Mr. White Death (3.9)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the third season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
3
3%
9.5 (One of the Best)
14
14%
9.0 (Excellent)
15
15%
8.5 (Very Good)
33
33%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
23
23%
7.5 (Decent)
5
5%
7.0 (Average at Best)
1
1%
6.5 (Not So Good)
3
3%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
4
4%
 
Total votes: 101

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rubber chicken
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#21 Post by rubber chicken »

James J. Walters wrote:Also, anybody know what the arena is where the second wrestling scenes (towards the end of the episode) where filmed?

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Oh neat! The "arena" exterior is actually Diamond Head Theatre, where if I'm not mistaken Rick Romer worked before Magnum P.I. Here's the official site, and a photo. Here it is in google maps.

The exterior of the theatre was also used in Let Me Hear the Music, 5.18.
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I'm not sure about the interior location right now. Looking quickly it doesn't seem to be the Neal S Blaisdell Center Arena.


Concerning another location in this episode... Sam had long held a theory that the office of Phil Lewis was actually one of the offices on the Hawaii Film Studio property. He recently asked Rick Romer about it, and this was his response...
Yes, this is one of the bungalows, still there, still the same colors! I'm guessing it was the entrance to the prop office which was on the other side of the building I was in. Most of the offices had windows near the doors and the props office didn't.
Credit to Sam!

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Last edited by rubber chicken on Sat Aug 29, 2009 5:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

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J.J. Walters
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#22 Post by J.J. Walters »

Neato! Diamond Head Theatre AND Hawaii Film Studio bungalows! This episode has it ALL! :)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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Rutledal
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#23 Post by Rutledal »

I just watched this episode again for the first time and it was pretty great. Good performance by Borgnine, but I don't understand why they described him as looking like he was in his fifties. Borgnine was on the high end of 60 and he looked like it too.

Also a "2 for the price of 1" flub. In the scene when Earl has Magnum in the death grip "for real", and T.C. and Rick comes to help. Well when he throws Rick over his head Earl, seen from behind at this point, loses his hat. Clearly revealing a stunt double with much darker hair than Borgnine. That's the first flub. The second ocurs seconds later when the shot changes and Earl's hat is where it used to be, prior to falling of.

I provide you with some screenshots for documentation.

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No hat.
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Hat.
So I made a Topic Page about Magnum, P.I. Check it out here.

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#24 Post by Sam »

Also in this episode,when TM arrives back at the estate from his meeting with Phil Lewis and is met by Higgins.The shadow of the boom-mike is seen entering from the right and stops at the green arrow.When TM turns to leave the shadow follows him and is seen on the bushes.

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Jay-Firestorm
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#25 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

The first of my double-Friday review. I forgot how good this episode is!

[rating=9.5]

Magnum, Rick and T.C. are befriended by an aging wrestler, who asks Magnum to find his son whom he walked out on years before. But Magnum becomes suspicious as he finds holes in the wrestler’s story. Guest star Ernest Borgnine makes this great episode…

-----

This review contains spoilers.

Until I came to re-watch it last night to review, I’d almost forgotten just how good ‘Mr. White Death’ is. And the one key thing making it so likeable is guest star Ernest Borgnine, and his lovely performance as aging wrestler Earl.

It could be said that Borgnine always plays the same character, and I suppose in a way that could be true; but he is a wonderful actor, and it is very hard to not warm to him.
It is surprising that he does not receive ‘Special Guest Star’ billing for this episode.

It is believed that Borgnine’s appearance in this episode brought him to the attention of Donald P. Bellisario, who was impressed enough to offer him a main role in ‘Airwolf’ (1984-1986), of which I am also a huge fan.

The friendship struck up between Higgins and Earl, after Higgins finds that Earl was friends with an old comrade, is also very good, and adds another layer to the episode.

Also of note is the first appearance of Ms. Jones (Maggie Impert), who will go on to have intermittent appearances in odd episodes, before having her own storyline in the fifth season’s ‘Ms. Jones’.

In other hands, the story could have been so-so, but thanks to a great performance by Borgnine, as well as the other able performers, this comes off as a really likable episode.

One of my favourite scenes of the season comes after Magnum has confronted Earl about the holes in his story; the scene as Earl wearily goes to leave the Estate, and his conversation with Higgins, is wonderful, and the sombre music score under it brings it to life even more.

The final meeting of Earl and his long-lost son at the airport is also great. The whole “we’ll see that ballgame some day, son” dialogue could have come off as corny, but in the capable hands of the two performers here, it works.

And then there is the classic final scene, with Earl’s aeroplane flying over. Magnum admits that the Mob will probably catch up with Earl one day, “but not today”.

All-in-all, I didn’t consciously realise it before, but ‘Mr. White Death’ is probably one of my favourite third season episodes.

-----

Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* When Channel 5 broadcast this episode in 2002, in the scene near the beginning where Rick, Magnum and T.C. are being beaten up by the goons and Earl steps in, a brief shot of Earl slamming the two goons’ heads together was edited out. 5 were very cautious of children copying such head banging moves!

* When Earl is showing T.C. and Rick various wrestling moves, and carrying each in turn on his shoulder, it is quite clearly a double for him in several shots. (But there is a shot of him picking up Rick where it is actually him!)

* …In the same scene, when Rick falls to the ground, it is clearly a double.

* After abridged commercial breaks on so many episodes on the DVD version, this episode has gaps for all the commercial breaks. …I’m a stickler about things like that!! :lol:
JAY FIRESTORM

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Italian Ice
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#26 Post by Italian Ice »

Good review Jay. This is one of my favorites of the entire show, probably my 2nd favorite in Season 3 along with Flashback and Of Sound Mind. This one had everything.

