Your Magnum Experience

[VM02]

Whats the story of your Magnum attachment?

I watched Magnum sporadically when it was in its original run, but didn't really get hooked until it started in afternoons in syndication when I was in high school. I remember watching a taping Resolutions while in college.
A buddy who had missed it because he was away at school came home and we (re) watched together, then went to a bonfire for end of exams, where we were to burn something that represented that year for us. I burned my Tigers hat.

Sophomore year of College, I was still hooked enough to write a paper for my visual rhetoric class, contrasting the episodes Did You See the Sunrise and Going Home. In grading the paper, the professor told me to look up Christopher Andersons, "Reflections on Magnum PI" which I finally tracked down while I was supposed to be researching a Grad School project a few years ago.

I REALLY got hooked about 8 years ago, when first married. We would come home from work and watch Magnum on USA while we ate dinner. I love the show, I think my wife just likes watching Tom Selleck. (back in the nineties it was still possible to buy Magnum PI calendars. But all the pictures were of TS. Its never really been about (only) TS for me.)

Now that I have all the DVDs I'm thowing away 20+ VHS video tapes with Magnums on them.

[eeyore]

I used to watch the shows when they first came out, I don't recall being particularily caught up in the show and I think it first caught my attention because of the Dobermans. We went to Hawaii in 1984 and I got more caught up in the show after that, because the show was still airing and filming and the bus tour showed us some of the filming locations including Robins Nest. (I have a picture of the gate somewhere.) I changed jobs after I got back and a lady I worked with had the biggest crush on TS, and I started paying closer attention. I didn't really catch the fever though until about 1988 when I started taping the reruns after I moved out of state. I was woking at a university and would share my tapes with one of the young students who worked for me (a guy). That was when I realized men were just as much into Magnum as women.
BUT then the fever escalated when I moved again and met a guy I had gone to college with (we didn't know each other then) He is the Tom Selleck look alike I have mentioned. His mannerism are so similar it was almost like TS was THERE! I was so thrilled when I walked into a record store one day and saw the first season DVD which had just come out. Then I became a full fledged maniac and it keeps getting worse, it is now an obssession!!

[Steve]

I would like to say that I was hooked from the airing of the very first episode on, but unfortunately it just didn't happen that way with me, this story might meander on a bit but bare with it.
My first marriage was from 1978 to 1979, a total of about 18 months. My ex wife was from Tustin, California, her Father was a camerman on many of the old classic shows such as Perry Mason, Star Trek and The Mary Tyler Moore show so I guess you can say there were somewhat of a Hollywood family. Anyway, my ex wife's sister went to High School with Tom Selleck and that was all she would talk about if he was about to appear on something. I recall seeing him in commercials, The Rockford Files he appeared in, and a TV movie called Divorce Wars. By the time Magnum, PI came on, my ex wife had run off and left me for a drummer in a local band in Minneapolis, I didn't want any reminders of her so I refused to watch the show.
Anyway, I was transferred to Chicago in 1983, life went on, hearts mended as they always do, and I had an employee who would go on constantly about the show. I finally gave in, turned on the show to see my first episode, Luther Gillis File #521 in October of 1983. Man, I was hooked, what a great show, not just another stud detective, PI show, but a show where lead was handsome beyond belief but was struggling with day to day life as the rest of us. He didn't always get the girl, seemed a tad bit uncomfortable with his looks, was living a life in Paradise, driving my dream car, but he could have lost any of those in the blink of an eye.
His relationship with Higgins was maddening, touching and hilarious (somewhat like a marriage).
I also seem to recall that in 1984 or 1985, this Country finally seemed to realise that we never properely honored the veterans of The Viet Nam War and parades were held across the United States. I credit the show with bringing those veterans to light.
Watching the shows now, I am blown away at what a great actor Tom Selleck is, he could do more in a scene with just a distant stare, a wince or a raised eyebrow than anyone I had ever seen..........

Steve
Chicago

[erock308]

It all started a long time ago in a cold little town called Lunenburg in Nova Scotia, Canada... my Mom watched the show from the original airing in 1980. I was only 9 years old at the time and remember it was the first TV show that I was allowed to stay up late to watch. When I hit my teens I realized that having a hot car and a cool mustache got you a long way where the ladies were concerned. When I was 15 my mom came home with a little red Fiero for a test drive.... that was it! the coolest car I ever seen besides the Ferrari! I had to have one! I saved up for years and finally got one, then another and so on... I ended up owning 5 of them. My favorite one was my Red 1984 Fiero SE I actually owned it twice. The second time around I was actually living on an Estate "Rent Free" in Chester, Nova Scotia and ran the Yacht Club there, it was as close to "The Life" as I could get. (Kind of a Mix between "Rick & Magnum") The summers were great!
In 2005 one of my high scool friends called me out of the blue and said : pack your bags were going to Hawaii! Turns out the company he worked for was going under and he was going to use up all the Air-Miles that he could... so I got a FREE trip to Hawaii!! It was 2 weeks of Heaven! We went to the Anderson Estate and drove the rental Jeep up the old Pali Highway and to Maki Pier plus countless other spots around Oahu.
Recognizing all these spots from wathing the show for so long and then finally being there felt like "Going Home" after being away for so long.
Do I have a Magnum pi "Obsession" ummm sure why not, but is there really anything wrong with that
The only thing left to do now is buy all 8 seasons on DVD (I've got 1 to 7) and figure out a way to move to Hawaii and buy a real Ferrari

