MARKN wrote:when i was 12 i remember asking my dad to stay up and watch a new show coming on that night called magnum pi after a little begging he agreed and that was the start of somthing my dad and i enjoyed for 8 years together and after losing him this year magnum is even more special to me now than ever ! back then he didnt have to worry if the show had bad words in every sentance or if there was nudity it was a just a great show we both enjoyed now my son and i will enjoy all eight
seasons on dvd because there is nothing on tv that even comes close !
thats why magnum pi is so special to me !
Sorry to hear about your father Markn, I hope that being on the board and having the DVD's will keep those great memories alive! I recently joined and I can tell you, this is a great group!
For me the show will always be special for so many reasons.
Tom Selleck's easy going style, his superb acting and comedic skills and of course that laugh...! Not only that but for the most part the plots were excellent, the comradeship between the main characters, the sub-plots, the superb secondary characters, i.e Carol, Tanaka and especially Luther Gillis and Mac, the Ferrari, the girls especially the KKC girls, and so on and so on.
But for me, the best part of the entire show was the superb chemistry between TM and Higgins, that was the jewel in the crown. Right from the word go it was the central feature of the entire series.
Last edited by 308GTS on Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Arun
------
"The only thing that's going to touch you is a 10ft pole"
Second reason: Magnum and Higgins. Just gotta love the way they interact.
Third reason(s): The locale, the plots, the fact that the show could be light hearted one minute and serious the next. It all works so well. And let's not forget the Ferrari
Higgins: You've washed the car?! How extraordinary. Why would you do such a thing?
"Just why does this series mean so much to so many? Do others experience the same great sadness as I do, knowing that we will never see these great actors again as they were in the Magnum series?"
Great question Lily. Things I like about the show are wish-fulfilment angle, the action and adventure, the locations, the car. But most of all the characters. All the characters. I like the relationships between the four guys but I also like the re-curring characters (Carol, Mac, Tanaka, Ice Pick) that give the illusion of the show really happening in one locale.
But you know the main reason I like Magum PI? It's just so much fun!
As for the second question; well it's a shame that we all get older. I would like a Magnum PI reunion (all four guys are still alive) but without Selleck it 'aint Magnum.
I think its the fact that its an ensemble cast with flawed characters, but BELIEVABLE characters.
I mean, if Magnum had a bunch of money (and to quote him "it wouldn't be as fun"), it would get boring.
Rick always getting beat down, TC being overly obsessive about money and his chopper, and Higgins' orations all made the show what it was.
Plus the details, like Tanaka loving the Tigers, Doc Ibold being a golfer, Carol having a Pekingese.
Made you think that these were real people and that they did have lives outside of getting into situations.
Even the way some of the cases came together seemed believable.
Yes Tom Selleck IS Magnum, but Magnum wouldn't be Magnum if he didn't have Rick/TC and especially Higgins.
I also liked the fact that there were several non Magnum centered episodes throughout the series (which it sounded like were TS requests to get the other guys more time), plus the large cast of recurring characters which seemed like an extended family of sorts.
If I was going to sum up the show in a word, it would be "charming"
I got my brother hooked on the show, and he was born in 1984, so any 80's nostalgia is lost on him. The show itself stands the test of time due to the acting, writing and portrayal of people on the show.
One final thing (in my Higgins-eqsue oration) is that you need to look at some of the more popular episodes have some pretty offbeat themes that aren't conducive to an "80's Detective Show".
A guy swimming in the ocean for hours? (Home From The Sea) 4 guys trapped on an island while trying to get home for Christmas? (Operation Silent Night), Some insane plot about scrolls belonging to little people with big brains (Legend Of The Lost Art)
Why Magnum means so much...wow. I spent time growing up in Hawaii and go back frequently. Same general age as the guys. Navy vet.
Fitness nut esp. with water sports like surfski and outrigger. The 80's....a great decade for most folks. The friendships the guys have with each other, enviable, plus a friend with a helicopter!! Magnum's integrity in his dealings with others, an admirable trait. You can trust the guy.
Plus, the episodes are about 45 minutes long, a proper time to spend on a piece of exercise equipment while watching. It makes the effort easier.
Seriously, I will always be a Magnum fan....always, and I don't feel this way about another TV show, movie or whatever!
Magnum has great characters. But it does better on atmosphere then almost any detective story I know. The footage is beautiful and the sordid waterfront scenes and the elegant estate compliment each other. The "mysterious past" part is well done. I am always wanting to hear Higgins finish some of his stories.
Magnum is very well developed and has an aesthetic attraction. It is more then simply the action sequences, or the gumshoeing but expands far beyond the normal limits of it's genre.
For me it comes down to two things
1. the overall quality of the show, for reasons detailed in many other posts in this thread and others. For me its mostly the characters as portrayed by "Charming" actors, but in any case, I find that even these 20 year old epsiodes with 80s production values, that I've seen dozens of times before, are more watchable than anything currently on TV.
2. The place the show has in my life- its not very dramatic, but I have fond memories of High School friendships of which MPI was a relevant part and college study sessions (maybe not so fond) from which MPI provided a break, or first year of marriage dinners eaten in front of USA today reruns.
At one point I had 20some VHS tapes filled with MPI episodes, which have now been replaced by DVDs.
VMO2, it’s good to know that I'm not the only one with 27 tapes full of MPI. I taped the shows over several years, so the episodes were seriously out of order. I eventually got the episode list and noted on my list where I could find each episode.
I now have all eight seasons on DVD. From this web site, I've learned that there are significant differences between the syndicated and DVD versions of a few episodes (e.g., Novel Connection and Resolutions). I will save those tapes until I can watch them.
TM: Well, it's not that we're old; it's just that we're not young anymore.
Autumn Warrior wrote:VMO2, it’s good to know that I'm not the only one with 27 tapes full of MPI. I taped the shows over several years, so the episodes were seriously out of order. I eventually got the episode list and noted on my list where I could find each episode.
I now have all eight seasons on DVD. From this web site, I've learned that there are significant differences between the syndicated and DVD versions of a few episodes (e.g., Novel Connection and Resolutions). I will save those tapes until I can watch them.
Do you guys happen to have the original broadcast version of "Limbo"? If so, check to see what the differences are between it and the DVD (and/or the syndication version). Same with "Murder By Night"; I could be wrong, but I swear the original broadcast version was mostly in black-and-white. And "Resolutions", for the life of me, I can't remember what happens in the scenes they cut out of the Annapolis bar scene (in the DVD and syndication versions)!
Lastly, if you have mostly syndicated recordings, can you run through each episode and note which scenes were cut out? For syndication they usually cut out a couple of minutes worth of scenes to add more commercial time. This would be a nice addition to the episode guide..... Ok, ok, I'm half kidding about this last one. I know that would take forever to do, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.
