The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the second season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
0
No votes
9.5 (One of the Best)
17
15%
9.0 (Excellent)
13
12%
8.5 (Very Good)
31
28%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
27
24%
7.5 (Decent)
10
9%
7.0 (Average at Best)
7
6%
6.5 (Not So Good)
2
2%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
2
2%
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
2%
 
Total votes: 111

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marlboro
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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#51 Post by marlboro »

"What the hell are you trying to pull?"

Hillerman was great in this. Not quite as "bloody marvelous" as in Tropical madness, but still very good.

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Stelth
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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#52 Post by Stelth »

Barbara Rhoades, who played Marcella Ziller in The Elmo Ziller Story was a guest star on two episodes of Sanford and Son in 1976, which took place in Hawaii, (The Hawaiian Connection: Part 1& Part 2) She played a gangster's girlfriend.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694149/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694150/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

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charybdis1966
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Re:

#53 Post by charybdis1966 »

Visiting Stewardess wrote:I also expected more from the text on the sleeve...... Britain

Hillerman says [de-'tails] (with the emphasis on the second syllable, the British emphasize the first syllable ['dee-tails]) a few times throughout the series, I have noticed (unfortunately I haven't made note of it, but I may do so in future, if I notice it again).

.....t", also series 1.
I noticed that also VS, as I posted back in Feb 2010, and it's one of the few occasions where John Hillerman doesn't quite get his english accent quite right.

While I'm being unreasonably picky did anyone else notice that he blatantly can't play "gee-tar" as his left hand fretting in the opening scenes in TM's place was just fumbling?

I'd assume a director would shoot over Elmo's shoulder so you couldn't see the guitar neck - I mean Tom Selleck can play the saxophone so it's fine to show him playing that, but JH is no axe man, that's for sure.

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#54 Post by Hawaii Winds »

Carol the Dabbler wrote:One might think that Magnum -- who was already nearly certain that "Elmo" was actually Higgins -- would have been absolutely positive the whole thing was a hoax when he saw Agatha Chumley pretending to be Sylvia the front-desk clerk! :wink:
Was this Agatha's first appearence in MPI?

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#55 Post by Hawaii Winds »

Stelth wrote:Barbara Rhoades, who played Marcella Ziller in The Elmo Ziller Story was a guest star on two episodes of Sanford and Son in 1976, which took place in Hawaii, (The Hawaiian Connection: Part 1& Part 2) She played a gangster's girlfriend.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694149/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694150/?ref_=tt_ep_nx
Now that rings a bell!

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Stelth
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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#56 Post by Stelth »

Hawaii Winds wrote:
Stelth wrote:Barbara Rhoades, who played Marcella Ziller in The Elmo Ziller Story was a guest star on two episodes of Sanford and Son in 1976, which took place in Hawaii, (The Hawaiian Connection: Part 1& Part 2) She played a gangster's girlfriend.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694149/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694150/?ref_=tt_ep_nx
Now that rings a bell!
She was also in "The Shakiest Gun in the West" with Don Knotts.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063591/?ref_=nm_knf_t2

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#57 Post by EZiller »

Terrific episode, mostly comedic. Gave it a 9.5.

After some weaker episodes in year 2, the writing began to hit its stride late in year 2, with this and "Texas Lightning" They began adding more dimensions to Higgins character as for the first, but not last time we would meet a Higgins half-brother... one Elmo Ziller, who was the result of a tryst between his father and a Red Cross nurse from Texas. Higgins father had been ill from the deadly influenza outbreak that occurred after WW1 and she provided...comfort.

Robin Dearden is back, she played Mandy, the IRA hit lady is Season 1's "No Need to Know" This time she's the heroine, playing Elmo's daughter. She looked outstanding in a bikini in NNTK and fills out her jeans and denim shirts superbly in this episode. Top ten MPI babe.
Also interesting that Gillian Dobb is making an appearance as a hotel clerk, I guess Agatha's character didn't begin appearing till year 3.

