Murder by Night (7.14)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the seventh season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
0
No votes
9.5 (One of the Best)
4
6%
9.0 (Excellent)
9
13%
8.5 (Very Good)
25
36%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
10
14%
7.5 (Decent)
8
11%
7.0 (Average at Best)
5
7%
6.5 (Not So Good)
4
6%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
2
3%
5.0 (Just Awful)
3
4%
 
Total votes: 70

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Milton Collins
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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#61 Post by Milton Collins »

This is a pretty fun episode. Not terrible to see the blonde daughter either lol. It's cool to me how creative Magnum PI was, each episode could be a complete 360 from the last one. Rick as the minister with his greased up hair was priceless! Love the end credits with Magnum coughing up smoke lol.

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charybdis1966
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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#62 Post by charybdis1966 »

I saw the largely black and white version fortunately and it does make the dream-within-a-dream sequence at the end make more sense.
This was more Mrs Marple with some Sam Spade than film noir per se, I thought. The tone was light hearted which made for a nice contrast with later season 7 episodes that were more sombre in tone with Roger Mosely hamming up his role hilariously.
The abundance of attractive female guest stars combined with the black and white photography made it a visually pleasing episode, with the blonde daughter a particular highlight.
The final Hercule Poirot inspired resolution scene was good- with all of them being guilty was good way to finish.
Overall, highly enjoyable.

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Mark R.Y.
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#63 Post by Mark R.Y. »

N1095A wrote:I just discovered this episode, and I have just one thing to say, Jennifer Runyan. Yeah, it's a good episode :wink:
Jennifer Runyon, indeed! A major crush of mine in the '80s. Note that she does the Higgins "Oh my God!" when calling off "Osiris" and "Isis."

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K Hale
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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#64 Post by K Hale »

marlboro wrote:It really, really ticks me off that Universal stuck an altered version of the episode on the dvd. :x Why would a "colorized" version even exist?
I'm amazed to learn a colorized version of this even exists. What a mess. Glad I haven't seen it. The black and white version, while not the most interesting plot, is beautiful to look at and fun to watch with everyone in the different roles, especially...
mandolabar wrote:...John Hillerman was playing Sam Caldwell. You forgot he ever WAS Higgins. He created a totally believable new person right there in the space of 45 minutes. Not a nice person, but a totally complete one, divorced entirely from his regular Magnum role, which is something none of the other three did. Just, wow.
I completely agree. Once again, Hillerman has blown me away with his acting ability.
100%. The other three guys are good actors, particularly Selleck who is very good within a certain niche. But JH had a lot more tools in the toolbox, and it sure shows in this episode.
- Tom Selleck looked great, but he could use some work on his delivery. It just didn't sound very noirish. He should have slowed it down a bit. Maybe do a little Robert Mitchum impersonation. "Cool nonchalance" is what he should have been going for.
I found his delivery a bit campy.
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ifunlisted
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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#65 Post by ifunlisted »

About half-way through the episode, Magnum's secretary lights his cigarette with some kind of permanent / eternal matchstick. Does anyone happen to know what it's called (the desktop version) or have any idea how to find one online?

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#66 Post by Pahonu »

ifunlisted wrote:About half-way through the episode, Magnum's secretary lights his cigarette with some kind of permanent / eternal matchstick. Does anyone happen to know what it's called (the desktop version) or have any idea how to find one online?
I just looked it up because my father had one. Had a bit of a flashback as I haven't thought of it in a looong time. :D They're called touch-tip lighters by Ronson and they're pretty pricey now. Look it up that way and you'll find some for sale on eBay. They were largely made before WWII. My father's was a black and silver one he had in his workshop behind our garage when I was growing up. I have no idea when or where he got it as that was 30+ years ago and he's passed on. I thought it was pretty cool when I was a little kid. It's just filled with lighter fluid. The tube tip sits in the fluid and when you pull it out and press it on the striker it lights. It'll eventually go out, as I remember trying it to see how long it would stay lit. My dad would just waive it out like any other match before putting it back in the tube. I remember seeing him fill it only a couple of times. I remember seeing him fill the metal pocket lighter he carried all the time. He also had an old diesel piston head about 5 inches across he used as an ashtray in his workshop. I have lots of great memories being with him out in that workshop. Unfortunately, he was a pretty heavy smoker, like two packs of cigarettes a day when I was growing up and sadly that was what did him in. I sometimes wonder about all the smoke I inhaled as a kid out there. It would be thick with smoke, but I still have fond memories of being out there with him. :D Sorry if that got a bit heavy.