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#27 Post by J.J. Walters »

Jay-Firestorm wrote:It is surprising that he does not receive ‘Special Guest Star’ billing for this episode.
Yeah, the guy was in Marty and From Here to Eternity for crying out loud!
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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lutherhgillis
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#28 Post by lutherhgillis »

Ditto. Borgnine was one of the best.
Who's Dot Matrix, and what has she got to do with this?

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#29 Post by Rutledal »

lutherhgillis wrote:Ditto. Borgnine was one of the best.
Why do you speak of him like he was dead?
So I made a Topic Page about Magnum, P.I. Check it out here.

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#30 Post by Donuts ensucrats »

Ernest Borgnine looks like a devil wit this strange eyebrows!! :evil:
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#31 Post by J.J. Walters »

IslandHopper wrote:3. The scene where Earl is showing TC the "Tazmanian Tiger Dance" you can tell that the guy on Earl's shoulders is Bob Minor (TC's stunt double), not only by his face, but also by the belt worn by Bob Minor, which is a darker brown than the belt worn by TC (Roger Mosley).

4. You can also tell that the guy being twirled around on Earl's shoulders (Earl's stunt double) is not Rick, but his stunt double. Rick is wearing black boots with large heels (as you will see in upcoming scenes with Earl and TC after Magnum arrives back at the estate a few minutes later), however, the guy on Earl's shoulders is wearing what looks like black sneakers with a flat rubber soles which are a different color, have a distinctive tread, and heel-less. You will also notice the sole of the stunt double's shoes when the stunt double falls face first after being dropped by Earl.
Rutledal wrote:Also a "2 for the price of 1" flub. In the scene when Earl has Magnum in the death grip "for real", and T.C. and Rick comes to help. Well when he throws Rick over his head Earl, seen from behind at this point, loses his hat. Clearly revealing a stunt double with much darker hair than Borgnine. That's the first flub. The second ocurs seconds later when the shot changes and Earl's hat is where it used to be, prior to falling of.
Jay-Firestorm wrote:* When Earl is showing T.C. and Rick various wrestling moves, and carrying each in turn on his shoulder, it is quite clearly a double for him in several shots. (But there is a shot of him picking up Rick where it is actually him!)

* …In the same scene, when Rick falls to the ground, it is clearly a double.
This episode sure does have it ALL! I love the "Tazmanian Tiger Dance" scene on the estate lawn. Pure fun. Truthfully, I'm kind of surprise Borgnine didn't lift up Mosley (but he did lift up Manetti), even at his age. He's the very definition of "tough" and "old school". The stunt man that they used to do the actual "Tiger Dance" looked to be about the same age as Borgnine.

Older Stunt Man w/ Bob Minor (Mosley's stunt double & stand-in)

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Bob Minor is a big guy. Impressive that this guy was able to "Tiger Dance" him around and then flip him!

Borgnine lifting Manetti

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Older Stunt Man flipping Manetti's stunt double

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Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#32 Post by robspace54 »

The switch from Borgnine to stunt actor in the lifts is so lame. At least they could have lightened Bob Minor's hair to match Borgnine. Sheesh!

Ernest Borgnine plays his typical 'loveable tough-guy' character to a T. I'll bet they had a lot of fun on and off set.

The stack of pineapple boxes at the airport looks just like the one we got ours from the summer of '83 after our first Oahu trip. Took me back a bit!

Rob
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Pahonu
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#33 Post by Pahonu »

J.J. Walters wrote:Ah, yes. I forgot about the pool table that was seen in the Pilot Movie! And you are right, that is the inside of the real Anderson Estate main house.
James,

I don't think this is an actual interior from the Anderson Estate. Nothing looks remotely like the detailing of the rest of the house. It doesn't have the terracotta tile floors and stairs, the windows don't match (double hung and bottle glass), and the house only has one main staircase as seen many times in Hawaii Five-0. This room with the pool table is also shown later as Magnum, Higgins and Alice Cook walk through it to the kitchen. It is shown to have a series of arched windows or doors on the wall opposite the staircase. These don't match the Anderson Estate either.

I also don't think the kitchen shown at the end of that scene is from the actual estate. The Hawaii Five-0 episode "Sweet Terror", I believe, shows the actual estate kitchen and the two don't match at all. I have no idea where they were shot, and I agree they were probably not sets used so briefly in the pilot episode, but they really don't seem to be from the Anderson Estate. After all, it has been stated that Higgin's den in the pilot was shot at the Marks Estate. Could this be as well?

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#34 Post by J.J. Walters »

Yeah, I don't think we ever really knew for sure. We just sort of assumed it was the Anderson Estate. It made sense given the fact that several Hawaii Five-0 were filmed there. But detailed comparisons were not done.... until now!

Based on what you've just said, it certainly doesn't appear to be the Anderson Estate. In fact, I know it's not. Nobody knows more about the inside of the Anderson Estate buildings than you Pahonu (except for maybe rubber chicken)! If you say it's not, I believe it. :)

So, if it's not the Anderson Estate, it's more than likely the Marks Estate (as you've said). They probably filmed ALL of the indoor scenes of the main house there for the Pilot.

Interesting! Thanks Pahonu!
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#35 Post by rubber chicken »

Yeah, that was written two years ago. Very outdated, and before all the research on this site was done. I had since realized that wasn't the case.

If the den in Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii was indeed at the Marks Estate, as Rick Romer said, then I'm confident the pool table and kitchen were as well.

To be very brief about it, the den is seen in the background during a shot of the pool table room. The kitchen door frame is in the same style as another door that may or may not have led into the pool room, but beside the door is the same wallpaper as the pool room. Romer also said they didn't use many sets for the pilot, so I think we can rule out any trickery for these scenes.

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