[higgybaby1]

Sadly i was born late in 1989 so i missed all the original airings. The night I first met my girlfriend of three years she got sick after partying and i stayed up with her. I flipped the channels and found Magnum PI which Id never seen before and luckily it was a marathon. Its all history after that

[J.J. Walters]

Great stories guys. Thanks for sharing!

He didn't always get the girl, seemed a tad bit uncomfortable with his looks, was living a life in Paradise, driving my dream car, but he could have lost any of those in the blink of an eye.
His relationship with Higgins was maddening, touching and hilarious (somewhat like a marriage).
I also seem to recall that in 1984 or 1985, this Country finally seemed to realise that we never properely honored the veterans of The Viet Nam War and parades were held across the United States. I credit the show with bringing those veterans to light.
Watching the shows now, I am blown away at what a great actor Tom Selleck is, he could do more in a scene with just a distant stare, a wince or a raised eyebrow than anyone I had ever seen...

Well said Steve! Well said!

My story is pretty straightforward - Watched most of the episodes during the original run as teenager. It instantly became my all-time favorite show (although Hill Street Blues was up there for a while, too). Didn't see much of the show for the next 15 years, except for the occasional viewing in syndication. When the DVD's came out I essentially rediscovered the show all over again. I decided to create a MPI fan site in my spare time. And here we are!

My wife is not a fan of the show and neither is most of my friends. I have run into a couple of people in my travels who are fans, however.

[Vanity]

Being French, I grew up in France, and in the early 80’s, there only were 3 French TV channels. So our choice of programs was pretty limited on whatever was being broadcasted.

I remember every Sunday afternoon, they used to show some series which I barely remember. I wonder whether it was The Fall Guy. One day, they presented a brand new series – Magnum (in France we have dropped the PI part).

First I was disappointed they were not showing the other series anymore, but very quickly – I am talking minutes – I got hooked on MPI.
How could I not ? I was and still am passionate about helicopters and Ferrari’s, and was always attracted by Hawaii. So when they brought this show where all these elements were gathered.....I could only love it.

As it took some time for French TV to buy the rights of MPI and put it on air, we were in ’82 or ’83 when it first went on air. I was 12 or 13 then. At that age, I didn’t care much about what else there was in MPI, other than car, chopper, Hawaii.

Moreover, you must know that French TV dubs everything into French (that explains the country’s poor level of English speaking). Magnum’s dubbing was pretty well done and that enhanced the will of watching the show.

When it all started being released in DVD, I discovered the other side of Magnum PI, the part I had missed out in my youth. The stories, the state-of-mind, the friendship, the pain of war, the losses of dear ones....

My wife never was into the show and used to get upset everytime I came home with new MPI DVD’s. Then, she used to buy them for me as a gift. For her, I was being childish getting hooked on a show with an immature private investigator. She was more into Murder She Wrote... She passed away end of 2006 at age 34, leaving me with two wonderfull boys who alredy know who Magnum is - they're only 4 & 6.
So when I found out there was a cross-over with Murder She Wrote, I wish she would have been here to see it and enjoy that one episode of Magnum together.
That’s my story to how it all started.

[Doc Ibold]

In the original run of Magnum, I was a little kid who was baby-sat by my aunt when my parents were working nights. She would watch it, and by default I would watch it. Now, being around 5-7, I didn't "get" the show per se, but he had a sweet car, so I was hooked!

Fast forward 15 or so years, and I'm in college moving into my FOURTH place in 4 years and for whatever reason I have A&E on and all of a sudden I hear the Mike Post theme!

Whimsically, I decide that I'll stop unpacking and I'll watch the show.

And then I did the day after, and the day after that!

So I guess you could say that I'm one of the college kids who discovered the show later on in life, and now I'm the sardonic voice of "Magnum- Mania", Doc Ibold!

[N1095A]

I posted this before in another thread. But it holds true.
I was 10 in 1980 when Magnum first aired. It was one of the shows I would watch with my dad every week without fail. My dad passed away from a heart attack in 1984. By that time Magnum was more than just a TV show to me. It taught us about honor, loyalty, and humor among other things. After my dad passed, Magnum played a large role in the developement of my character. As an adult of 38, I can see many of my character traits can be credited directly to Magnum, TC, Rick, and Higgins.
I can distinctly remember once in the fifth grade, I was sketching the MPI GMC Jimmy while the teacher was teaching something or other. She caught me, and held up the sketch for the class to see while scolding me. Funny thing, I learned more about life from a TV show than all my years in school. I wish i still had the sketch.

