Almost Home (3.11)

[ENSHealy]

I can't remember if there were any other specific references to Magnum's Navy heritage (father and grandfather) prior to Home from the Sea, where his father dying in Korea is established, but there is definitely one reference that doesn't line up with that back story, which was no doubt established later. In 2.9 Mad Buck Gibson, Magnum talks about his father having taught him a lesson about life and sports when he was a high school baseball player. If his father had died in Korea when TM was 5 years old, obviously that couldn't have happened, so the back story changed over time (as did his mother's first name, if I remember correctly). Here's the scene:

https://vimeo.com/565384131

[80s Big Hair]

I can't remember if there were any other specific references to Magnum's Navy heritage (father and grandfather) prior to Home from the Sea, where his father dying in Korea is established, but there is definitely one reference that doesn't line up with that back story, which was no doubt established later. In 2.9 Mad Buck Gibson, Magnum talks about his father having taught him a lesson about life and sports when he was a high school baseball player. If his father had died in Korea when TM was 5 years old, obviously that couldn't have happened, so the back story changed over time (as did his mother's first name, if I remember correctly). Here's the scene:

https://vimeo.com/565384131

I believe the name confusion is because TM is Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, making Sullivan a paternal name. Yet in season 8 Forever in Time he gets his psychic skills (little voice in the back of my mind) from his mother's side of the family, the Sullivans. But hey, his mother's maiden name being the same as his middle name (and three other generations TSMs) might be a coincidence. It is a common Irish name. This comes up also in season 7 The Aunt Who Came to Dinner when the aunt was married to TM's Uncle Sully, making him TM's mother's brother.

Heck, depending on the episode TM's birth year changes, so it is best to not delve too deeply into things being iffy in consistency, but that will not stop us because it is fun to do so.

[Pahonu]

3) Kathleen Llyod was billed as special guest star. Was she that famous? What qualifies someone to be special guest star?

The special guest star billing was once reserved for well known actors making a guest appearance, particularly film actors appearing on a TV series. In the first decades of TV there was very little crossover between the two. Famous film actors were steered away from TV by their agents. There was a definite hierarchy and perceived harm to one’s career in film for doing television. The same was believed true of appearing in TV commercials. Many early film stars actually did commercials but they aired only outside the US. This began changing in the 70’s and by the 90’s the division was essentially gone. Magnum aired during this period of transition, when a special guest star billing was more about what an actor’s agent could negotiate more than anything.

One well known actor who essentially bucked that trend was James Garner. After a huge TV hit with Maverick in the late 50’s and early 60’s, he moved into film and starred in some major features like Grand Prix and with some big-name film costars. Advised against it, he went back to TV with a single season series called Nichols, and of course, The Rockford Files a few years later. His career continued to thrive. He also did the hugely popular series of Polaroid commercials with Mariette Hartley, and as I said, by the 90’s the film/TV divide was over.

[80s Big Hair]

The special guest star billing was once reserved for...

Thanks! As I was writing my non-answer regarding star billing I was thinking, "I bet Pahonu would know all about this. He knows all about Hollywood." No joke. That is what I was thinking. That is what I like about this place. People from all sorts of backgrounds provide information and insights. We are all connected by one old TV show though.

ENSHealy figuring out the timeline problem with Magnum not getting scouted out for baseball when it took me plus a GorilaMask to establish that (mostly him) is impressive. In the words of countless drunks throughout history (I am completely sober), "I love you guys."

[SeamanWolfe]

Thanks all. Looking at her IMDb Kathleen Llyod was in a few films although mostly tv by the early 80s.

My dad (older than magnum by about a decade) was a stickler for not wearing a hat at the dinner table, but not so much in the house. In the scene the hat coming off as soon as he stepped inside jumped out at me as being different.

[Pahonu]

My dad (older than magnum by about a decade) was a stickler for not wearing a hat at the dinner table, but not so much in the house. In the scene the hat coming off as soon as he stepped inside jumped out at me as being different.