Outstanding job by Hillerman and a clever script, when I first saw this I was going back and forth as to whether he was or was not Elmo. Great job by Barbara Rhoades as Marcella, Elmo's gold digging wife.

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#58 Post by SignGuyHPW »

This was not bad as a comedy episode, but it didn't seem to know if it was going more for comedy or serious.

I always find it odd when Magnum has a case where someone's life is in danger yet he treats it as a huge joke. I can see him thinking it was at first, but to accept the case (and presumably the money) and STILL act as if it's a big game doesn't seem professional. I also found it stretching things a bit to leave it unexplained as to how Higgins could go from the guest house to the main house and completely change clothes in so short a time span. It was also odd how Higgins felt the need to explain exactly how Elmo came to be when Magnum hadn't asked.

I wish they had revisited the Elmo story. Either have him back in Hawaii after being found or have the daughter hire Magnum to bring him back from Mexico after she learns where he is. I thought the premise was stretching things a bit, but Hillerman's brilliant job helped it out a lot. Rick getting distracted by the cowgirl and blowing the protection job was classic Rick.

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#59 Post by marlboro »

"The Elmo Ziller Story"

Is the title a parody of the classic tv western "Wagon Train"? Every episode of that show was a variation of "The So and So Story":

http://epguides.com/WagonTrain/

Maybe it's really obvious and everyone else already picked up on that.

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#60 Post by Milton Collins »

I just watched this again and I find that over the years each time I watch it the more I like it. I find all the episodes with one of Higgins illigitemate bro's to be hilarious. The scene where he's eating whatever ridiculous concoction he was and says "needs more hot sauce" right before TM tries to pull off his mustache always cracks me up. I have to say that that is one CUTE!! cowgirl that Higgins has for a niece:) I love when Higgins is embarassed and disrupted at the hotel (was he really kicked out?) and comes back to find Magnum sitting reclined in his chair with his feet on Hig's desk drinking brandy and smoking a cigar, awesome scene! Overall a very fun episode!

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#61 Post by marlboro »

Milton Collins wrote:I have to say that that is one CUTE!! cowgirl that Higgins has for a niece:)
yep. One of the hottest girls on the series. In real life, she's married to this honest looking fellow:

Image

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#62 Post by Milton Collins »

marlboro wrote:
Milton Collins wrote:I have to say that that is one CUTE!! cowgirl that Higgins has for a niece:)
yep. One of the hottest girls on the series. In real life, she's married to this honest looking fellow:

Image

Wow that's awesome, nice find Marlboro! And I agree one of the hottest girls of the whole sereis. And that's the Breaking Bad/Malcom in the Middle guy right?

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#63 Post by marlboro »

Yep. Bryan Cranston.

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Milton Collins
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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#64 Post by Milton Collins »

Something I wanted to add: did anyone else notice that Agatha is the hostess at the resort Higgins goes to? And when she calls for the bellhop/doorman to show Magnum out it's the orginal Icepick before Elisha Cook took over? Pretty funny to see them both in these bit roles, especially considering that Agatha ended up being a fairly consistent character later in the show.

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Re: The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

#65 Post by SignGuyHPW »

Milton Collins wrote:Something I wanted to add: did anyone else notice that Agatha is the hostess at the resort Higgins goes to? And when she calls for the bellhop/doorman to show Magnum out it's the orginal Icepick before Elisha Cook took over? Pretty funny to see them both in these bit roles, especially considering that Agatha ended up being a fairly consistent character later in the show.
That was an interesting bit of casting. I don't think that Gillian Dobb was offered the regular recurring role of Agatha until the next year despite her having been on several episodes in various small roles. Icepick, I think, was something they decided to use as a plot device in the third or fourth season so they recast it to have a regular actor portraying him when he'd get screen time.

I watched this one again last night and they really gave the impression that this story was going to get re-visited. Elmo was confirmed to have gotten to Mexico, there was going to be a search by his daughter, the daughter promised to return with the rodeo, and the niece getting into Higgins' life for the first time all screamed of follow up episode. Does anyone know why they didn't ever bring it back?

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