Season 4 Episode 5: Til Death (4.5)

[KENJI]

Just a title at this point.

[KENJI]

When Magnum and Higgins are hired by an anxious groom to look into his bride-to-be on the eve of their wedding, what they think is a simple case of cold feet turns into a web of lies and a life-or-death situation for Higgins.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

This is the first episode of the entire reboot that I enjoyed, without long stretches of annoyance. "The Bride" herself was well cast, the chase scene with her and Higgins wasn't the
same old, same old but quite exciting. Perdita Weeks may not be the most curvaceous woman on TV but she is certainly just about the fittest, it sure looks like her doing many of the stunts.
Whoever the new producer(s) is, the show is better for it, there are individual bits that are working, plus TC's life story is more fully realized as opposed to previous seasons when he was a walking
cardboard cut out. Maybe that's the reason Stephen Hill didn't hardly bother to act till this season.
I do have a nightmarish fear that as the years go by, the reboot will displace the decades old Classic Magnum in syndication just because it is newer, despite being inferior to the original.
Like Burt Reynolds "The Longest Yard" being sent to the showers by the Adam Sandler remake. And Classic Hawaii 5-0 banished from the airwaves by Lenkov's newer version, which is a crime!
Does anyone know of the original being played on any TV station?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cry of the Clan McDonald during the English Civil War: "Sons of dogs come, and we will will give you flesh."
They later expanded on this idea and opened up their first hamburger stand.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I do have a nightmarish fear that as the years go by, the reboot will displace the decades old Classic Magnum in syndication just because it is newer, despite being inferior to the original.
Like Burt Reynolds "The Longest Yard" being sent to the showers by the Adam Sandler remake. And Classic Hawaii 5-0 banished from the airwaves by Lenkov's newer version, which is a crime!
Does anyone know of the original being played on any TV station?

I don't think there's any danger of that. Classic Five-O always was and I'm sure still is playing on some station somewhere. Plus there's the Decades Binge which shows Five-O marathons from time to time. As for the new Five-0 I know they finally started showing it on the iON channel but I haven't come across it in a while so maybe they took it off. The continuing story lines don't play well in syndication. Same thing will be true with the new MPI. Classic MPI is still on a constant rotation on ChargeTV and maybe some other channels too.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I do have a nightmarish fear that as the years go by, the reboot will displace the decades old Classic Magnum in syndication just because it is newer, despite being inferior to the original.
Like Burt Reynolds "The Longest Yard" being sent to the showers by the Adam Sandler remake. And Classic Hawaii 5-0 banished from the airwaves by Lenkov's newer version, which is a crime!
Does anyone know of the original being played on any TV station?

I don't think there's any danger of that. Classic Five-O always was and I'm sure still is playing on some station somewhere. Plus there's the Decades Binge which shows Five-O marathons from time to time. As for the new Five-0 I know they finally started showing it on the iON channel but I haven't come across it in a while so maybe they took it off. The continuing story lines don't play well in syndication. Same thing will be true with the new MPI. Classic MPI is still on a constant rotation on ChargeTV and maybe some other channels too.

Ivan,
I hope your judgment prevails here.
I too enjoy the Decades binges. A few months ago they ran a "The Rookies" marathon and I recalled you posting how much you liked that series. So I watched and enjoyed it and shortly after the H & I
network began running it early in the AM Sundays and I was hooked. Unfortunately they only ran it for about 4 months, so I am now finishing watching it on You Tube.
I just watched the 3rd season episode "Cliffy", written by Mark Slade(High Chaparral's "Blue Boy") who guest starred as a "retarded" young man and he was terrific, his script terrific and the episode
terrific overall. There was a lot of truth in it, spot on.
One heart breaking scene had the challenged youth's saintlike sister/guardian (Tyne Daily) breaking and lashing out about having no social life or future because of the baggage her own
brother Cliff represents. That hit home because my childhood pal's brain damage from being run over resulted in him becoming a middle age five year old, his guardian/sister sacrificing her own
happiness or shot at family life because of him. It sounds brutal but if anyone ever asked me I would say she was wrong, she was entitled to having a life and kids and should have found a institution
to care for her brother. And the guy I knew that was her brother would have agreed.
Thanks Ivan for talking up The Rookies, it's chock full of my favorite 1970's actors in guest starring roles and a darn good show. Plus it features a young Kate Jackson.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I do have a nightmarish fear that as the years go by, the reboot will displace the decades old Classic Magnum in syndication just because it is newer, despite being inferior to the original.
Like Burt Reynolds "The Longest Yard" being sent to the showers by the Adam Sandler remake. And Classic Hawaii 5-0 banished from the airwaves by Lenkov's newer version, which is a crime!
Does anyone know of the original being played on any TV station?

