Magnum Mania!

Watching the Vega$ binge on Decades TV this weekend. I had forgotten what a great, fun show this was! Las Vegas in the late 70's, before all the big, gaudy casinos they have now! And Dan drove the red convertible first, his 57 Thunderbird! His place didn't look that great from the outside, but I loved his drive-in garage/home! And a good cast, with Phyllis Davis looking fine! I seem to always think of Spenser when I see Robert Urich, but Vega$ is right up there!

MagnumILWU wrote:Watching the Vega$ binge on Decades TV this weekend. I had forgotten what a great, fun show this was! Las Vegas in the late 70's, before all the big, gaudy casinos they have now! And Dan drove the red convertible first, his 57 Thunderbird! His place didn't look that great from the outside, but I loved his drive-in garage/home! And a good cast, with Phyllis Davis looking fine! I seem to always think of Spenser when I see Robert Urich, but Vega$ is right up there!

I saw it was playing and looked for the episode "Aloha, You're Dead" to no avail. It shows the estate, including all three rooms in the one-story ell and the upper balcony.

I don't think I've ever seen an episode. Which I need to correct . . .

ConchRepublican wrote:I don't think I've ever seen an episode. Which I need to correct . . .

Watching many episodes this weekend, there were quite a few guest stars, you later saw on Magnum. Also, many of the plots, reminded me of Magnum episodes, weather it was the story, or just bits and pieces.

MagnumILWU wrote:

ConchRepublican wrote:I don't think I've ever seen an episode. Which I need to correct . . .

Watching many episodes this weekend, there were quite a few guest stars, you later saw on Magnum. Also, many of the plots, reminded me of Magnum episodes, weather it was the story, or just bits and pieces.

I caught parts of about a dozen episodes as I had a busy weekend and of course the Vikings/Saints game (Yessss!) I forgot how much I used to like that show stars; Robert Urich, Phyllis Davis and Bart Braverman, Greg Morris plus like you said, so many guest stars that were on Magnum,pi. I never knew that Michael Mann created the show until I was watching the credits.... How can you go wrong with one of two great TV PI names: Dan Tanna and Thomas Magnum, I can see why Urich and Selleck were friends in real life.....

MagnumILWU wrote:

ConchRepublican wrote:I don't think I've ever seen an episode. Which I need to correct . . .

Watching many episodes this weekend, there were quite a few guest stars, you later saw on Magnum. Also, many of the plots, reminded me of Magnum episodes, weather it was the story, or just bits and pieces.

I should check that out. I'm always looking for good 70's/early 80's TV shows I missed - because I prefer the acting/directing/editing (..etc.) to any of that modern crap.

Are people supposed to pronounce "Vega$" as "Vegas"? I look at it and say "Vega-dollar-sign". (Same with stupid titles with "3" in them that are supposed to be the letter "e", like "Numb3rs", which I would pronounce as "Numb-three-r-s".)

Mad Kudu Buck wrote:

MagnumILWU wrote:

ConchRepublican wrote:I don't think I've ever seen an episode. Which I need to correct . . .

Watching many episodes this weekend, there were quite a few guest stars, you later saw on Magnum. Also, many of the plots, reminded me of Magnum episodes, weather it was the story, or just bits and pieces.

I should check that out. I'm always looking for good 70's/early 80's TV shows I missed - because I prefer the acting/directing/editing (..etc.) to any of that modern crap.

Are people supposed to pronounce "Vega$" as "Vegas"? I look at it and say "Vega-dollar-sign". (Same with stupid titles with "3" in them that are supposed to be the letter "e", like "Numb3rs", which I would pronounce as "Numb-three-r-s".)

Vegas and Numbers! https://youtu.be/ZgszjuIBM5Q

Mad Kudu Buck wrote:
I'm always looking for good 70's/early 80's TV shows I missed - because I prefer the acting/directing/editing (..etc.) to any of that modern crap.

You should check out David Janssen in Harry-O, one of my favorites. It ran for two seasons, 1974-1976.

Pahonu wrote:You should check out David Janssen in Harry-O, one of my favorites. It ran for two seasons, 1974-1976.

Thanks. I took a look at some clips and I recognize nearly every actor in it. Now I just need to find out where I can watch some full episodes. There seems to be nothing on YouTube.

Now that I look back, Dan Tanna (Robert Urich) in Vega$ was cut from the same mold as TM, or vice versa: young, good looking private detective driving a hot car in an exotic/exciting location.

Pahonu wrote:

Mad Kudu Buck wrote:
I'm always looking for good 70's/early 80's TV shows I missed - because I prefer the acting/directing/editing (..etc.) to any of that modern crap.

You should check out David Janssen in Harry-O, one of my favorites. It ran for two seasons, 1974-1976.