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#67 Post by ifunlisted »

Pahonu wrote:
ifunlisted wrote:About half-way through the episode, Magnum's secretary lights his cigarette with some kind of permanent / eternal matchstick. Does anyone happen to know what it's called (the desktop version) or have any idea how to find one online?
I just looked it up because my father had one. Had a bit of a flashback as I haven't thought of it in a looong time. :D They're called touch-tip lighters by Ronson and they're pretty pricey now. Look it up that way and you'll find some for sale on eBay. They were largely made before WWII. My father's was a black and silver one he had in his workshop behind our garage when I was growing up. I have no idea when or where he got it as that was 30+ years ago and he's passed on. I thought it was pretty cool when I was a little kid. It's just filled with lighter fluid. The tube tip sits in the fluid and when you pull it out and press it on the striker it lights. It'll eventually go out, as I remember trying it to see how long it would stay lit. My dad would just waive it out like any other match before putting it back in the tube. I remember seeing him fill it only a couple of times. I remember seeing him fill the metal pocket lighter he carried all the time. He also had an old diesel piston head about 5 inches across he used as an ashtray in his workshop. I have lots of great memories being with him out in that workshop. Unfortunately, he was a pretty heavy smoker, like two packs of cigarettes a day when I was growing up and sadly that was what did him in. I sometimes wonder about all the smoke I inhaled as a kid out there. It would be thick with smoke, but I still have fond memories of being out there with him. :D Sorry if that got a bit heavy.
Amazing, thank you! ...and your stories make the info that much better:)

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#68 Post by Kevster »

Pahonu wrote:
ifunlisted wrote:About half-way through the episode, Magnum's secretary lights his cigarette with some kind of permanent / eternal matchstick. Does anyone happen to know what it's called (the desktop version) or have any idea how to find one online?
I just looked it up because my father had one. Had a bit of a flashback as I haven't thought of it in a looong time. :D They're called touch-tip lighters by Ronson and they're pretty pricey now. Look it up that way and you'll find some for sale on eBay. They were largely made before WWII. My father's was a black and silver one he had in his workshop behind our garage when I was growing up. I have no idea when or where he got it as that was 30+ years ago and he's passed on. I thought it was pretty cool when I was a little kid. It's just filled with lighter fluid. The tube tip sits in the fluid and when you pull it out and press it on the striker it lights. It'll eventually go out, as I remember trying it to see how long it would stay lit. My dad would just waive it out like any other match before putting it back in the tube. I remember seeing him fill it only a couple of times. I remember seeing him fill the metal pocket lighter he carried all the time. He also had an old diesel piston head about 5 inches across he used as an ashtray in his workshop. I have lots of great memories being with him out in that workshop. Unfortunately, he was a pretty heavy smoker, like two packs of cigarettes a day when I was growing up and sadly that was what did him in. I sometimes wonder about all the smoke I inhaled as a kid out there. It would be thick with smoke, but I still have fond memories of being out there with him. :D Sorry if that got a bit heavy.
Cool memories, and I have some that might be related. Not the touch tip lighter, but the cool gadgets/gizmos, etc. My parents had a lot of items from my maternal grandparents, and my maternal grandfather was a housewares purchaser for "Monkey-Ward," so some of the kitchen items were outrageous. Vintage 30's through early 60's. When my maternal grandfather passed on, my father inhereited a vast array of tools and such that he'd collected throughout his life. Vintage power tools, vintage hand tools, and one REALLY COOL ITEM: an adjustable wrench from a Model "T" tool kit. It is essentially a small, smooth-jawed, pipe style / Monkey wrench, and it's the very best tool I've ever used to remove and tighten water heater elements. I don't do that often, but I'm glad I have a tool for it.

We also share the loss of parents due to smoking related causes. Both of mine... I do cigars occasionally, but I quit cigarettes in my 20's after my father passed. Luckily, the second-hand smoke ceased being an issue in the house sometime around age 10-12. My mother quit at age 66, but too much damage had been done. A few years later, she was diagnosed with COPD.

Smoking was so culturally accepted that nobody thought about it. Of course, illness and death was more common too.
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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#69 Post by Pahonu »

Sorry to hear both parents Kevster. :( My mom is still around at 77 but then she never smoked. Your right about how culturally acceptable it was back then. It seemed like just about everyone had ashtrays and matches in there living rooms. My wife and I have talked about that before. That's one thing that's changed for the better.