I don't think there's any danger of that. Classic Five-O always was and I'm sure still is playing on some station somewhere. Plus there's the Decades Binge which shows Five-O marathons from time to time. As for the new Five-0 I know they finally started showing it on the iON channel but I haven't come across it in a while so maybe they took it off. The continuing story lines don't play well in syndication. Same thing will be true with the new MPI. Classic MPI is still on a constant rotation on ChargeTV and maybe some other channels too.

Ivan,
I hope your judgment prevails here.
I too enjoy the Decades binges. A few months ago they ran a "The Rookies" marathon and I recalled you posting how much you liked that series. So I watched and enjoyed it and shortly after the H & I
network began running it early in the AM Sundays and I was hooked. Unfortunately they only ran it for about 4 months, so I am now finishing watching it on You Tube.
I just watched the 3rd season episode "Cliffy", written by Mark Slade(High Chaparral's "Blue Boy") who guest starred as a "retarded" young man and he was terrific, his script terrific and the episode
terrific overall. There was a lot of truth in it, spot on.
One heart breaking scene had the challenged youth's saintlike sister/guardian (Tyne Daily) breaking and lashing out about having no social life or future because of the baggage her own
brother Cliff represents. That hit home because my childhood pal's brain damage from being run over resulted in him becoming a middle age five year old, his guardian/sister sacrificing her own
happiness or shot at family life because of him. It sounds brutal but if anyone ever asked me I would say she was wrong, she was entitled to having a life and kids and should have found a institution
to care for her brother. And the guy I knew that was her brother would have agreed.
Thanks Ivan for talking up The Rookies, it's chock full of my favorite 1970's actors in guest starring roles and a darn good show. Plus it features a young Kate Jackson.

Sorry Dobie, but you must have me confused with someone else. I never discussed THE ROOKIES or talked about liking it. I know about the show and that it's from the Spelling-Goldberg factory (interestingly enough Leonard Goldberg is now the main man behind BLUE BLOODS, and was behind T.J. HOOKER in the 80s which was a show I liked) but I've never actually seen a full episode of THE ROOKIES. Just some clips here and there on YouTube. It has a pretty cool theme by Elmer Bernstein if I recall correctly, but then what cop show back in the day didn't have a cool theme? Even if the show wasn't good you could at least count on a cool theme! Nowadays opening themes don't even exist. They'll tell us it's because we're more "intelligent" now and therefore no longer need "cheap gimmicks" to rope us into watching a show. But if you ask me it's just a lack of creativity and lack of enthusiasm for the project they're working on. It's all about the almighty dollar! As long as they include enough boom-booms and shocking twists in the story to keep the viewers viewing then it's good enough for them. It's like giving someone a present without taking the necessary care to gift wrap it nicely on the outside - so that it's both pleasing on the outside as well as on the inside. The complete package! Instead of just half-assing it - "hey, there's a gift card inside so just be happy with that and stop complaining". In other words there isn't that tender love and care that goes into these modern shows as there used to be back in the day. When Leonard Freeman conceived FIVE-O he made sure all the ingredients were in place - a great opening theme, arresting (no pun intended) lead actor, local actors to provide local color, hard-hitting stories set against the backdrop of gorgeous Hawaii, creative cinematography and excellent episodic music scoring, superb guest stars, shocking freeze-frame endings, etc. The complete package! You knew it was a labor of love for him. Wasn't just about making a quick buck. And the show quickly became Jack Lord's passion as well, which he carried forward after Lenny's passing. The same was true of Don Bellisario and his vision for MPI (which he talks about in various YouTube videos). He could have just went the "James Bond" route with it (as the suits and execs wanted) and it would have been a safe bet and turned a quick buck, but he knew that he wanted something unique and something that he was personally passionate about. Maybe it wasn't a safe bet at the time but in the long run it proved to have real staying power.