I have a distinct memory of TM holding his hat at the reading of the will in Of Sound Mind. I believe it was raining and he was also holding his jacket. No other examples come to mind.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Thanks all. Looking at her IMDb Kathleen Llyod was in a few films although mostly tv by the early 80s.

My dad (older than magnum by about a decade) was a stickler for not wearing a hat at the dinner table, but not so much in the house. In the scene the hat coming off as soon as he stepped inside jumped out at me as being different.

Yeah, Kathleen Lloyd was in a few things in the late 70s, most notably the films THE MISSOURI BREAKS (with Brando and Nicholson) where she received 4th billing and THE CAR (with James Brolin) where she got second billing. I also remember seeing her as an obsessed admirer of Robert Wagner's in a 1979 episode of HART TO HART. She was by no means a big name but if you compare her to the other guest stars in this episode (Stephen Elliott, Beulah Quo, Gilbert Green) then I guess she was a "special guest star". But these things are often tricky because in "Birdman of Budapest" Sylvia Sydney (who was a screen legend from the early years of cinema) doesn't get a "special guest star" credit (I think Joseph Wiseman does, but then he was Dr. No after all), instead she gets the main "guest star" credit. So I guess it all depends on the actor's agent. Or maybe the actor's demands. Receiving a "guest star" credit usually means you're the main guest star. But you could be a main guest star, while not necessarily a famous one. "Special guest star" could be reserved for a main guest star or a supporting one (or even a cameo), but typically this would be someone famous or at least more recognizable than the other guest stars. But these things are tricky. It's not an exact science. In 1982 Bo Svenson was a pretty big name, after a series of WALKING TALL movies that he was the star of, as well as a TV show of the same name on which he was the highest paid TV actor at the time. He could have gotten a "special guest star" credit on MPI but instead went with the main "guest star" credit, where he was both the main guest/main antagonist as well as the most famous guest star. The "special guest" credit actually went to Paul Burke who was pretty famous in the 60s for a series of TV shows (Naked City, Twelve O'Clock High) but by the 80s he certainly wasn't as famous as Bo Svenson. In this case the "special guest" credit went to someone who had a rather small supporting part and wasn't as famous as the main guest star either.

[Gorilla Mask]

Usually, French embassies or foreign Office uses to dispatch advices about countries customs (You know, French people are not well rated concerning politeness abroad !!)

Here is what i found for Japan. It seems to be still common politeness practice in Japan:

"Take off your shoes in the entrance and put them side by side in a corner, ideally facing the front door, If your host offers you slippers, wear them except on the tatami mats, Wear another pair of slippers to go to the toilet, a pair dedicated to this room will be at the entrance of the toilet. So change your pair of indoor shoes when entering and leaving the toilet. Don't walk around with socks with holes in them, In a house, never step over someone who is sitting or lying down. Once you have taken off your shoes, it is customary to say "ojama shimasu" (I'm bothering you a little) when you enter someone's house. Before leaving the house one says "ittekimasu" (I am leaving and coming back) to which the people staying in the house answer "itterashai" (come back). In the same way, when we come back home we will say "tadaima" (I am just back) to which we will be answered "okaerinasai" (welcome back)."

So it appears that TM is quite thoughtful with Mrs Aiko Tamura...

[Gorilla Mask]

ENSHealy figuring out the timeline problem with Magnum not getting scouted out for baseball when it took me plus a GorilaMask to establish that (mostly him) is impressive. In the words of countless drunks throughout history (I am completely sober), "I love you guys."

Yes, that scene in "Mad Buck Gibson" was a great one, despite its inconsistency with TM's family history, further in the serie. We had a very interesting debate about it.

[charybdis1966]

I'm working my way through season 3 and with a sense of dread I knew the first appearance of Carol Baldwin was approaching to blight my viewing pleasure.

