Italian Ice (2.16)

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rubber chicken · #31 Post by **rubber chicken** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:58 am

I'm thinking this hasn't been mentioned before? The name of the college girl who likes the Ferrari is Camila Griggs, and this episode appears to be her first acting job. Even though her part lasts for perhaps a minute total, she's one of my favorite women to appear on Magnum P.I.

Sometime also in 1982 she was in Forced Vengeance with Chuck Norris. Try and guess who else is in it... yes, you're right! Bob Minor! How'd you know? He doesn't make it to the end credits though, that's for sure. I recently saw Forced Vengeance, it's not bad for a Chuck Norris movie. Camila Griggs has an important part, but isn't in most of the movie.

She was also in Bar Girls, a lesbian romantic comedy, and had various appearances on other TV shows up until 1999.

James - perhaps you could add her name to the "College Students" screencap on the Italian Ice screencaps page.

#32 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 6:57 am

No problem RC, I got you covered. I've added her to the episode guide and the screen caps page.

#33 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:55 pm

The 1984 Airwolf episode "The Truth About Holly" has a very similar plot to this one. A young lady is rescued from a foreign drug kingpin compound who later, in a jealous rage, tries to kill the people who saved her, namely the "girlfriend" (Jean Bruce Scott's character) of the "hero". The setting, characters, dialog, and ending are quite different, however. The Airwolf episode involves an attempted "death by helicopter crash". Both were written by Don Bellisario.

You can (legally) watch the episode here: http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1054343193/.

#34 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 12:59 am

Is Marquis supposed to be French, or Italian? I thought he was supposed to be an Italian gangster?! But yet, isn't "Marquis" a French name? If he is an Italian gangster (with a French name), he sure talks with a French accent!

#35 Post by **Doc Ibold** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:41 am

Well,

A "Marquis" (Mar-kee)is definitely French. However, I think this guy is a "Marchese" (Mar-cay-zee)... which I guess would be the Italian equivalent?

I worked with a woman who had that last name and it always reminds me of this episode. She was always happy that I could say her last name correctly.

Having an unpronouncable Polish last name myself, I can appreciate the props!

#36 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:57 pm

I could be wrong, but I don't think he's supposed to be A Marquis (a nobleman), or a Marchese (an Italian nobleman). I think his name is "Marquis", like Marquis Grissom (the baseball player) for instance.

It's just odd. The episode is called "Italian Ice". The opening scene is set in Sicily. The bad guys all appear to be Italian (or Sicilian) mobsters, including "Marquis". Yet, when Marquis talks he sounds like Maurice Chevalier or Peppy Le Pew!

If he is a Marchese, he sure talks with a French accent, which would be a flub... and a funny one at that!

#37 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:39 pm

You're right Doc, he is addressed in the episode as "Marchese", not "Marquis". I should have checked the episode before I opened my mouth!

Jay-Firestorm · #38 Post by **Jay-Firestorm** » Fri May 01, 2009 12:33 pm

Friday’s first review. I’ve always liked this episode.

[rating=9.5]

Robin has asked Magnum to rescue a beautiful young woman from mobsters in Sicily. But back home after the rescue, a series of incidents being occurring. Magnum thinks it is the mobsters out for revenge, but the trouble actually lies elsewhere. Very enjoyable…

-----

This review contains spoilers.

‘Italian Ice’ is a very good later second season episode of the series. The story unfolds as intriguing and well played.

Thankfully, like ‘Computer Date’ a couple of episodes previously, the episode’s opening trailer does not spoil the plot, instead leading the viewer to believe that it really is the mobsters behind all the trouble that Magnum experiences during the story.

On first viewing, you really do wonder who is behind all of Magnum’s problems. At first it seems to starts off as a series of misunderstandings and coincidences, but as the plot develops, it becomes apparent that someone has it in for Magnum.

Ann Dusenberry gives a good performance as Katrina, who turns out to be behind Magnum’s problems. She plays the part sweetly innocent, but who is capable of turning very nasty when she doesn’t get her way.

This episode is also quite uncommon in that Magnum has a steady girlfriend – Margo, played by Mimi Rogers. Even though they seem quite close in this story, we never see or hear of her again after this episode, naturally.

One moment I really like is when T.C. is (unawares) flying the mobsters around the islands and over the Estate. When Katrina asks Higgins about it, Higgins is answer that T.C. is probably trying to show Magnum doing his “Burt Reynolds impression for the tourists” – more than once, Tom Selleck has been referred to as “TV’s Burt Reynolds”, due to similarities, both in look and character.

It comes as a real shock later on in the story when Katrina actually shoots Higgins; watching it for the first time, I didn’t think she had it in her, and it comes as a real surprise. Thankfully, Higgins isn’t fatally wounded.

The only thing I don’t like that is that in the final scene, there is no mention of Katrina and what had happened to her; one would hope that she is getting the help she needs. Even so, the final scene, with Magnum answering Higgins’ crossword question, is a good one.

This episode is written by series co-creator Donald P. Bellisario, which is always a sign of quality. A couple of years after this episode, Bellisario reworked the idea into a very similar second episode of ‘Airwolf’ called ‘The Truth about Holly’.

All-in-all, this is a very good episode, and one of my favourites from this end of the season.

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Other notes, bloopers, and misc.:

* As with several other episodes, when T.C. is flying the mobsters around the islands, the static sky gives away that the helicopter is on the ground and not really moving.

