A.A.P.I. (7.5)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the seventh season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
1
1%
9.5 (One of the Best)
3
3%
9.0 (Excellent)
17
20%
8.5 (Very Good)
28
33%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
20
23%
7.5 (Decent)
10
12%
7.0 (Average at Best)
0
No votes
6.5 (Not So Good)
3
3%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
1
1%
5.0 (Just Awful)
3
3%
 
Total votes: 86

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miltontheripper
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#21 Post by miltontheripper »

J.J. Walters wrote:LOL Jean-Claude! :lol:

This one is a thoroughly enjoyable, light-hearted, fun-filled episode. I love how they bring back all of these memorable recurring characters in the same episode - Luther Gillis, Tracy Spenser, Det. Katsumoto, Jean-Claude, even our friends Carol, Tanaka and Doc Ibold are in here. And I love the film noir-ish dream sequences (complete with more references and "tie-ins" to The Maltese Falcon).

I also love how almost everyone (except Magnum) winds up in the hospital at the end. Too funny.:shock:
Couldn't have said it better myself. Love the recurring characters, especially Luther who was ridiculous and very entertaining in this episode. I like these light hearted epsidode's, very fun to watch and a nice contrast to some of the darker, more serious ones. This one was never one I cared for much in the past and it's probably only the third time I have watched it but I've really grown to like it a lot. I liked the Agatha Christie "who done it" type of mystery with the majority of the episode taking place in one setting. I think the supporting cast and recurring characters were one of the highlights of the show and bringing them all together made for a great episode.

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#22 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

If you look at the name tag on the Kojak lookalike, it reads "Telly Savalas".

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#23 Post by MaximRecoil »

Did anyone read the text when they showed the closeup of Jean-Claude's notepad? At the end it said:

"This could put us very close to a big bust. About a 42D. That's a big bust isn't it?"

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#24 Post by Autumn Warrior »

I laughed out loud at several of Luther's lines, including his proclamation over Jean Claude: "Oh, gee, he croaked!"
TM: Well, it's not that we're old; it's just that we're not young anymore.

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#25 Post by Doc Fred »

This was fun to watch... and agree with all who liked the old characters showing up.

I was unhappy, though, with the idea that Magnum wasn't getting his award... Seems to me that he should have gotten the award regardless of what happened at the dinner; he earned it. And, at the end, when the nurse opened the door, even if the glass broke, he could always have another one made... Too much was made of, and by all the characters, about Mag not getting the actual trophy; he DID get the award.

I think Clyde was great as the John Wayne cop... Luther was his normal enjoyable self... Carol didn't do too well in how she showed grief for Fournier.... Tracy is likable, but a royal pain...
Woof, woof... thirty years uglier!... woof, woof...

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#26 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

Quote of the episode: "Lemon?" "No, it was a pretty good car"

A couple of sartorial notes:

1) During the amusing encounter between Luther Gillis and "John Wayne" outside Fournier's hotel room, they are both wearing identical boat shoes

2) Like TC, Luther Gillis seems to be fond of wearing both suspenders and a belt at the same time

I agree that Carol's reaction to Fournier's death was underwhelming. If I'm not mistaken they were supposed to be in a relationship at the time (although I'm not sure how that would have worked with him in Marseille and her in Oahu, but anyway), yet instead of being devastated she seems to react as if he was just a passing acquaintance.

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#27 Post by marlboro »

"...Gunsel, did you see the sunrise?"

Image



This was the first episode i watched from season 7. I'm a fan of the earlier Luther Gillis episodes, so I was looking forward to this one. I was kind of disappointed though. This one didn't have nearly as many laugh out loud moments as the previous Gillis episodes.

"Lemon?" "No, it was a pretty good car" and "Oh, gee, he croaked!" were both good lines though.

On the negative side - Det. John Wayne is back. I'm sure there were millions of fans clamoring for that. :roll: I was hoping the Chief from "I Never Wanted to Go to France, Anyway" would pop up and tomahawk him at some random moment.

On the plus side:


Image

Annie Potts is here to kick ass and find clues - and she's all out of ass.


I don't know why, but she is one of my favorite Magnum sidekicks. She's very likable and is able to play annoying characters who don't actually annoy the audience. She's the anti-Cassie Yates.

That pic is from Corvette Summer, by the way. Coincidentally, it also featured Eugene Roche.
Last edited by marlboro on Fri Oct 03, 2014 6:27 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#28 Post by J.J. Walters »

Corvette Summer, ah the memories. ;)
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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#29 Post by Sinjin »

Luther Gillis had me rolling in this funny episode revolving around an awards banquet, a murder, and the investigation of an international drug smuggling ring. Eugene Roche had some great lines and he delivered them to perfection with his over-the-top character Luther. "Everytime I came to Bananaland on a case..." "Speaking of the word 'cracked,' it reminds me of the time my little brother thought he was a chicken..." "Oh gee, he croaked!" "illegal peanut butter" "the banana train stops here" "Lemon?" He chewed up every scene he was in.

