is down, Tobin drank the broth, TM have Rebbeca's head on his shoulder ( ). You can seen an huge C-5 Galaxy from Military Airlift Command taxiing along a ramp to apron or takeoff. That could be only ONE ramp at HNL international airport... The Romeo Bravo RAMP that cross the water and reach 8L Runway.

Ok, ok, i summarize...

Considering these clues, here is my best guess:

https://ibb.co/86znN8n

Therefore, i think the final scene was filmed at, Hickam harbor, just South of the AF base. The area changed visibly a lot within a 40 years span of time ! I might be off, but not so much... did'nt I ?

[Gorilla Mask]

Another little addition concerning "Missing In Action".

Around 11:00-12:00 Laura and TM have a little meeting regarding Eric Tobin whereabouts and Vietnam war.

https://ibb.co/HqMDPgK

The building in the background is very distinctive. I seems to be Hale Koa hotel.

https://ibb.co/z5CdVQk

So, the place of the shooting is probably the lanes and access surrounding the beach fringes in front of Fort DeRussy Park:

https://ibb.co/1zpHW1N

Well at 200 yards more or less.

[Gorilla Mask]

"Least We forget" (1.10) again (great episode ! ).

While having a sandwich, TM is waiting for Judge Caine to exit the Hawaiian Regent Hotel (Waikiki beachfront)

https://ibb.co/DCs0sp9

Today, this hotel is the Marriot Spa&Resort. (Ohua Ave entrance)

https://ibb.co/nwJ6jLM

The parking lot is still there !

https://ibb.co/KLps0Kn