Magnum P.I. Filming Locations - A Rubber Chicken Guide

[steveadl]

Thanks for the screenshot Sam. Yeah RC, that's what I'm referring to eg. "Michelle in Audi" three times for every place mark on GE, but when clicked on each of the 3 pins give the same info/photos.

[rubber chicken]

Thanks for the screen shot Sam, that makes it clear. I happened to think after my last post that this is likely caused by having three different versions of the .kml file loaded in google earth. (Guide versions 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 for instance.) If, say, the last three versions are in your google earth "Places" window, and they're all checked, then the placemarks from each of those versions are all being shown in the same location in the google earth window.

This would also mean that there should only be one placemark for the placemarks added in the last update (try any of the "Added Placemarks" in the list here).

If this is the problem, then the solution would be to either simply uncheck the box next to the previous versions, or better yet, delete them altogether, since the newest version has everything the old versions do, and also some updates of old placemarks.

Does this solve the problem? I'll include a note in the post for my next version saying to delete or uncheck past versions. Should have thought of that.

[steveadl]

*embarassed* yup, that's fixed it on my computer! Thanks RC

[rubber chicken]

I'm glad you brought it up because it isn't obvious that previous versions need to be unchecked or deleted. With google earth .kml files it's all manual, for better or worse. Not like installing a new version of software. Now people can know, and I can include a reminder with the next update.

[J.J. Walters]

Now people can know, and I can include a reminder with the next update.

The next update? Swwweet!

Hey, here's something interesting to add to the Kaneohe Omega Transmitter placemark. It was recently used on Lost ("Happily Ever After"), for both inside and outside filming. I recognized it immediately. Found myself looking for Erin Grey. No, just kidding.

[rubber chicken]

Cool, it was used a second time then. The guide already has this link to the Lost Virtual Tour site, but it looks like they only cover one episode. I'd expect them to add the new one in the future.

I really need to go back and complete these old placemarks, but I still feel that adding new locations is more important.

By the way, the next version of the guide should be ready in a matter of weeks. Right now there's about 20 new locations. There would be more, but for some months I wasn't able to dedicate any time to it, and so I've really only been working on it for the past two months. Some nice locations though, but then I'm fascinated with each and every location.

[PatBe]

for my second post here, I would like to thank you, Rubber Chicken, for that amazing and incredible work .
I do the same for others movies, but never at the level you have done it !
You should earn a gold medal from google earth for your work !

It add some great fun, to watch again all seasons, with google earth running in background.

So, many thanks for that, and for all who contribute to it.

a small message to Google : please, send again the google cars to the road where Higgins drive the Ferrari without brake, we want street view on this road

[rubber chicken]

Thanks PatBe! Welcome to the site, your kind words are encouraging. Hopefully one day the guide will have very few missing locations, so all the episodes can be watched with the guide on hand, if one so chooses. Remember there's a small number of locations that aren't yet in the guide but are here on the site, including locations posted by Sam in the forums, and James on the On Location page.

I hadn't yet tried out streetview on Puuikena Drive but it turns out it's private. The gates and guard house are seen here, where the google car turned around. It seems that people who show an ID and sign a waiver can get through in order to hike the Hawaiiloa Ridge, but that doesn't help those of us traveling by internet.

[Sam]

Bump

[Sam]

Bump

[mikeaz123]

Hi, I am going to Oahu next week and want to look at some of the locations in person. I have an iphone, I was wondering if there's an easy way to configure this file with the Google Earth app or Maps app ?

[rubber chicken]

Sorry to respond so late, I haven't had the time to visit Magnum Mania very much in the past weeks, and now you're probably already on your vacation.

The Google Earth on iPhone is an interesting question. It looks like it is available, but I personally don't have any experience with it. There would have to be a way to load KML files, but I would guess that the feature is available.

Sorry I can't be more helpful. If I had an iPhone I'd try it out, but alas, I do not. If it works well it would be a great way to view locations while traveling around the island.

Perhaps you're using it as we speak. Did you look into it further?

[rubber chicken]

Rubber Chicken Guide to Magnum P.I. Filming Locations, version 1.4

Time to finally release the latest version of the Rubber Chicken Guide. I'm embarrassed to see that's it been over a year since my last update. Again, I have to apologize for taking so long. I had a version almost completed months ago and said it would be out in a few weeks, but a few locations that I had started I ended up avoiding for months. Although in the meantime I was adding more locations as well. I also found myself diverted by other things (in large part by the warm weather!). I wish I had better excuses, but hopefully being stuck inside for the winter will compel me to dedicate more time to the guide. I have no shortage of places I've already located, so I'll try to go through some of those and that should speed things up a little bit.

In this update there are 38 new locations, bringing the total placemark count to somewhere around 490. Here's what's new:


Added Placemarks

1.15 - Looking for Amy's yacht (perspective view)
1.15 - "Ask someone? Boy I can't... I just can't believe you."
1.15 - TC drops off Magnum (on the island of Maui)
1.15 - Frank LaRue, "265 Kahului Drive" (Maui residence)

2.8 - daytime beach scenes
2.8 - Surfrider Club (exterior)
2.8 - Kacy and Gary on the beach
2.8 - "I was a friend of hers."
2.8 - Gary's beach shack
2.8 - "... a clearing on the back side of Maui..."

