"Magnum on Ice"

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hi Ivan,
Thank you for the info regarding dailymotion. I will watch TJ Hooker's take on The Wookies episode. I enjoy Shatner, but missed watching TJ Hooker at the time it was
first on. In your opinion is the series worth investing the time to catch all the episodes?

Hmm, this might be a little difficult to answer. When I was an early teen this was absolutely my favorite cop show (I was watching it in reruns in the mid 90s). Better than other cop shows I watched at the time like HUNTER, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, etc. I didn't compare it to HAWAII FIVE-O (which I also watched and loved at the time) because for some reason I didn't see FIVE-O as a "cop" show. No black and whites, sirens, flashing lights, police uniforms, etc. T.J. HOOKER had all that so it was THE cop show! Throw in lots of chases and car crashes and it was the show for me! But looking at it today it definitely feels dated and cheesy, more so than other shows from the decade. HUNTER feels less cheesy in comparison. Same with IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. But if you're in the right mood or you have nostalgic memories of the show (like me) you can find some enjoyment out of it, especially with certain episodes (like the aforementioned "Deadlock"). Also put me in the camp who consider the Shat to be a hammy actor. Jack Lord he ain't when gritting his teeth and reading someone the riot act. It's actually funny seeing him grit his teeth and call someone "scum" for the umpteenth time in every episode.
I'll say one thing. Its theme song (by Mark Snow) is one of the coolest themes in TV history! Especially seasons 3-5. Seasons 1 & 2 still had a bit of that 70s sound to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hci3fWEx-JA
And who can forget the episode where Hooker and Romano in their black and white (4-Adam-30) chase perennial baddie Richard Lynch in an airplane down the runway? I have vivid childhood memories of that one and then the shootout in the abandoned bus yard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7EuZA1cqvQ

Ivan-hoe,
You make a good point about series aging badly, and how as you get older you are more sophisticated in your tastes. When I was a kid I loved "The Good Guys" starring Bob
Denver, it ran 2 or 3 years. I caught an episode on You Tube and realized it was aimed at the kiddie audience and my parents were being indulgent allowing us kids to
watch it on the family color TV, back when the entire family viewed everything together.
As for Shat, I acknowledge he did do the cheese factor at times but I think he was playing to the quality of the work he was in, which doesn't reflect well on him.
From what you say TJ Hooker might have fallen into the "did it for the quick buck" category.
After training as a classical Shakespearean actor at Canada's national theater, he earned kudos at the world famous Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario.
Back then he was seen as a peer to guys like Newman, McQueen but hurt himself from the get go because he would take almost any part for the moola on TV.
Still, he was lauded on Broadway and was great in the play filmed in 1970 for PBS, The Andersonville Trial, and his turns on Route 66,The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive
and Boston Legal and other series were stellar. But at the same time he consistently would do junk for the money.
Maybe that's understandable as after Star Trek ended, the freshly divorced Shatner, almost penniless, was living in his camper pick up truck in the parking lot of the
Paper Mill Playhouse a few miles from my house, he couldn't even afford a bed at a Howard Johnsons motel. That sort of thing will give you a healthy respect for money.
That clip of TJ Hooker chasing the airplane, whoa! Thanks for your take on that series.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Maybe that's understandable as after Star Trek ended, the freshly divorced Shatner, almost penniless, was living in his camper pick up truck in the parking lot of the
Paper Mill Playhouse a few miles from my house, he couldn't even afford a bed at a Howard Johnsons motel. That sort of thing will give you a healthy respect for money.
That clip of TJ Hooker chasing the airplane, whoa! Thanks for your take on that series.

I'm not sure why Shatner was penniless after Star Trek. The show ran for 3 seasons and he must have made some good money from that show, being the star and all. Did his wife totally clean him out? How did that happen? Isn't he entitled to at least half of it?

But yeah, I encourage you to catch TJ Hooker. You might like it. Check it out.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Maybe that's understandable as after Star Trek ended, the freshly divorced Shatner, almost penniless, was living in his camper pick up truck in the parking lot of the
Paper Mill Playhouse a few miles from my house, he couldn't even afford a bed at a Howard Johnsons motel. That sort of thing will give you a healthy respect for money.
That clip of TJ Hooker chasing the airplane, whoa! Thanks for your take on that series.

I'm not sure why Shatner was penniless after Star Trek. The show ran for 3 seasons and he must have made some good money from that show, being the star and all. Did his wife totally clean him out? How did that happen? Isn't he entitled to at least half of it?
But yeah, I encourage you to catch TJ Hooker. You might like it. Check it out.