I always liked David Janssen but always saw him as Dr. Richard Kimble from the Fugitive. It was kind of like TS in his movies, he was still TM to me.

Pahonu wrote:

MagnumILWU wrote:Watching the Vega$ binge on Decades TV this weekend. I had forgotten what a great, fun show this was! Las Vegas in the late 70's, before all the big, gaudy casinos they have now! And Dan drove the red convertible first, his 57 Thunderbird! His place didn't look that great from the outside, but I loved his drive-in garage/home! And a good cast, with Phyllis Davis looking fine! I seem to always think of Spenser when I see Robert Urich, but Vega$ is right up there!

I saw it was playing and looked for the episode "Aloha, You're Dead" to no avail. It shows the estate, including all three rooms in the one-story ell and the upper balcony.

Just got done watching the two hour episode Aloha, You're Dead on the Movies channel. It was great, included many shots of the Estate including many interior and balcony shots not seen before, the boat house was converted into a mind conversion laboratory, there was an appearance by Elissa Hoopai and the Island Hoppers Hughes 500 helicopter; N58243.......Overall it was great and would have been shot the same time as Magnum, P.I. as it aired about a month before Don't Eat The Snow in Hawaii.....
(I didn't know the show was created by Michael Mann)

Steve wrote: Just got done watching the two hour episode Aloha, You're Dead on the Movies channel. It was great, included many shots of the Estate including many interior and balcony shots not seen before, the boat house was converted into a mind conversion laboratory, there was an appearance by Elissa Hoopai and the Island Hoppers Hughes 500 helicopter; N58243.......Overall it was great and would have been shot the same time as Magnum, P.I. as it aired about a month before Don't Eat The Snow in Hawaii.....
(I didn't know the show was created by Michael Mann)

I watched it too, for the third time I think. It likely filmed after the MPI pilot if it only aired a month before the pilot. Episodic shows were often only completed weeks before the airdate, while new pilots have to be ready for screening in the summer before the fall season starts. Also remember a writer's strike just before the fall season began delayed the first episodes of MPI, which is why there are fewer first season episodes. It also means the Vega$ episode was likely completed just before the strike happened.

Pahonu wrote:

Steve wrote: Just got done watching the two hour episode Aloha, You're Dead on the Movies channel. It was great, included many shots of the Estate including many interior and balcony shots not seen before, the boat house was converted into a mind conversion laboratory, there was an appearance by Elissa Hoopai and the Island Hoppers Hughes 500 helicopter; N58243.......Overall it was great and would have been shot the same time as Magnum, P.I. as it aired about a month before Don't Eat The Snow in Hawaii.....
(I didn't know the show was created by Michael Mann)

I watched it too, for the third time I think. It likely filmed after the MPI pilot if it only aired a month before the pilot. Episodic shows were often only completed weeks before the airdate, while new pilots have to be ready for screening in the summer before the fall season starts. Also remember a writer's strike just before the fall season began delayed the first episodes of MPI, which is why there are fewer first season episodes. It also means the Vega$ episode was likely completed just before the strike happened.

It is nice to have so many shots of your nameske isn't it but it also made me sad that it was torn down as the interior looked gorgeous in 1980.......So cool that Selleck and Uhrich were friends, I wish I could find that video on YouTube where they surprise each other on the road .............

Steve wrote:
It is nice to have so many shots of your nameske isn't it but it also made me sad that it was torn down as the interior looked gorgeous in 1980.......So cool that Selleck and Uhrich were friends, I wish I could find that video on YouTube where they surprise each other on the road .............

Yes, it's a great episode to see the actual interior of Pahonu. It was nearly 50 years old by then and those interiors were almost certainly not original furnishings and finishes, though they looked nice. I would love to see some old interior photos when it was first occupied in the early 30's, at some party perhaps. Unfortunately, most fans of the show aren't (or weren't) much interested in the real structure over the years, but rather the sets. That changed a bit after it was razed, but I still see questions asking how the sets might be able to fit in the real building. Short answer: not possible, nor with the guest house sets into the boathouse. I fear there aren't many more clues remaining out there about the house's interior.

This Vega$ episode is the only time I've ever seen all three rooms in the one-story ell shown together. Various Hawaii Five-O episodes showed the living room in one and the library in another, but never that end room that has the bar in it. I first saw that room in the real estate photos and wasn't sure of its location. It's the room Dan slides the door open to after first going into the house near the beginning. A couple of bedrooms, a glimpse into the dining room, and even the kitchen are also shown in Hawaii Five-O, as well as the real stairs to the second floor. The real estate photos also showed one dressing room to an upstairs bedroom suite never seen on screen, to my knowledge. They also had some interior gate house pics I had never seen.