I even enjoy coming across old commercials because they all have these great and memorable jingles. Makes you want to run out and get their product, if only for their creativity in coming up with those jingles. Nowadays when a commercial comes on I just want to skip it. Boooooring. I don't think we appreciated those commercials back in the day. I know I didn't. I just wanted to get on with the show. But now, looking back, those were some excellent commercials. I'd rather watch them than modern shows.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I do have a nightmarish fear that as the years go by, the reboot will displace the decades old Classic Magnum in syndication just because it is newer, despite being inferior to the original.
Like Burt Reynolds "The Longest Yard" being sent to the showers by the Adam Sandler remake. And Classic Hawaii 5-0 banished from the airwaves by Lenkov's newer version, which is a crime!
Does anyone know of the original being played on any TV station?

I don't think there's any danger of that. Classic Five-O always was and I'm sure still is playing on some station somewhere. Plus there's the Decades Binge which shows Five-O marathons from time to time. As for the new Five-0 I know they finally started showing it on the iON channel but I haven't come across it in a while so maybe they took it off. The continuing story lines don't play well in syndication. Same thing will be true with the new MPI. Classic MPI is still on a constant rotation on ChargeTV and maybe some other channels too.

Ivan,
I hope your judgment prevails here.
I too enjoy the Decades binges. A few months ago they ran a "The Rookies" marathon and I recalled you posting how much you liked that series. So I watched and enjoyed it and shortly after the H & I
network began running it early in the AM Sundays and I was hooked. Unfortunately they only ran it for about 4 months, so I am now finishing watching it on You Tube.
I just watched the 3rd season episode "Cliffy", written by Mark Slade(High Chaparral's "Blue Boy") who guest starred as a "retarded" young man and he was terrific, his script terrific and the episode
terrific overall. There was a lot of truth in it, spot on.
One heart breaking scene had the challenged youth's saintlike sister/guardian (Tyne Daily) breaking and lashing out about having no social life or future because of the baggage her own
brother Cliff represents. That hit home because my childhood pal's brain damage from being run over resulted in him becoming a middle age five year old, his guardian/sister sacrificing her own
happiness or shot at family life because of him. It sounds brutal but if anyone ever asked me I would say she was wrong, she was entitled to having a life and kids and should have found a institution
to care for her brother. And the guy I knew that was her brother would have agreed.
Thanks Ivan for talking up The Rookies, it's chock full of my favorite 1970's actors in guest starring roles and a darn good show. Plus it features a young Kate Jackson.

