Who is Don Luis Higgins? .... (6.19)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the sixth season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

Post Reply

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
2
2%
9.5 (One of the Best)
9
10%
9.0 (Excellent)
14
16%
8.5 (Very Good)
28
31%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
17
19%
7.5 (Decent)
10
11%
7.0 (Average at Best)
3
3%
6.5 (Not So Good)
1
1%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
2
2%
5.0 (Just Awful)
3
3%
 
Total votes: 89

Message
Author
User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

Who is Don Luis Higgins? .... (6.19)

#1 Post by J.J. Walters »

This is the official MM thread for Who is Don Luis Higgins, and Why is He Doing These Terrible Things to Me? (6.19). All discussions and reviews for this episode should go here. If you wish to rate the episode, please do so with the poll. The avg. score will be the official 'community rating', which will be used on the episode page (updated monthly).

This thread is also linked in the episode page of the Episode Guide.


Original Air Date: 3/20/1986
Family ties bind Higgins as he tries to juggle the demands of an international chess tournament, a visting dignitary and his flamboyant half brother Don Luis Mongueo.
Last edited by J.J. Walters on Fri Dec 28, 2007 5:59 pm, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

#2 Post by J.J. Walters »

This is a really fun episode, full of noteworthy events. We see another of Higgins' half brothers, again played by John Hillerman. We see a young Albert Stanley Higgins (Higgins father) played by a young Anthony LaPaglia, no less. We see the inside of the real Eve Anderson Estate boathouse, which is used for outdoor shots of the guesthouse in the show. We learn that Magnum and Rick are fans of legendary jazz pianist/composer Dave Brubeck. We see a rare shot of the part of the main house at Robin's Nest that faces the ocean.

And then we have the chess scenes. If you love MPI and chess, like I do, then this is the apex - Magnum and Higgins in the study playing chess. It all goes downhill from there, unfortunately. Higgins apparently loses to Magnum 4 out of 5 games, because of Magnum's "Castle Blitz" (Uncle Lyle's Castle Blitz to be more precise). The "Castle Blitz" is apparently an almost unstoppable opening trap for White, ending with a Black queenside castle checkmate, seven moves out of the opening! Higgins, who supposedly plays at the "expert" level and has the highest ranking on the islands, plays into a mate in 1 and falls for the same opening trap four times!? There's Higgins, with all of his minor pieces undeveloped, playing a4 and right into a mate in 1!? Huh?

If that's not ludicrous enough, Magnum's checkmate (clearly shown on the screen) is not even close to being a checkmate, based on the setup of the pieces on the board! It's so bad, it's actually funny! Killer chess set, though.

Was there not one chess fan in the MPI cast & crew to consult with? Still, the scene is fun and most people wouldn't notice the chess flubs. It's all part of that Magnum Charm. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

User avatar
Danno
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 507
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:03 pm
Location: Edge Of The Pacific, Sydney, Australia

#3 Post by Danno »

James J. Walters wrote:We see a young Albert Stanley Higgins (Higgins father) played by a young Anthony LaPaglia, no less.
I was shocked to see LaPaglia... his Australian accent was so transparent!
Help protect Hawaiʻi's Green Sea Turtles http://malamanahonu.org

User avatar
N1095A
World Class Private Investigator
Posts: 1574
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:03 pm
Location: A log cabin in the mountains.

#4 Post by N1095A »

Kanani Choy appears as the postal clerk. She previously appeared in "The Return Of Luther H. Gillis" as Big Sally who was best remembered for going after Magnum and Luther with a rather large fryin pan.
"But Higgins, I can explain."

User avatar
Jean-Claude Fornier
Rear Admiral
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:43 pm
Location: Paris, France

#5 Post by Jean-Claude Fornier »

As a big fan, in the past, I had recorded all the Magnum episodes in VHS (watching them non-stop, a lot of times) and now I'm deleting them while buying the DVD collection.

But it seems I deleted this one and currently, I haven't got Magnum season 6, so I can't watch this episode again but I remember it very well, of course, and I would like to know if the names of the chess grandmasters quoted by Higgins (using their famous moves) during this episode were true ot not ?
Unfortunately, I can't remember these names (one of them sounds a bit like the name of the famous cellist "Rostropovitch" !)

Image

User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

#6 Post by J.J. Walters »

Sadly, Higgins doesn't mention any grandmasters in this episode. He mentions one in "Ms. Jones", a 1920s grandmaster by the name of "Roskilanovich" [sp] who is fictional.

This episode does have one of my favorite Higgins war stories, however - The Gunga Din Story

Magnum: If you're Higgins, anytime is the time. The "Gunga Din Story" now!

:D
Last edited by J.J. Walters on Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

User avatar
Jean-Claude Fornier
Rear Admiral
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:43 pm
Location: Paris, France

#7 Post by Jean-Claude Fornier »

That's it !
Thanks a lot. Well, I was mistaken about the episodes, ooops !

I was almost sure it was fictional because some years ago, as a chess amateur, I had searched and downloaded via peer-to-peer many pdf files about the most famous chess moves and nothing about this Grandmaster name ! :wink:

Sam
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1454
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:00 am

#8 Post by Sam »

Rubber Chicken,

What do you think,is this the location of the opening scenes?

