China Doll (1.3)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the first season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
8
6%
9.5 (One of the Best)
22
15%
9.0 (Excellent)
36
25%
8.5 (Very Good)
36
25%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
26
18%
7.5 (Decent)
8
6%
7.0 (Average at Best)
4
3%
6.5 (Not So Good)
0
No votes
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
2
1%
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
1%
 
Total votes: 144

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Braddah Kimo
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#61 Post by Braddah Kimo »

Just saw a few screencaps the other day on this site showing shots from China Doll querying the locale of a brick laden walkway. Just realized: It's at the Cooke Estate. Interior (open air) courtyard entrance coming from the back part of the estate, facing the guest quarters. This was of course before the major paintjob which unfortunately required all the fern and wall covering foliage to be removed. Although much of the vertical foliage would be set decorating because in the middle of that wall before next shot, there is a large double glass door. It was covered up for the scene. IF... they actually continued as they were, they would end up in a large room of the estate which looks much larger than the soundstage shot they used. Good seamless set decorating and editing, of course makes it seem all as one place.

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J.J. Walters
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#62 Post by J.J. Walters »

Braddah Kimo wrote:Fun to see the interior of Club Hubba Hubba again.
Ah! So the scene with Duffy the sailor meeting Choi the assassin is at Club Hubba Hubba! I suspected it was, but could never verify it! Thanks Braddah Kimo!
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

Braddah Kimo
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#63 Post by Braddah Kimo »

yeppers. Hubba had that long catwalk extending into the room. And a familiar bar setup. Do check that movie North Shore. I will try put up a clip on my youtube channel of that segment.

Seaver41
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#64 Post by Seaver41 »

now that Santa has brought me DVDs of seasons 1 and 2......I am sitting down to watch these in order (hopefully ordering the future seasons as well). It has likely been 25-31 years since i have seen this episode. I know I watched Magnum in early syndication, but beyond the end of the series i really didn't watch it at all........so most posts here are memory based. Now at least i can watch these with a fresh perspective of being 44 yrs old and not that of a teenager back then.

All that hot air said........this was a very good episode that opened a bit clumsily. The whole flying to see her and barely knowing her thing was a bit forced on us to kickstart the plot...but the episode soon got into the flow. A prelude to the Ivan ending.

Loved the scenery. Since visiting Oahu in 2005, I now look at any show filmed there closely.

Sam
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#65 Post by Sam »

J.J. Walters wrote:
Braddah Kimo wrote:Fun to see the interior of Club Hubba Hubba again.
Ah! So the scene with Duffy the sailor meeting Choi the assassin is at Club Hubba Hubba! I suspected it was, but could never verify it! Thanks Braddah Kimo!
I found a good article on the Club Hubba Hubba from Nov 2011 and photos on Flickr of the renovation.


http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolul ... e=0#artanc

http://www.flickr.com/photos/portaltoth ... 652677374/

Braddah Kimo
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#66 Post by Braddah Kimo »

fantastic. Thanks fo dat Sam! great read and perfect way for start the new year. Miss da ol daze!

Sam
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#67 Post by Sam »

The Marks Estate is on the market and I found a picture of the room used as Higgins Den.I don't know when they began using the studio for the Higgins den set but Marks was used for China Doll.

First two pics from Marks..third from Romers blog,you can see the ceiling isn't a wooden ceiling.

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Last edited by Sam on Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Pahonu
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#68 Post by Pahonu »

Cool pictures Kimo!

I noticed the wood ceiling in China Doll years ago in the exact shot you show. I also realized it was changed later, but thought it was for lighting or something similar. It never occured to me that they would nearly exactly recreate an actual room on the soundstage. In the pilot episode they show a completely different room as Higgin's study. With this being the first episode I thought they built a set for it, but they obviously used this room first and then built a set to recreate it.

James,

This changes the conclusion that the interiors of the estate after the pilot episode were all shot on the soundstage sets.

Braddah Kimo
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#69 Post by Braddah Kimo »

Not my pics, Sams....

Sam
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#70 Post by Sam »

Pahonu,

I was never convinced the Higgins Den was at the studio in this episode...too much detail for the set.Look beyond the doors in this pic.

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Last edited by Sam on Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Braddah Kimo
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#71 Post by Braddah Kimo »

The courtyard shots from the web site show the brick walkway and steps the three walk thru in the China Doll scene... in its present state. Much foliage decimated, all painted. Boo hoo hoo!
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Just below the tree foliage...
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left side of pic...
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here is lanai the Rick/Thomas/BillyBobJoe confrontation happened at. For the background to fill out the effect of a busy club, they brought in tables and umbrellas and situated them just behind where the photographer would be standing in this shot. as you saw in the ep.

Braddah Kimo
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#72 Post by Braddah Kimo »

You are right, Sam. That is the distinctive Clarence Cooke House brick pattern...

Sam
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#73 Post by Sam »

Hey Kimo,

Did Hubba Hubba always have the beaded partitioned booths?.Here are two pics from about the same angle..first one from HFO 1978..I don't see anything to indicate booths..Second pic from 1980..China Doll.

I've seen your videos..The guy with the crossed arms sitting on the catwalk...looks like you. :lol: :lol:
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Last edited by Sam on Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Braddah Kimo
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#74 Post by Braddah Kimo »

They said I could work as an extra for in exchange for being in a classic show and to see some titties. hahaaa. The booths came and went with the wind almost... all bus up as we say here. beads hadda be changed yearly.

Sam
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#75 Post by Sam »

I see it now Kimo..Thanks for the pics.

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Last edited by Sam on Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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