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Original Air Date: 1/14/1987
Everything old is new again when Magnum takes on a 1940s mystery in this film noir trip to the past.

I recently received an email from a Magnum fan who said she recently saw a colorized version of this episode on KDOC-TV in Los Angeles (in June 2007).



Truthfully, I havn't seen this episode since the original broadcast, which if my mind serves me correctly was all black and white (except for the very end). Right?

I've heard rumors of this colorized version, but never have been able to verify it until now.

Has anyone else seen this "colorized" version in TV syndication?

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

This episode just aired in Chicago on "ME-TV". Just as you stated, the opening credits were in Black & White, then it went to color, then back to black & white in the end when Magnum woke up still dreaming, and then back again to color when he really woke up. It really takes away from the Film Noir aspect of the episode and I am not sure if it was just me, but the make-up looked heavy and had a bit of a yellowish hue to it. Probably for the black & white effect in the original version. It will be interesting to see what they do with the DVD version of the episode.....

Steve
Chicago

I just saw the DVD version (thanks to a rainy day off!) and it's the "colorized" version that Steve describes. It would have made more sense for the main story to be entirely in black and white, but the colorization didn't ruin it for me.

Kahunagirl

Let's see what we have here. A 1940s film noir Private Eye sets out to solve a complex Agatha Christie-like murder mystery. There are "old Hollywood style" opening credits and music. The main cast are playing fictional characters. The main house and guesthouse sets are completely redone. We find out at the end that the whole episode is Magnum's dream, which is based on a story he recently wrote called Murder by Night, his first attempt at fiction. This is, of course, after he "wakes up" the first time (and finds Higgins praising his work), but realizes he's STILL dreaming. And then we have a humorous, self-referencing final scene with 1940s Thomas Magnum reading Headquarters Detective (a real pulp 'zine from the 40s) and choking on cigarette smoke. An obvious joke on the amount of cigarettes he smokes throughout the episode!

Yeah, I can get into this type of episode! I think it's safe to say that you will never see this type of setup for any other show, ever! Brilliant! And only on Magnum P.I.!

This episode also features one of the best punches ever seen in the show, fittingly on Rick (I mean, Rev. Bentley). In the scene where Bentley tries to search Magnum's office, Magnum throws him against the wall, holds him with one hand, then shows him his fist. He holds his fist in front of his face for a good 2-3 seconds before he drills him, hard! Classic film noir! The way they film it, it really looks like he hits him, too!

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

This is my favorite part of the episode. A clever recreation (almost verbatim) of Sam Spade's first meeting with Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon.

Man, that is really cool. Thanks Shermy! Yet another movie I need to watch again, The Maltese Falcon.

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

The scene in question is actually on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqOlZ_SUEnA

Great stuff.

And the check Rev. Bentley has on his person (from Mr. Mayfield) is for $5,000 - the same amount Joel Cairo promises to give Samuel Spade if he can find the "black bird." (I'm currently reading the Maltese Falcon.)

I just discovered this episode, and I have just one thing to say, Jennifer Runyan. Yeah, it's a good episode

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"But Higgins, I can explain."