[foggydayz]

I was 8 in 1980 so I didn't watch magnum in its original airing, it was either past my bedtime or my parents wanted to watch something else.

When i turned 14 i got a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant and on the weekends I would work till 2:30 am come home and watch some tv. At that time there was always a magnum rerun on, sometimes on a couple channels at once (glorious times they were ). Watching Magnum PI instantly became a very special experience to me. Its hard to explain but it was sort of magical, staying up late and watching this show about a guy who lived the most perfect life imaginable. I can still close my eyes and imagine I'm at the estate driving up the winding driveway. Every character in the show was like a special friend to me (better than my friends in real life ). magnum was so cool and laid back, rick was all about business,higgins was so cultured, tc was a friendly giant. I tried to emulate them, and probably bettered myself in doing so.

[Miss Q]

I was a teen when the show originally aired....

I remember seeing Unfinished Business when it airred and I was struck by TM's obsession with watching the video tape of teh car bombing.

I remember thinking why didn't he just get over it it's been a few episodes. That was my thought at the time

Now I know the pain of losing someone you truely care about, its not so easy....

Miss Q

[Waltstasz]

Thanks for sharing everyone. Great stories.

Mine is fairly typical. I too was not old enough to see the show in its original run and my parents were pretty strict with TV viewing. But, when we were finally allowed to watch TV we watched the orignal Star Trek, Magnum and MacGyver pretty regularly. Some of the scenes in these shows stuck with me. I vaguely remembered Magnum being in Vietnam and the car chases and that the theme song was awesome. When Season 1 came out on DVD I just remember thinking that I had to see the show again; more for nostalgia than anything else originally. But when I started watching as an 'adult' (whatever that means ) it I loved it. It still had the elements I liked as a kid, but had so much more that I just didn't get back then.

[SelleckLover]

I, unfortunately, was an adult when Magnum first aired. (Yeah, that makes me old!) I had been following TS's career since I saw him on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless" (I think that's the right one!) in 1975. I distinctly remember the year because I was on maternity leave after giving birth to my son. (Spawn of Selleck...LOL) I loved Magnum PI from the get-go. Was really sad when it came to an end, but I knew it was probably time for TS to move on, and looked forward to wherever his career took him.
I have thoroughly enjoyed whatever project he took on, or as my husband Jim says, I'd probably pay money to watch him read the phone book. (Yeah, I would!!!!)

[Higgy Baby]

I apologize in advance. I get kind of wordy on the subject, even though this is a fairly typical experience. I can't bring myself to edit myself...

I was 10 in 1980, though if I saw any of the first season's first run, I My father loved the show and my aunt thought my Uncle looked like TS (he didn't, but I digress). I know I was hooked and looked forward to the show by season 3. I also loved Simon and Simon, so I was ecstatic when "Ki'i's Don't Lie" first aired. I was reading Agatha Christie then, and enjoyed the dinner party/costume ball episodes like "The Big Blow", "...Red-Faced Thesbian. By season 4's "Home From the Sea" it was my favorite show by far. I remembered those two shows vividly. I remember really enjoying anything that dealt with Magnum's time in Vietnam, and anything that involved Higgins and the Lads. I had such a sense of nostalgia watching these again on DVD.

I used to imagine my attic bedroom in Ohio was the guest house. I imagined that I was in Hawaii, and that there were tropical plants lingering just outside my window. Fooling myself into the false notion that I drove a Ferrari 308 took more imagination than I had. I was disgusted to see our turd brown plymouth valiant in the driveway. More important than the setting, the voiceover technique really caught my attention, and I found Magnum very easy to relate to, even though I was just a kid.

By season 6 I thought the episodes were getting weaker, and I was learning to drive, which meant going out, etc. I missed seasons 7 and 8 because I was pre-occupied with my attempt at juvenile delinquency. I do remember thinking I'd have to catch the episode that was promoted as one that would reveal Robin Masters' true identity...then something else came up, and I never really caught any syndication...

Flash forward to a few years ago, my girlfriend and I visited Oahu (she grew up there--we're visited some of her old turf). I saw a mention of the estate where Magnum was shot. I mention that I was a fan. We tried to find the estate but kept driving right by it---didn't find it until the next trip. I was disappointed, but delighted when she bought me season one on DVD for Christmas a month later. I started buying the seasons for myself after that---then realized Netflix is cheaper. Still I'm kind of a completionist about this. I'll probably break down and buy the few seasons I'm missing.

Oh! One other thing...I remember Sleuth was supposed to air MPI when they launched...Didn't happen until a year or two in. I was really irritated!

[eeyore]

Uh oh, I'm def in the minority here, I was 27 in 1980!