Ivan,
Shat wrote 2 or 3 books about his life, then updated versions later on. I read one some 25 years ago, and he started it off recounting living in his truck in the parking lot.
People in our town of Westfield talked about it as word was out he was living there, as many locals attended the Broadway quality plays at the Papermill, and still do.
I have seen Robert Vaughn there, Tony Randall, Karen Valentine, David McCallum, Bob Denver, Jose Ferrer, Jason Robards, Bernadette Peters etc.
Shatner gave his wife and the kids most everything, as he felt guilty over his legendary philandering, sleeping with many of Trek's beautiful guest stars and some cast members(not Sulu).
As you know series stars weren't anywhere nearly as well paid as they are today or got residuals after the third rerun unless they had a sharp forward seeing agent.
Trek was not a ratings hit when it was on, sci-fi was looked at as kids stuff.
On the other hand I have to believe if it was you or me we would have made some investments and taken expert financial advice, so I would suspect Shatner must have blown
a whole lot of his showbiz money even if stars weren't paid like they are now. He made his bed, he could sleep in it, I don't feel bad he would up in that parking lot.
Though credit him with the self awareness - that's why he started his Bio off with it - to get it was his fault that he wound up sleeping in a camper.
I have put TJ Hooker on my list of series to check out, thank you Ivan. Right now I am still going thru The Rookies.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Maybe that's understandable as after Star Trek ended, the freshly divorced Shatner, almost penniless, was living in his camper pick up truck in the parking lot of the
Paper Mill Playhouse a few miles from my house, he couldn't even afford a bed at a Howard Johnsons motel. That sort of thing will give you a healthy respect for money.
That clip of TJ Hooker chasing the airplane, whoa! Thanks for your take on that series.

I'm not sure why Shatner was penniless after Star Trek. The show ran for 3 seasons and he must have made some good money from that show, being the star and all. Did his wife totally clean him out? How did that happen? Isn't he entitled to at least half of it?
But yeah, I encourage you to catch TJ Hooker. You might like it. Check it out.

Ivan,
Shat wrote 2 or 3 books about his life, then updated versions later on. I read one some 25 years ago, and he started it off recounting living in his truck in the parking lot.
People in our town of Westfield talked about it as word was out he was living there, as many locals attended the Broadway quality plays at the Papermill, and still do.
I have seen Robert Vaughn there, Tony Randall, Karen Valentine, David McCallum, Bob Denver, Jose Ferrer, Jason Robards, Bernadette Peters etc.
Shatner gave his wife and the kids most everything, as he felt guilty over his legendary philandering, sleeping with many of Trek's beautiful guest stars and some cast members(not Sulu).
As you know series stars weren't anywhere nearly as well paid as they are today or got residuals after the third rerun unless they had a sharp forward seeing agent.
Trek was not a ratings hit when it was on, sci-fi was looked at as kids stuff.
On the other hand I have to believe if it was you or me we would have made some investments and taken expert financial advice, so I would suspect Shatner must have blown
a whole lot of his showbiz money even if stars weren't paid like they are now. He made his bed, he could sleep in it, I don't feel bad he would up in that parking lot.
Though credit him with the self awareness - that's why he started his Bio off with it - to get it was his fault that he wound up sleeping in a camper.
I have put TJ Hooker on my list of series to check out, thank you Ivan. Right now I am still going thru The Rookies.

Thanks for the info, Dobe. Amazing trinkets of info you have stored away.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Thanks for the info, Dobe. Amazing trinkets of info you have stored away.

Hi Ivan,
When I was younger I read everything I could about Hollywood, not the gossip stuff but rather bios on John Ford, Mitchum, Duke Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, etc plus books on Westerns, war movies,
film noir, TV series I liked, you name it I read it and retained it. Most of this stuff is useless info but in forums like this it can come in handy, as with the Shatner background.
I hope I don't come off at times as some know all, I am the first to say I'm not.
But I am a font of useless trivia. For instance koala fingerprints are indistinguishable from humans. That would be a neat plot device on a murder mystery, put a koalas
prints on the murder weapon and keep the cops busy trying to figure out to whom they belong.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I hope I don't come off at times as some know all, I am the first to say I'm not.

Oh no, not at all. I think all of us here are guilty of storing useless info, not just about MPI but shows/movies/entertainment in general. I know I am. I too used to read books about TV/film and then even more on the web once that came around.

But I am a font of useless trivia. For instance koala fingerprints are indistinguishable from humans. That would be a neat plot device on a murder mystery, put a koalas
prints on the murder weapon and keep the cops busy trying to figure out to whom they belong.

Funny! Don't forget that we did have that Simon & Simon episode where a chimp was a murder suspect.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

A reminder -
The  sequel to the 1973 Mannix  episode "Little Girl Lost"(season 7 episode 4)will air this coming Tuesday, February 8 at 11:00 AM on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.
It's the (1997) Diagnosis: Murder episode titled "Hard Boiled Murder" (season 4 episode 17).
Many of the original cast appeared in both, should be interesting watching the same characters 24 years apart.