Sorry Dobie, but you must have me confused with someone else. I never discussed THE ROOKIES or talked about liking it. I know about the show and that it's from the Spelling-Goldberg factory (interestingly enough Leonard Goldberg is now the main man behind BLUE BLOODS, and was behind T.J. HOOKER in the 80s which was a show I liked) but I've never actually seen a full episode of THE ROOKIES. Just some clips here and there on YouTube. It has a pretty cool theme by Elmer Bernstein if I recall correctly, but then what cop show back in the day didn't have a cool theme? Even if the show wasn't good you could at least count on a cool theme! Nowadays opening themes don't even exist. They'll tell us it's because we're more "intelligent" now and therefore no longer need "cheap gimmicks" to rope us into watching a show. But if you ask me it's just a lack of creativity and lack of enthusiasm for the project they're working on. It's all about the almighty dollar! As long as they include enough boom-booms and shocking twists in the story to keep the viewers viewing then it's good enough for them. It's like giving someone a present without taking the necessary care to gift wrap it nicely on the outside - so that it's both pleasing on the outside as well as on the inside. The complete package! Instead of just half-assing it - "hey, there's a gift card inside so just be happy with that and stop complaining". In other words there isn't that tender love and care that goes into these modern shows as there used to be back in the day. When Leonard Freeman conceived FIVE-O he made sure all the ingredients were in place - a great opening theme, arresting (no pun intended) lead actor, local actors to provide local color, hard-hitting stories set against the backdrop of gorgeous Hawaii, creative cinematography and excellent episodic music scoring, superb guest stars, shocking freeze-frame endings, etc. The complete package! You knew it was a labor of love for him. Wasn't just about making a quick buck. And the show quickly became Jack Lord's passion as well, which he carried forward after Lenny's passing. The same was true of Don Bellisario and his vision for MPI (which he talks about in various YouTube videos). He could have just went the "James Bond" route with it (as the suits and execs wanted) and it would have been a safe bet and turned a quick buck, but he knew that he wanted something unique and something that he was personally passionate about. Maybe it wasn't a safe bet at the time but in the long run it proved to have real staying power.
I even enjoy coming across old commercials because they all have these great and memorable jingles. Makes you want to run out and get their product, if only for their creativity in coming up with those jingles. Nowadays when a commercial comes on I just want to skip it. Boooooring. I don't think we appreciated those commercials back in the day. I know I didn't. I just wanted to get on with the show. But now, looking back, those were some excellent commercials. I'd rather watch them than modern shows.

Ivan,
Mea culpa in regards to thinking it was you posting about The Rookies, who knows perhaps it was Braddah Kimmo.
In regards to the above, I think it has to be among the 5 best posts you have written on the MM boards. Outstanding.
You citing Jack Lord's passion for keeping up Hawaii 5-0's high standards reminded me of Robert Culp's passion for I SPY. After the pilot fell flat, Culp still recognized the potential series had many
things going for it so he rushed home and wrote(he wasn't getting paid to do so) a new pilot over the weekend. It was filmed quick smart and was a big hit with the execs at NBC who green lighted the series.
All because Culp cared about the "job".
Like Desi Arnaz with I Love Lucy, he was the true creative genius behind I SPY(which drove Sheldon Leonard crazy) and like Desi with Lucy he was overshadowed by his co-star.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Ivan,
Mea culpa in regards to thinking it was you posting about The Rookies, who knows perhaps it was Braddah Kimmo.
In regards to the above, I think it has to be among the 5 best posts you have written on the MM boards. Outstanding.
You citing Jack Lord's passion for keeping up Hawaii 5-0's high standards reminded me of Robert Culp's passion for I SPY. After the pilot fell flat, Culp still recognized the potential series had many
things going for it so he rushed home and wrote(he wasn't getting paid to do so) a new pilot over the weekend. It was filmed quick smart and was a big hit with the execs at NBC who green lighted the series.
All because Culp cared about the "job".
Like Desi Arnaz with I Love Lucy, he was the true creative genius behind I SPY(which drove Sheldon Leonard crazy) and like Desi with Lucy he was overshadowed by his co-star.

Thanks Dobie! So what was the beef between Culp and Sheldon Leonard? Leonard's name was everywhere at the time, including on my favorite TV comedy THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Ivan,
Mea culpa in regards to thinking it was you posting about The Rookies, who knows perhaps it was Braddah Kimmo.
In regards to the above, I think it has to be among the 5 best posts you have written on the MM boards. Outstanding.
You citing Jack Lord's passion for keeping up Hawaii 5-0's high standards reminded me of Robert Culp's passion for I SPY. After the pilot fell flat, Culp still recognized the potential series had many
things going for it so he rushed home and wrote(he wasn't getting paid to do so) a new pilot over the weekend. It was filmed quick smart and was a big hit with the execs at NBC who green lighted the series.
All because Culp cared about the "job".
Like Desi Arnaz with I Love Lucy, he was the true creative genius behind I SPY(which drove Sheldon Leonard crazy) and like Desi with Lucy he was overshadowed by his co-star.

Thanks Dobie! So what was the beef between Culp and Sheldon Leonard? Leonard's name was everywhere at the time, including on my favorite TV comedy THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.