As I've said previously I can forgive an irritating character if the actor/actress is compelling to watch or has some other redeeming feature, but in this case she has neither.
Admittedly this is before the grey pubes hairdo was shown in all it's "glory" however what is especially pernicious in this episode is the prototype for the "client who lies to Magnum and/or consistently goes against his advice" at the risk of compromising TM's work and the case.

Add to that a whiny, hot headed approach to every conversation in a confrontation then you have a recipe for disaster.
In my mind this type of character (and the casting of Baldwin) is an example of the writers of the show getting it wrong, the other being the increased screen time of Agatha. She was ok for a little bit of comedic byplay with Higgins but IMHO it should have stayed at that.

I'd better put my tin hat on in advance of the backlash from the legions of Agatha/Baldwin fans !

[Pahonu]

I'm working my way through season 3 and with a sense of dread I knew the first appearance of Carol Baldwin was approaching to blight my viewing pleasure.

As I've said previously I can forgive an irritating character if the actor/actress is compelling to watch or has some other redeeming feature, but in this case she has neither.
Admittedly this is before the grey pubes hairdo was shown in all it's "glory" however what is especially pernicious in this episode is the prototype for the "client who lies to Magnum and/or consistently goes against his advice" at the risk of compromising TM's work and the case.

Add to that a whiny, hot headed approach to every conversation in a confrontation then you have a recipe for disaster.
In my mind this type of character (and the casting of Baldwin) is an example of the writers of the show getting it wrong, the other being the increased screen time of Agatha. She was ok for a little bit of comedic byplay with Higgins but IMHO it should have stayed at that.

I'd better put my tin hat on in advance of the backlash from the legions of Agatha/Baldwin fans !

I can’t say I’m a big fan of either, but the Carol Baldwin character isn’t in this episode. Kathleen Lloyd is playing an entirely different character, Bridget Archer. You’ve already seen Carol Baldwin makes her debut with a different actress, in Foiled Again, a few episodes earlier. She’s played by Patty McCormack.

I’ve always wondered if Bridget Archer’s name was the writer’s sly reference to two characters in The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade’s murdered partner Miles Archer, and the femme fatale, Brigid O’Shaughnessy.

[charybdis1966]

I'm working my way through season 3 and with a sense of dread I knew the first appearance of Carol Baldwin was approaching to blight my viewing pleasure.

As I've said previously I can forgive an irritating character if the actor/actress is compelling to watch or has some.....the other being the increased screen time of Agatha. She was ok for a little bit of comedic byplay with Higgins but IMHO it should have stayed at that.

I'd better put my tin hat on in advance of the backlash from the legions of Agatha/Baldwin fans !

I can’t say I’m a big fan of either, but the Carol Baldwin character isn’t in this episode. Kathleen Lloyd is playing an entirely different character, Bridget Archer. You’ve already seen Carol Baldwin makes her debut with a different actress, in Foiled Again, a few episodes earlier. She’s played by Patty McCormack.

Mea culpa, you are right Pahonu, I mistakenly thought the actress' name was Baldwin - I've probably sub consciously tried not to remember too much about Kathleen Lloyd's involvement (as either Baldwin or Archer) in the series as it winds me up so much.

For the record the first actress to play the Baldwin character a few episodes earlier was a delight - Kathleen Lloyd: definitely not ! (my blood pressure is going up now just thinking about it)

[charybdis1966]

I know my attitude to Kathleen Lloyd qualifies as an irrational dislike, if I was catholic I would confess it as such.

[Pahonu]

I know my attitude to Kathleen Lloyd qualifies as an irrational dislike, if I was catholic I would confess it as such.

[Aloha Friday]

I'm not sure about the Japanese culture and removing your hat indoors, but it is certainly a military practice, unless you are armed as a guard or security forces, then your hat (or cover) would remain on. Since TM is a product of the Naval Academy and ~10 years active duty, he is probably accustomed to removing his hat indoors...but most of the time he does not.