The character of Joe Mannix also appeared on The Lucy Show as well as Diagnosis: Murder.
Dr. Mark Sloan(Dick Van Dyke) plays Mannix's doctor.
Sloan also crossed paths with Rob Petrie from The Dick Van Dyke Show and Cinnamon Carter from Mission Impossible.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's so dry the trees are bribing the dogs"...Banjo Patterson

[Little Garwood]

Dr. Mark Sloan and Joe Mannix (he of the alternate universe “Mannix-Mania” fansite, had our founding father been 10 years older).

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Dr. Mark Sloan and Joe Mannix (he of the alternate universe “Mannix-Mania” fansite, had our founding father been 10 years older).

Good one Garwood, you gave me my laugh for the day. And I for one would love a Mannix-Mania site.
Maybe J.J. Walters will come out of retirement and found one.
Mike Connors was very important to the Armenian community back when, besides Cher I'd bet he is still the biggest star with that background.
Others would include sultry Adrienne Barbeau, Victor French and Sig Haig, one of the all time great character actors.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Wait, isn't Five-O-Mania more deserving than Mannix-Mania?

Let's work on that one first!

[Little Garwood]

Wait, isn't Five-O-Mania more deserving than Mannix-Mania?

Let's work on that one first!

Already done, bruddah!

While Thomas Magnum’s laundry and the great state of Hawaii are obsessions for many here (and Five-0 did a much better job than MPI did of showcasing the islands and their locals), Mannix (and Rockford) are far more Mania worthy than Five-0 since Joe Mannix and Jim Rockford are Thomas Magnum’s private detective (“investigator”) predecessors. Besides, Five-0 is tha fuzz…mostly hostile to the private investigator.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Wait, isn't Five-O-Mania more deserving than Mannix-Mania?

Let's work on that one first!

Already done, bruddah!

True dat, brah!

and Five-0 did a much better job than MPI did of showcasing the islands and their locals

You know what else it did better? Using real locations in their dialogue. I still can't get over Robin's Nest being located on the North Shore!! What the heck?? Why not just say where it really is, on the windward side in Waimanalo, along Kalanianaole Hwy? When Five-O filmed on the north shore it WAS the north shore. When they said it was Makaha they filmed in Makaha. Also I lost track how many times they would say a street on MPI and I would look it up only to learn it's a bogus street. On Five-O by and large the street names and locations were legit, not made-up. Maybe they were a bit loose with the names (sometimes) in the first season but they quickly began using real names. But MPI came after Five-O, so what's their excuse?

[Little Garwood]

Even when watching MPI as a kid I noticed the odd tension/disconnect between the main characters and the locals; I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not. Sure, MPI had episodes focusing on Hawaiian culture and spiritual concerns, but for the most part the entirety of Magnum P.I. (and seasons 10-12 of HF0) went the Lou Richards route instead of the Kono route, if you catch my drift.

That shift was especially odd in Five-0’s case, since that program mostly did a pretty good job of representing Hawaii…until the 10th season, that is (and I state this as a lifelong S11-12 HF0 fan).

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Even when watching MPI as a kid I noticed the odd tension/disconnect between the main characters and the locals; I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not. Sure, MPI had episodes focusing on Hawaiian culture and spiritual concerns, but for the most part the entirety of Magnum P.I. (and seasons 10-12 of HF0) went the Lou Richards route instead of the Kono route, if you catch my drift.

That shift was especially odd in Five-0’s case, since that program mostly did a pretty good job of representing Hawaii…until the 10th season, that is (and I state this as a lifelong S11-12 HF0 fan).

To be fair the 10th season did give us more "Hawaiian" stories than some of the previous seasons. Episodes like "Descent of the Torches", "The Big Aloha", "Tread the King's Shadow" (YECH!) but it also had episodes with the governor's socialite "white bread" friends.

[Pahonu]

Wait, isn't Five-O-Mania more deserving than Mannix-Mania?

Let's work on that one first!

Already done, bruddah!

True dat, brah!

and Five-0 did a much better job than MPI did of showcasing the islands and their locals

You know what else it did better? Using real locations in their dialogue. I still can't get over Robin's Nest being located on the North Shore!! What the heck?? Why not just say where it really is, on the windward side in Waimanalo, along Kalanianaole Hwy? When Five-O filmed on the north shore it WAS the north shore. When they said it was Makaha they filmed in Makaha. Also I lost track how many times they would say a street on MPI and I would look it up only to learn it's a bogus street. On Five-O by and large the street names and locations were legit, not made-up. Maybe they were a bit loose with the names (sometimes) in the first season but they quickly began using real names. But MPI came after Five-O, so what's their excuse?

Bellisario is quoted as saying he wanted to conjure up the pre-war, territorial era of Hawaii for the series. I’m not certain why but that was his goal. With Pahonu and the fictional KKC, he did a pretty good job. We all love it anyway.