Ivan,
Sheldon Leonard was one of the best producers ever - check his track record. Plus I always enjoyed his acting as one of the all time great "hood" characters, he turned up everywhere from
the Bowery Boys and Abbott & Costello to Dick Van Dyke and Cheers and of course It's A Wonderful Life. But if I SPY had stayed true to his vision it would have been another attempt to
cash in on the James Bond craze, though well produced and filmed from Asia to Europe. Culp changed the characterization with his pilot. It originally was Culp as THE star, titled after all
"I" Spy with side kick Scotty very much a secondary character and not his equal.
He made the two equal partners, embraced then co-opted for the show the comic "cool" patter from Cosby's act, took the time to generously teach Cosby the ropes of acting
- Culp was the established TV star - and as a result a grateful Cosby always would present a united front with Culp on any other disagreement with management.
Leonard, who loved Cosby, would thus almost always lose any dispute over this cash cow if it went to the network, and blamed Culp for "brainwashing" Cosby.
During filming they would alter poorly written scenes with better ad libs, only they weren't off hand, Culp and Cosby crafted them after hours before the next days shoot.
The repartee they created was the most endearing and loved part of the show, though the public assumed it all flowed from Cosby.
Leonard resented these changes because the network honchos watching the dailies could see that Culp/Cosby were indeed right and Leonard's people weren't. Then Culp, who could have had
a big career just as a screen writer, wrote seven episodes that just happened to be the 7 best of the series. Culp was not trying to undermine Leonard but Sheldon saw it that way, but what
could he do, Culp was repeatedly proven right. He should have embraced Culp's efforts, it put money in his pocket and created a gem of a series that can never be repeated, no series today
could be filmed all around the world.
Culp, though a nice guy and not arrogant, could also walk in any given 100 rooms filled with people and be the smartest guy in 80 of them. Maybe Leonard could't deal with a underling
who was that much smarter.
Not to take anything from Leonard, he created the series in the first place.
All this confirms what you posted above about the talent back then caring about their series and jobs and taking pride.
I still haven't watched this series in a long time, given Cosby later becoming utterly corrupted by his stardom. Smarter people than me say that shouldn't matter, the Art transcends
whatever darkness resides in the people who help create a given piece of work. That "Scotty" on screen had nothing to do with the bastard Cosby of later years.
Along those lines, sort of -
William Faulkner said tongue in cheek:
"The writer's only responsibility is to his art... if a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' is worth any number of old ladies."

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Ivan,
Mea culpa in regards to thinking it was you posting about The Rookies, who knows perhaps it was Braddah Kimmo.
In regards to the above, I think it has to be among the 5 best posts you have written on the MM boards. Outstanding.
You citing Jack Lord's passion for keeping up Hawaii 5-0's high standards reminded me of Robert Culp's passion for I SPY. After the pilot fell flat, Culp still recognized the potential series had many
things going for it so he rushed home and wrote(he wasn't getting paid to do so) a new pilot over the weekend. It was filmed quick smart and was a big hit with the execs at NBC who green lighted the series.
All because Culp cared about the "job".
Like Desi Arnaz with I Love Lucy, he was the true creative genius behind I SPY(which drove Sheldon Leonard crazy) and like Desi with Lucy he was overshadowed by his co-star.

Thanks Dobie! So what was the beef between Culp and Sheldon Leonard? Leonard's name was everywhere at the time, including on my favorite TV comedy THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.