Cool story about the Model T tool. My dad had several tools from his father. I remember him telling me once how his father used to take out the spark plugs to clean and rebuild them! on an old 1930's car their family had when he was a boy. Times sure change. My dad was an electrician and all-around handy guy so his workshop was filled with tools I still don't know what some of them were for. I have a few now including my grandpa's, but I don't have near the space, so most of them have been passed on. He taught me a lot. We essentially helped each other completely remodel each others kitchens years ago, cabinets, electrical, plumbing, just about everything but the stone work on the counters. We made several pieces of furniture together, welded up a bike rack for my first car and one for my buddy's. We worked on our cars and did all kinds of other stuff around the house. I'm teaching my son what I can. Cool you got some of your grandfather's tools. :D

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#70 Post by Mad Kudu Buck »

This is the only Magnum episode I have never watched to the end. I just can't do it. (It took me 30 years to finish the awful "Legend of the Lost Art" - and I regret having finished that, along with the other episodes I'd like to forget, like "Pleasure Principle", " The Great Hawaiian Adventure Company", " A Girl Named Sue", "The Love-for-Sale Boat", "Let me Hear the Music", " This Island Isn't Big Enough", "A.A.P.I."... and others. I like to pretend those episodes don't exist.)

I like black & white noir movies, and I like the Magnum Flashback dream episode, but this episode doesn't work for me - mainly because they're all playing other characters, not their Magnum P.I. characters. I watch Magnum P.I. to see the Magnum P.I. characters, not the Magnum P.I. actors playing other characters.

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#71 Post by #1 Buzzettes Fan »

Hello everyone. I have been a fan since about 1984. I remember a handful of select scenes from the show when it originally aired starting at about age nine. Last year I finally purchased the complete series on DVD.

I have read every single forum post for each episode up to 7.14 which is where I currently am in the series. I started from the beginning about four months ago. The amount of insight here has been a great supplement to the series. After I watch each episode I come here to compare my notes with yours. I used to look at this site years ago when I would catch a rerun on OTA television channels. I regret not chiming in sooner but let it be known that this site is a true treasure.

The reason why I now felt compelled to post was because something remarkable happened today. Throughout the last four months, while watching the complete series, I have been collecting old movie DVDs as well. I watch about three movies and perhaps eight Magnum P.I. episodes per week. So last night I finally got around to watching The Maltese Falcon. It was my first time seeing it. There was no rhyme or reason why I chose that DVD last night. I just happened to pick that one off of the shelf of my 200 DVDs.

So then... this morning, Murder By Night (7.14) was next in line for my daily Magnum P.I. viewing! I just couldn't believe that these two events aligned with each other a mere eight hours apart out of my 43 years of life. :shock: It was truly amazing seeing these back to back as so much of this episode was a direct homage to The Maltese Falcon.

What really surprised me on the forum here was that I didn't see any comments about Elisha Cook Jr. (Icepick) not guest starring in this episode. Maybe it was forgotten that he was actually in The Maltese Falcon (1941) playing Wilmer! He definitely should've at least been given the butler role or even a quick cameo shot of him firing a 1911 at the office from Alicia's car below. Maybe he wasn't fond of the whole idea. Who knows!

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#72 Post by Mark R.Y. »

#1 Buzzettes Fan wrote: What really surprised me on the forum here was that I didn't see any comments about Elisha Cook Jr. (Icepick) not guest starring in this episode. Maybe it was forgotten that he was actually in The Maltese Falcon (1941) playing Wilmer! He definitely should've at least been given the butler role or even a quick cameo shot of him firing a 1911 at the office from Alicia's car below. Maybe he wasn't fond of the whole idea. Who knows!
Of course, Cook did reprise his role of Wilmer in A.A.P.I. (a mere 45 years after Maltese!)

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#73 Post by T.Q. »

Image
Knocking my rubber chicken or my sloppy habits is within the rules, but you're attacking my character. I would like to think you don't mean that.

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#74 Post by T.Q. »

By the way.

I find this to be one of the worst episodes of the series.

Just awful.

JMHO

P.S. The ‘Precious’ and ‘Angel’ make me wanna bash myself over the head with a trophy. :P
Knocking my rubber chicken or my sloppy habits is within the rules, but you're attacking my character. I would like to think you don't mean that.

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Re: Murder by Night (7.14)

#75 Post by frao51 »

Do you know if the black and white version is available anywhere?

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