3.11 - chasing stolen Ferrari
3.11 - Intra Pacific Imports
3.12 - Dr. Phillip Harriman
3.19 - Magnum speaks with Margaret Chase
4.6 - Castle (intended to be in the English Midlands)
4.11 - "Mokihana Hotel"
4.18 - Opium den ("the tawdriest part of town")
4.18 - Acupuncture
5.3 - "My name's Jim Bonick."
5.7 - Magnum's new car lets him down in the short run

5.8 - driving to The Pipeline Bar
5.8 - The Pipeline Bar
5.8 - driving to the Halona Motel
5.8 - Halona Motel, Theodore Allen Hazlett, room 109
5.8 - Huiia Savings and Loan
5.8 - Grider Financial Services

5.19 - Ms. Jones heading home
5.19 - Ms. Jones
5.19 - Hall of Records
5.19 - Galletin International
5.19 - Galletin International computer room

(!) 6.7 - boyhood home of Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV

6.11 - "Newspaper" building
6.11 - Koho Bar
6.17 - stock footage of ambulance (perspective view)
8.4 - Barbara Ikeda (Lt. Tanaka's sister), and son Biff
8.6 - Royal Honolulu hotel (Brenda Babcock)
8.6 - Magnum arriving at Brenda Babcock's 2nd hotel


Corrected and completed
1.4 - "Royal Continental Hotel" - Linda Booton, rm. 2409
7.17 - "Han's Asian Store: Chinese Herbs"

Simple Temporary Placemarks (to be completed at a later date)
King Kamehameha Club (1980-1983) - (found in the primary locations folder)
King Kamehameha Club entrance (1980-1983) - (found in the primary locations folder)

Notable Placemark Updates
1.11 - "I'm looking for a man named Makua."
added photos from the movie North Shore, the name and dates of the operation of the store, and added these links:
"Fujioka's among last family groceries to quit"
"Waialua Town Master Plan"
"1978 photo"
"2008 blog post"

added 1955 "photograph" & "panorama" links to:
2.20 - Edward Kanfer, 1947 - 1971
2.20 - Taylor Hurst, 1942 - 1982

3.7 - "One wretchedly impoverished outfit." .... added image overlay and moved placemark 50 yards west (for the curious, this is what I had written in the placemark previously: "This control tower building may not have been exactly where the marker is placed. The airfield was heavily renovated in early to mid 1980s (in the show a crane was even caught in the background of one shot). This former control tower seen in the show was soon after replaced by the new control tower seen in google earth, and a clue suggests it was built in the same location. If the marker is wrong, it probably isn't off by more than 50 yards." As mentioned, it turned out to be off by 50 yards and so I just squeaked by. )

2.8 - overlay for "... even if you didn't kill her" .... added this image overlay for the placemark 2.8 - "... even if you didn't kill her, I hate dealers."

Changed "5.7 - overlay for Ann Carrington home (1988 aerial photo)" & "3.19 - overlay for Margaret Chase home (1988 aerial photo)" to better quality 1975 aerial photo.

Added "Kawamoto selling Kahala houses, Star Bulletin, 5.14.2010" link to the Kahala home used in The Kona Winds (6.4), Magnum on Ice (7.9, 2), and Forty (7.17). (Thanks Sam.)


A few additional things...

Please delete (or at least uncheck) any old versions of the guide, to prevent the problem of identical-multiple placemarks over top of each other. As talked about here.

Google updated the satellite imagery, for much of the island, but for the most part it doesn't look as good as the old imagery, imo. In general for more realistically colored images, consider clicking on the clock icon at the top of the google earth window, and selecting "Aug 31, 2004". In my opinion this looks better than the more recent imagery, with the only exception being the Honolulu area from downtown to the west side of Diamond Head, and up to Tantalus Mountain, aka Round Top. For that area, I'd suggest using the current imagery.

The current version of Google Earth is 5.2, and it can be downloaded here. However, this version is set to use it's own browser which is slow and buggy. I'd suggest turning off the internal browser, and you can do so by going into Google Earth > Preferences > General on a Mac, or Tools > Options and looking in the Display section on a PC. Select the check box that says “show web results in external browser.” All web content from within Google Earth will now open in your default external browser. (Text taken from google's help page.)



Here's the new .kmz file: Magnum P.I. locations 1.4.kmz

For those who haven't used a .kmz file before, refer to either the instructions in the page which James has made, or in my original post.

[steveadl]

Sweet, thanks RC!

[J.J. Walters]

Wow RC, this is a GREAT update to your already fantastic filming location guide! I still don't know how you do it, but it's very impressive! As usual, your research and attention to detail is second to none, and I especially like how you layer (overlay) the photographs together in many placemarks to create a larger view of the location. Awesome!

I havn't looked through all the new placemarks yet, but several are very interesting to me:

- Fujioka's in Waialua (from "The Curse of the KKC"). "Opened sometime around 1902 or 1904." Wow!

- "Surfrider Club" (from "Wave Goodbye"). Any idea what this building is? It's in a completely isolated spot on the North Shore. I assume it's private property. "Gary's Beach Shack" is neat, too.

- "Pipeline Bar" (from "Murder 101"). Buzz's Original Steakhouse!

- Boyhood home of Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV (from "Going Home")! Seriously, how in the world did you find this?? It's in the middle of a giant sea of houses!

- Love the research you did on the Portlock house in "Legacy From a Friend".

Just incredibly interesting all the way around! I should be able to update the Rubber Chicken Guide page sometime this weekend. Again, thank you so much!!

Right now, I'm going to have more fun with Google Street View and take a stroll down Farrington Hwy from the safety of my computer. I'm totally addicted to Google Street View. Amazing. Who needs all the hassle and expense of traveling when you have Google Street View?