Ivan,
Sheldon Leonard was one of the best producers ever - check his track record. Plus I always enjoyed his acting as one of the all time great "hood" characters, he turned up everywhere from
the Bowery Boys and Abbott & Costello to Dick Van Dyke and Cheers and of course It's A Wonderful Life. But if I SPY had stayed true to his vision it would have been another attempt to
cash in on the James Bond craze, though well produced and filmed from Asia to Europe. Culp changed the characterization with his pilot. It originally was Culp as THE star, titled after all
"I" Spy with side kick Scotty very much a secondary character and not his equal.
He made the two equal partners, embraced then co-opted for the show the comic "cool" patter from Cosby's act, took the time to generously teach Cosby the ropes of acting
- Culp was the established TV star - and as a result a grateful Cosby always would present a united front with Culp on any other disagreement with management.
Leonard, who loved Cosby, would thus almost always lose any dispute over this cash cow if it went to the network, and blamed Culp for "brainwashing" Cosby.
During filming they would alter poorly written scenes with better ad libs, only they weren't off hand, Culp and Cosby crafted them after hours before the next days shoot.
The repartee they created was the most endearing and loved part of the show, though the public assumed it all flowed from Cosby.
Leonard resented these changes because the network honchos watching the dailies could see that Culp/Cosby were indeed right and Leonard's people weren't. Then Culp, who could have had
a big career just as a screen writer, wrote seven episodes that just happened to be the 7 best of the series. Culp was not trying to undermine Leonard but Sheldon saw it that way, but what
could he do, Culp was repeatedly proven right. He should have embraced Culp's efforts, it put money in his pocket and created a gem of a series that can never be repeated, no series today
could be filmed all around the world.
Culp, though a nice guy and not arrogant, could also walk in any given 100 rooms filled with people and be the smartest guy in 80 of them. Maybe Leonard could't deal with a underling
who was that much smarter.
Not to take anything from Leonard, he created the series in the first place.
All this confirms what you posted above about the talent back then caring about their series and jobs and taking pride.
I still haven't watched this series in a long time, given Cosby later becoming utterly corrupted by his stardom. Smarter people than me say that shouldn't matter, the Art transcends
whatever darkness resides in the people who help create a given piece of work. That "Scotty" on screen had nothing to do with the bastard Cosby of later years.
Along those lines, sort of -
William Faulkner said tongue in cheek:
"The writer's only responsibility is to his art... if a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' is worth any number of old ladies."

Wow, thanks for the oodles of info, Dobe. Much appreciated! I always enjoy classic TV trivia.

I SPY is kind of a mixed bag for me. I wasn't a regular watcher and the few episodes that I did see were just okay in my book. I remember the first episode I saw was "The Name of the Game" (from season 3 I believe) with Lloyd Nolan as the baddie who sets Culp and Cosby loose and then proceeds to hunt them down through his jungle. It wasn't bad but not great either. Then I saw "Turnabout for Traitors" (also from season 3 I think) shortly after which I thought was better. The best is still season 1's "It's All Done with Mirrors" with Carroll O'Connor really hamming it up and relishing the role as Eastern Bloc mind-control expert Dr. Zoltan Karolyi who proceeds to brainwash Culp into killing Cosby. It's all very well done, suspenseful, and creepy in spots. Great suspenseful score by Earle Hagen too for the brainwashing scenes. So that one definitely stood out for me. But by and large many of the episodes (granted I haven't seen that many) didn't really draw me in.

Granted, when compared to the more outlandish THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. or the downright bizarre THE WILD, WILD WEST it's probably the better show. More realistic for sure! And the fact that they were able to travel internationally to shoot on location... well, that was certainly unheard of. Most shows that went "international" at the time (including the 2 above) were all set-bound, shooting on Hollywood backlots and other places around Cali. So you gotta give I SPY props for that. Culp and Cosby were good together but I guess I never really warmed to their back-and-forth "patter" which I think was the big selling point of the series. That whole Cosby schtick I think was reused on his COSBY SHOW in the 80s. I guess I'd call it the "Cosby patter" which is supposed to be funny. It could be somewhat amusing at times but I honestly never got into it. Never got into THE COSBY SHOW either. But it's what made him a star and what made Cosby... well... Cosby.

To me the quintessential 60s spy show will forever be MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE which simply was a masterpiece which can't be matched or duplicated or bettered (no matter how many movies Tom Cruise puts out and risks his life and limb in them). Here was a show that was extremely clever, not outlandish like its spy peers of the time, no world-domination villains or other zaniness or camp, basically not an action show and yet it was 100 times more suspenseful than the action shows of the day. It was all about performing successfully a clever sting operation, without the other party knowing anything about it. Week in, week out it was the same trusted formula but it worked and kept you glued to your screen! Great series!! And now out on Blu-Ray!!