Annie Potts was very cute and quirky, as usual, reprising her role as wannabe detective Tracey Spencer.

The Maltese Falcon parody was great, especially seeing Elisha Cook, Jr. reprise his role as Wilmer. Magnum playing Sam Spade reminded me of Steve Martin in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083798/?ref_=nv_sr_1), one of my all time favorite comedies. The B&W sequence fits in perfectly to show us how Magnum sees himself as Sam Spade, his alter ego, daydreaming as he is about to receive an award (not that it's important) at this banquet. He tries to deny it, but the award is important. I loved the It's Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World parody. And the very end, when Magnum gets to enjoy his award... for a moment.

This episode vaguely reminded me of 1935's Charlie Chan in Shanghai (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026199/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). Their are superficial similarities in the plot: In both there is an early scene at a banquet where the Hawaii-based sleuth is being awarded for his accomplishments by an audience of peers; in both a murder takes place during the awards banquet; in both the murdered victim is a prominent law enforcement official who was investigating an international drug smuggling ring; in both there is a distraught woman to whom the detective is sympathetic who implores him to investigate; in both there is an assistant to the detective who goes undercover; in both the murderer turns out to be a crooked detective involved in international drug smuggling. It could be pure coincidence, but on a superficial level the parallels are surprising.

There is so much to like about this fun, funny episode, a tip-of-the-fedora to film noirs and whodunnits. I thought it was Excellent (9.0/10).

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#30 Post by Pahonu »

Sinjin wrote:Luther Gillis had me rolling in this funny episode revolving around an awards banquet, a murder, and the investigation of an international drug smuggling ring. Eugene Roche had some great lines and he delivered them to perfection with his over-the-top character Luther. "Everytime I came to Bananaland on a case..." "Speaking of the word 'cracked,' it reminds me of the time my little brother thought he was a chicken..." "Oh gee, he croaked!" "illegal peanut butter" "the banana train stops here" "Lemon?" He chewed up every scene he was in.

Annie Potts was very cute and quirky, as usual, reprising her role as wannabe detective Tracey Spencer.

The Maltese Falcon parody was great, especially seeing Elisha Cook, Jr. reprise his role as Wilmer. Magnum playing Sam Spade reminded me of Steve Martin in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083798/?ref_=nv_sr_1), one of my all time favorite comedies. The B&W sequence fits in perfectly to show us how Magnum sees himself as Sam Spade, his alter ego, daydreaming as he is about to receive an award (not that it's important) at this banquet. He tries to deny it, but the award is important. I loved the It's Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World parody. And the very end, when Magnum gets to enjoy his award... for a moment.

This episode vaguely reminded me of 1935's Charlie Chan in Shanghai (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026199/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). Their are superficial similarities in the plot: In both there is an early scene at a banquet where the Hawaii-based sleuth is being awarded for his accomplishments by an audience of peers; in both a murder takes place during the awards banquet; in both the murdered victim is a prominent law enforcement official who was investigating an international drug smuggling ring; in both there is a distraught woman to whom the detective is sympathetic who implores him to investigate; in both there is an assistant to the detective who goes undercover; in both the murderer turns out to be a crooked detective involved in international drug smuggling. It could be pure coincidence, but on a superficial level the parallels are surprising.

There is so much to like about this fun, funny episode, a tip-of-the-fedora to film noirs and whodunnits. I thought it was Excellent (9.0/10).
Interesting connections. I've read quite a bit of Dash Hammett, and seen several of the movies, but know very little about Charlie Chan.

Did you pick your username for Sinjin Smith? I know he was in Magnum, but I also noticed you're in Seal Beach and thought you might be a beach volleyball fan. I saw him play a few times in the 80's at Hermosa Beach.

I'm right nextdoor in Long Beach on Alamitos Bay. Welcome to the forum.

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#31 Post by Sinjin »

Thanks Pohanu, glad to be aboard. No relation to the volleyball player, although I know of him. Sinjin is another way of writing/saying "St. John," my name. Not that I'm a saint. Just random. I also go by Keone.

Earl Derr Biggers wrote the Chan novels. Biggers had visited Honolulu in 1919 and was impressed by newspaper accounts of real life Honolulu police detective Chang Apana. I've read a few of his stories and they are good. Biggers knows the islands and it comes through in his depiction of Honolulu in the 20s-30s. His stories inspired a number of movies from the late 1920-50s. The early Chan movies produced by Fox were surprisingly good, with quality production values, acting and writing. They were very popular in the US during those years. Warner Oland was the first and most agree the best actor to portray Chan. Sydney Toler also played Chan successfully for many years after Oland died in 1938. All of the Warner Oland movies had high production values and good writing, along with the early, Fox-produced Sydney Toler movies. Once Monogram Pictures took over for Fox in 1944, the production values and quality of writing started to slip.