* As mentioned in my review, Magnum is compared to Burt Reynolds in this episode. It wouldn’t be the first nor the last time that Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds comparisons would be made.

* On the DVD version, the second and fourth commercial breaks are abridged.

308GTS · #39 Post by **308GTS** » Sat May 23, 2009 6:16 pm

James J. Walters wrote:I could be wrong, but I don't think he's supposed to be A Marquis (a nobleman), or a Marchese (an Italian nobleman). I think his name is "Marquis", like Marquis Grissom (the baseball player) for instance.

It's just odd. The episode is called "Italian Ice". The opening scene is set in Sicily. The bad guys all appear to be Italian (or Sicilian) mobsters, including "Marquis". Yet, when Marquis talks he sounds like Maurice Chevalier or Peppy Le Pew!

If he is a Marchese, he sure talks with a French accent, which would be a flub... and a funny one at that!

Peppy Le Pew...he, he, that's funny James.

I've watched this ep so many times and I guess he does sound a little french but if you listen to the mini pre-dinner speech he gives earlier on at his villa he's definately speaking Italian.

Jaybird · #40 Post by **Jaybird** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 4:35 am

Enjoyable to say the least. Lenny Montana must be huge as he makes TM look like a dwarf. Mimi Rogers looked positively gorgeous. All in all it was an interesting plot with a neat twist for the ending.

Coops · #41 Post by **Coops** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:14 am

One thing, or flub, that I noticed in this episode is in the establishing shot of all the high-end cars the Ferrari is shown with a Euro-style "wide" front license plate. When Magnum is driving off the rear shows a typical U.S. 6-digit license plate which is considerably shorter than the Euro-spec plate.

robspace54 · #42 Post by **robspace54** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:22 pm

An enjoyable episode. I had no memory of seeing it before, until Katrina does her thing to the photo. That set the little grey cells working. I really liked Mimi Rogers as the character "Margo." Shame her character was not continued. Perhaps giving TM a steady was too conventional?

And the struggle between Selleck and Montana looked pretty darn real to me...

Rob

Pahonu · #43 Post by **Pahonu** » Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:10 pm

lutherhgillis wrote:In the scene where TM is coming out of the guesthouse door and runs down the steps to trip over the crazy girl there is something interesting.

This is really the boathouse not a guesthouse. This scene is a continuous shot (as far as I can tell). Watch the area behind TM while the door is open. You can see what looks like stairs going down in the same fashion as the set of the guesthouse. I wonder why the boathouse was constructed in such a way? Anyone have any ideas? Maybe there really was a small guest quarters or game room or teen retreat or something there... It's wierd how they went to so much trouble to make stairs to go up on the outside just to go right back down on the inside...

Having looked over the property tax sketches of the estate, it appears that the storage area of the boathouse, listed as unfinished basement, does not comprise the entire ground level. It seems the boat storage area is only beneath the lanai and the shed roof part that extends toward the beach. The lower level below the upper enclosed portion is not storage, but part of the main living space and partly below ground. It is listed as having one bedroom and one bathroom. There is no mention of other living spaces, but neither is the main house so listed. It simpy says five bedroom, five full bath, and two half baths. Perhaps then it has a bedroom and bath on the lower level and living space above. This would total about 500 sq. ft. of living space on both levels. That could, indeed, be groundskeepers quarters or even guest quarters!

John.1962 · #44 Post by **John.1962** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 11:09 pm

For whatever reason this is one of my favorite episodes. Maybe because of the scratch on the Ferrari scene or Higgins comment about Magnum doing a "Burt Reynolds imitation for the tourists", I laugh every time I see it. Another reason is Mimi Rogers is just plain beautiful in this episode and makes a perfect opposite of Magnum.

ThomasMagnum · #45 Post by **ThomasMagnum** » Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:27 pm

Coops wrote:One thing, or flub, that I noticed in this episode is in the establishing shot of all the high-end cars the Ferrari is shown with a Euro-style "wide" front license plate. When Magnum is driving off the rear shows a typical U.S. 6-digit license plate which is considerably shorter than the Euro-spec plate.

Agreed. My problem with the Europlates on the cars is that they don't resemble 1970's/80's Italian plates at all. Yes, it's possible that the cars where from other European countries.

This is what an Italian plate would have looked like on a new car in 1981

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Italy_Old_Plate.jpg

The other thing is that when Magnum removes the keys from the ignition of the RR, the dashboard is in English. Having previously lived in Italy for a number of years I can confirm that a RR purchased in Italy would have an Italian dashboard but maybe this was an English RR with British plates?

But my biggest problem with the episode are the various characters speaking Italian. Some of it is laughable.

For example, when The Marchese is in T.C.'s chopper he asks T.C. "Dove sta' la Villa di Robin Masters?" which translates to "Where is Robin Master's Villa?

T.C. replies "Robin Ma....You know Robin Masters?" and the Marchese replies "Si, appunto." which translates to "Yes, precisely"

But the funniest part ought to be when the Marchese is hosting the dinner at the beginning of the episode, I believe he's talking about Katrina, he says:

"Carissimi amici, a certi momenti e' una vera Madonna e poi subito dopo diventa una Stregha. E' una combinazione molto interresante. Vogliamo vedere un po' chi e' in questo momento?" which translates to:

"Dearest friends, sometimes she's a real Madonna and then suddenly turns into a Witch. It's a very interesting combination. Should we see who it is is at the moment?"

The way this is said and the fact that you can detect a French accent makes it pretty funny from my POV.

Italian Ice (2.16)

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