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg22 ... ietra4.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg22 ... Pietra.jpg

It is the old Dillingham house but is now La Pietra-Hawaii School For Girls.
The address is:

2933 Poni Moi Rd

The second pic is from Diamond Head.

User avatar
Apollo
Lieutenant
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:05 pm
Location: GA

#9 Post by Apollo »

Sure looks like it to me. I just qued it up and I think you got it.

Sam
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1454
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:00 am

#10 Post by Sam »

Thanks Apollo...I thought so........Welcome to the forum.

User avatar
rubber chicken
Master Location Sleuth
Posts: 691
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:53 am
Location: Great Lakes region

#11 Post by rubber chicken »

Nice one Sam! :D

I went on and found the hotel featured in this episode. It's actually two different hotels and three separate buildings, all next to each other though.
Image

The building in picture one (Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel) appears to only be used for the establishing shots. (gm link)

Two and three are a bit hard to make out in google maps, but you can see the vegetation and wood awnings. It's also where Magnum and Rick appear. This is the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort And Spa. (gm link)

Five is the also the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort And Spa, but a different building and on the roof. (gm link)

Four is looking down from the same roof onto the street below. (gm link)

It appears that all three buildings may be owned by Marriott.
Last edited by rubber chicken on Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sam
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1454
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:00 am

#12 Post by Sam »

Hi RC
Good job as usual.Easy to see from your photos.

In photo one the establishing shot,that is the Resort Quest Waikiki Beach Hotel,formerly the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and formerly Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel. When I was there in 2000 or 2001,the hotel was going through a major remodel.I could see the workmen putting a new railing on the balcony of the top floor.That was the location for the balcony scene from Italian Ice.

Fading memory but I also think the roof was used in "By It's Cover".TC lands the helicopter there and TC,TM and Rod Cryslers parole office watch Rod make the drop or the pick-up,whatever it was.

Your are right the hotel next door is the Marriott.
In the 2nd photo you can clearly see the St Augustine Church which is next to the Marriott.
The Marriott was used in at least two other episodes..

"The Hotel Dick" and the one with the John Wayne cop.When the cop is hanging over the edge of the hotel,you can see the pool.The roof is the one to the left of number 5. You should be able to Google Earth and screen cap the episode to compare.

Yikes!! on and on

Good job RC

User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

#13 Post by J.J. Walters »

As Tyler Peabody McKinney would say, "Outasight!" It's so neat to see where all these filming locations are! :)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

User avatar
rubber chicken
Master Location Sleuth
Posts: 691
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:53 am
Location: Great Lakes region

#14 Post by rubber chicken »

Thanks guys. Looks like you're right Sam about the Resort Quest Waikiki Beach Hotel. Wikimapia strikes again. After I find a downtown building I go to wikimapia to see if it's named there, but apparently it's not always up to date. And I assumed that all three were owned by Marriott because this building is pictured just as prominently as the other two at Marriott's site.

Nice call on the balcony scene from Italian Ice (2.16). I found out that it is now used as a private dining / meeting room, and called the Coconut Club. 1 2
With a minimum of 30 guests and max of 125 it could be used when magnum-mania members meet up in Hawaii. :wink:

You're also right about the Resort Quest Waikiki Beach Hotel being used in ...By Its Cover (3.21). It's funny, I checked and the roof is used twice for the chopper, but it's supposed to be a different building. The first time they're all watching Rod meet up with the drug dealer, then Rod and the dealer drive away so Magnum, TC, Rick and the parole officer need to follow them with the chopper, which they do for a minute or so in the show. Eventually the dealer turns into a "condo building" and TC lands on the roof. The same roof they took off from! I guess it was a time saver.

The first time they're here, (on the platform to the right of the dark squarish thing). Then they land here, (about as far north that you can get on the roof).

This Island Isn't Big Enough (6.16) is the one where Det. Gordon Katsumoto almost falls off the side, and you're right, it's the same building again.

And I'll just note here about the "The Palace of King Fernando Mongueo" location in this episode being the same as "The South of France" location in The Jororo Kill (2.13). (link to post)

Like you said, this is all never ending... :(

Sam
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1454
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:00 am

#15 Post by Sam »

Good job as usual RC,

It seems like some of the hotels change franchise names every 3-4 years so I'm not surprised it was listed incorrectly.

I posted a link a few weeks ago with pics from the Coconut Club.One thing to note is new tile and railing but same place.

In the episode "This Island Isn't Big Enough" you are saying the location is the Marriott,correct? because that is the hotel.

Good one on "The Jororo Kill".I thought that was it.James has a video and in the scene with the flat tire and guard the Dillingham Estate can be seen in the background.

Now that we are on hotels.The "Hyatt Regency Waikiki" is used in at least two episodes.
Computer Date and the one with MacKay and the Navy Pilots

In Computer Date,TM and Randolph walk across an indoor bridge with waterfall on their way to have a drink.The outside bar is on the 2nd or 3rd on the Kalakaua side.
Same bar with MacKay and the pilots.When TM and Mac get up and walk around,you can see the police substation.

I can't cap any of this but I'll see I can find some pics..I'm sure you'll beat me to it. :lol:

Pic of the waterfall.
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/ ... erfall.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg22 ... 51/hrw.jpg

Substation in red.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg22 ... 51/sub.jpg

Post Reply