Magnum Mania!

Rick Romer (set decorator) has three postings in his blog on Gillian Dobb (aka Agatha Chumley). Look at the link posted above and you'll find them (look on the right side of the web page).

I am sad to read that she would leave the studio, walk to the corner and wait for the bus to go home. Hardly what I would have expected although GD was an 'extra.' I consider Agatha an integral part of the pantheon, although she was only in 29 episodes as Agatha, plus another 3 as other characters.

I imagine her getting home, where ever that was, fixing dinner, putting her feet up, studying her pages for the next days' shoot, then off for a bath and bed - then up to get an early call, if needed. Then waiting for the bus...

I feel that Gillian in person would be as gracious as her character. I kind of miss her...

Just watching her first appearance on Magnum. It's too bad there is such little info on her. Who knows if she had family, and who's around to remember her! But with this Forum, and all the Magnum, PI fans, she will be remembered, and missed always!

Unsure if this info is new or not but I found this excerpt from the 'The Hour' Newspaper - Norwalk, CT USA, June 7 1984

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vP ... %2C1096485

I also found out that she lived in Ewa Beach, HI while filming for Magnum until she moved to Lancaster, NY

Thanks for the article link TM. I hadn't seen that before.

"...juggling a job as a legal secretary by day and sometimes acting at night, mostly at the Honolulu Community Theater and the Hawaii Performing Arts Company."

Thanks TM...more background on Miss Dobbs from the Boca Raton news dated Sept 12th 1985.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 68,4450171

This appears to be the complete article.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2 ... 41,4600551

Thanks for that Sam. I'm going to link the articles to her IMDB profile so that people can then easily find that information.

Interesting how the article says she was born in London. Her IMDB profile says she was born in Michigan.

A few years ago I clearly remember that her place of birth on IMDB was listed as England (possibly London). Now that would make sense. The fact that it doesn't state which town she was born in (in Michigan) is strange

OK, I've submitted the following mini-bio to IMBD for review:

Gillian Dobb was born on May 8, 1929 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, best known for her role as 'Agatha Chumley' in Magnum, P.I. (1980) and Gidget's Summer Reunion (1985). In 1952 she moved to Australia where she began working with the Canberra Repertory Society as a prompter. Her work took her to Washington, D.C. until 1975 when she moved to Labrador, Canada. In 1959 she met and married an American serviceman from New Jersey who was later stationed in Hawaii. They moved to Honolulu but divorced in 1977. Dobb worked as a legal secretary as well as acting work with the Honolulu Community Theatre and the Hawaii Performing Arts Company. She died on March 31, 2001 in Lancaster, New York, USA.

Ms. Dobb has had a very interesting life from what I've been able to find. There's plenty that I haven't been able to add to her IMDB bio because I can't put it into context. The above was the best I could do.

I've also found out that her ex husband lived in Clark, NV, (Las Vegas) and died in 2008.

She was born in London - no doubt about it. On Dec. 15 1964 she became a US citizen. Her address on her U.S. citizen naturalization petition form is:

212 Avenue "A" East, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana

(her husband was in the USAF, later deployed to Hickam AFB, hence why she ends up in Honolulu)

The actual application was made in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on March 8, 1961.

Job title: secretary

She married on Dec 12, 1959 in Bayonne, NJ (Marvin Dobb)

Her 1993 Hawaii address were:

2817 Leialoha Ave, Honolulu, HI, 96816

then we have (still in 1993)

41 S Beretania St # 21, Honolulu, HI, 96813-2220
1020 Isenberg St Apt 324, Honolulu, HI, 96826-2937

(note the comment left on Rick Romer's blog, seems to verify one of the above addresses)

according to my records, she was at the following addresses until at least 1999

91-1462 Renton Rd Apt 4, Ewa Beach, HI, 96706-4210
91-1478 Renton Rd Apt 9, Ewa Beach, HI, 96706-4223

I also found this in regards to this address http://www.eahhousing.org/pages/apartmentdetail/106 - unsure if this is recent development or was also the case back 1996

The problem is I can't find anything from then on, except a partial address

Broadway St, Lancaster, NY 14086

I'm not able to find the original death notice at this stage so this is as far as I got. The above address could be just the place of death.

The other thing which is funny, why was the notice in the obituaries published in The Hamilton Spectator, of all papers?

Excellent sleuthing there ThomasMagnum!

I agree that is excellant investigative work by our own ThomasMagnum. Agatha was such a beautiful character in the series. Your info about Gillian's life is a welcome and interesting contribution to this site.

I propose at the next Annual Convention Of Private Investigators we should nominate you for the " Local P.I. Of The Year" award.

Sam, thanks for your PM. I believe your assertion regarding the Greenfield facility is correct - This was also my guess (vaguely) on where she might have been when I initially came across the (partial) address

http://www.niagaralutheran.org/content/ ... ield-rehab

So the address there is

5949-5979 Broadway St - Lancaster, NY 1408

She may have had family in the area, hence why she ended up in Lancaster. I'm trying to track down the original death notice from the newspaper - it might provide more information.

ThomasMagnum, what was her maiden name? I can have a go at finding out a bit about her background in England - don't know if I'll find much but I'll have a look. Thanks!

Thanks guys! It's nice to have the "team" do the work!

Louise wrote:ThomasMagnum, what was her maiden name? I can have a go at finding out a bit about her background in England - don't know if I'll find much but I'll have a look. Thanks!

Hi Louise,

I'm 99.8% sure it's Johnson - Her birth was registered in the Hammersmith district of London. The only way to know for sure is to sight the record itself (or get hold of her birth certificate)

GRO Volume 1A, Page 292

The record is physically located at

The Register Office Hammersmith Town Hall King Street London W6 9JU

Assuming it's the same Gillian, her parents were Greswold William Johnson & Gwendoline Ethel Johnson (nee Stacey). Their address in 1930 is listed as:

33 Emlyn Rd, White City, London W12 9TF, UK

That address is just around the corner from the Hammersmith Town Hall.

ThomasMagnum wrote:Sam, thanks for your PM. I believe your assertion regarding the Greenfield facility is correct - This was also my guess (vaguely) on where she might have been when I initially came across the (partial) address

http://www.niagaralutheran.org/content/ ... ield-rehab

So the address there is

5949-5979 Broadway St - Lancaster, NY 1408

She may have had family in the area, hence why she ended up in Lancaster. I'm trying to track down the original death notice from the newspaper - it might provide more information.

I was figuring it was a nursing care facility in the area. It is strange based on her history she'd wind up in NY outside of Buffalo.