I recommend the Chan books for anyone interested in detective fiction set in Honolulu and other locations during that time period. Most of the early Fox-produced movies are good too.

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#32 Post by Pahonu »

Sinjin wrote:Thanks Pohanu, glad to be aboard. No relation to the volleyball player, although I know of him. Sinjin is another way of writing/saying "St. John," my name. Not that I'm a saint. Just random. I also go by Keone.

Earl Derr Biggers wrote the Chan novels. Biggers had visited Honolulu in 1919 and was impressed by newspaper accounts of real life Honolulu police detective Chang Apana. I've read a few of his stories and they are good. Biggers knows the islands and it comes through in his depiction of Honolulu in the 20s-30s. His stories inspired a number of movies from the late 1920-50s. The early Chan movies produced by Fox were surprisingly good, with quality production values, acting and writing. They were very popular in the US during those years. Warner Oland was the first and most agree the best actor to portray Chan. Sydney Toler also played Chan successfully for many years after Oland died in 1938. All of the Warner Oland movies had high production values and good writing, along with the early, Fox-produced Sydney Toler movies. Once Monogram Pictures took over for Fox in 1944, the production values and quality of writing started to slip.

I recommend the Chan books for anyone interested in detective fiction set in Honolulu and other locations during that time period. Most of the early Fox-produced movies are good too.
I think you've convinced me to check out one of the Chan movies. If you had to pick one for me to watch...?

I get it about the name. A friend of mine's last name is St. Claire, but his family always says "Sinclair". I thought you might have chosen it because he was on the show as many members have usernames like that.

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#33 Post by Sinjin »

Pahonu wrote:I think you've convinced me to check out one of the Chan movies. If you had to pick one for me to watch...?
My personal favorite is Charlie Chan in Paris. Other watchable titles include Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, Charlie Chan in London, Charlie Chan in Honolulu, Charlie Chan in Egypt, Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise, Charlie Chan at the Olympics, Charlie Chan in Reno, Charlie Chan in Shanghai, Charlie Chan in Panama, Charlie Chan in Rio.

Most if not all of these are available on YouTube. Enjoy...

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#34 Post by Pahonu »

Thanks!

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Re: A.A.P.I. (7.5)

#35 Post by Luther's nephew Dobie »

Jay Firestorm wrote -
* As mentioned in my review, there is a persistent rumour that James Garner was pencilled in to make a cameo as Jim Rockford in this episode, but due to a dispute with Universal, the idea never came to fruition.

Hi Jay,
I recommend you read James Garner's autobiography. Universal and before that Warner Brothers treated him so shabbily he had to sue them. Like all the other studios,
they engaged in racketeering - see Cliff Robertson - when it came to honestly living up to agreements and profits.
They got away with it because Hollywood is still a company town, but Garner took them to court. Universal payed him a huge fortune before just before trial because
he had the goods on them for cheating him out of Rockford Files profits and he literally could have sent members of their top managment to jail.
That said, I find I enjoy Universal series, COZI TV runs mostly all Universal product, after awhile you cant but help know all the buildings at Universal Studios, especially
if you ever took the tour there.
The streets of Beaver Cleaver's Springfield are the same downtown and neighborhood that was used over and over again in Dragnet and Adam-12, on to the Back To The Future movies.
This is why Magnum PI is such an exception to Universal's usual series that were all filmed at the studio, it also being standard practice to recycle scripts between series to an incredible extent, and even reuse footage such as Run For Your Life lifting scenes/shots from Suspense Theatre.
Magnum on the other hand was big budget with first class writing and actors. Other than episodes that were deliberate tributes to old movies or take offs on such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, it was refreshing to see story lines that were original. Magnum himself, what a deep character, underneath the charm there lurked aspects of him that made for a ultra effective sniper, aspects that most casual viewers don't get but that TC recognized was always there, TC representing the better part of Thomas's nature. I can't recall which episode but TC hid Thomas's .45 because he was going out to literally hunt a very bad guy, Magnum giving TC a look that said he'd do whatever he had to do to get the gun back(I found Selleck chilling). Magnum is one of the most richly developed characters in tv history, people who just see the handsome guy in the sports car
have no clue.
For all the joking about the bullet holes in TC's chopper, this just stresses TM is a man it is dangerous to be around.
Luther's nephew Dobie(Gillis)

"Ihr Racker, wollt ihr ewig leben?"("Rascals, would you live forever?")...Frederick the Great to some hesitant troops.
"Come on you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?"...Sergeant Dan Daly leading Marines at Belleau Wood
Last edited by Luther's nephew Dobie on Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

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