Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

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24coffee
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Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#1 Post by 24coffee »

Hey,

First post...

I didn't spend a lot of time searching but has anyone ever posted or even looked at what cap Thomas Magnum wore and decided if it was random (mostly the Tigers I know) or if there seemed to be a purpose for the hat he wore?
Last edited by 24coffee on Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Purpose for hat Thomas Magnum wore?

#2 Post by KENJI »

Welcome 24coffee!

I know Tom Selleck was originally from the Detroit area so he really is a Tigers fan.

http://blog.detroitathletic.com/2014/03 ... hollywood/

Here is a bit more info on the other hats that I found on the MM site.

Magnum wore several different baseball caps in the series - the ubiquitous Detroit Tigers (Home) and VMO-2 Da Nang caps, the Al's Automotive and Muffler King cap (with the word "Tigers" in large letters in the middle), the SEAL camouflage cap (with the SEAL insignia sewn into it), the "Get Wet!" cap (with the words "Downing Hawaii" in small letters), and several different varieties of plain-colored caps (grey, off-white). In addition, Magnum wore a Detroit Tigers (Away) cap, one time. The "Al's Automotive and Muffler King" cap was actually a holdover from the 1979 Tom Selleck/James Whitemore Jr. pilot movie The Chinese Typewriter.

I hope this helps.

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Re: Purpose for hat Thomas Magnum wore?

#3 Post by 24coffee »

Thanks Kenji,

I had found that too ... and basically remembered all but the Get Wet cap...

And I knew he is a big Tigers fan in real life which kinda surprised me to see him wearing a Yankees cap in an episode of Blue Bloods. I could se a Mets but not the Yankees. Maybe since Yankees are darker than Mets...

I always thought the which cap when was a mood or what was close... He wore the Tigers cap the majority of the time ...

just curious...
Last edited by 24coffee on Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Purpose for hat Thomas Magnum wore?

#4 Post by 308GUY »

Welcome 24coffee.

Does your moniker indicate you comsume coffee 24/7? :lol:

Sometimes I feel like I do, but in reality, I'm usually done before 6:00 in the evening most days! A habit I picked up years ago in the gas stations (as a teen) then at U.S.Steel Corp. as an E.O.T. crane man, THEN as an O.T.R. driver....had to have my java man! :magnum:

Not totally clear about your original question. Don't know if you mean was there a purpose to any of his caps, or if you meant was there a purpose to what cap he wore at specific times. Obviously, some of the caps he wore were supposed to mean something to his character. He was a Tiger's fan for sure. He was a member of the VM02 when he was in Nam, and the retro footage they use in the series does seem to always be in line with that scenario.

The Al's Muffler cap...not sure about that one, but I'd guess, like the Get Wet cap, is supposed to represent the fact that he got "free" caps at different places he did business with on the island? Strictly a guess. The camo cap (Seals?) is linked to the Navy and his service again.

I noticed in several episodes, that there are hats/caps on his rack by the guesthouse door, that he never wore. Can't really make out what's on them, but I've noticed them several times. One of them is a Sherlock Holmes hat/cap, but a couple others are baseball caps with something on the front. Just a curious observation.

You made it to the very best MPI forum in the world, and quite possibly the best forum of any type as well. A cornucopia of knowledge and information, and the best people/members anywhere.....Welcome! :magnum:

When I worked in computer stitch embroidery at a local sports shop, everybody there always referred to the headgear that we bought, embroidered/silk screened (or otherwise printed on) and sold as "hats", but I do know that technically, the hat/cap references below are correct, so I've also edited my post to be "accurate". I can only imagine what the boss (owner of the whole shabang!) would have said if when he called and asked me if his "hats" were done, and I'd have told him we're not doing any hats, but the caps are just about there! :lol:
Last edited by 308GUY on Thu Apr 09, 2015 3:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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24coffee
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Re: Purpose for hat Thomas Magnum wore?

#5 Post by 24coffee »

I just wondered if he had a reason to wear a hat.

I agree with your thinking, and I understand the Tigers and the Vietnam cap. I read somwhere, that Tom Selleck likes to wear cap in real life. So Magnum does too.

I just wondered if totally random.

On the rack I know there was a USC cap where Tom Selleck went to college and wore once. I also think the Al's Muffler was a leftover from another show or pilot that he probably just liked.

The moniker is two for coffee but I do drink it ALOT... probably too much. It is my default for thinks like that...

Thanks...
Last edited by 24coffee on Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Purpose for hat Thomas Magnum wore?

#6 Post by MagnumILWU »

The time in which Magnum/Tom Selleck grew-up in, most every kid played baseball. Wearing a baseball cap, just seems like a normal thing to do. I'm sure wearing a cap was planned for the character. He is a big baseball fan, and Magnum is getting the chance to live the life he couldn't in the Navy! And remember! A hat has a continuous brim, all the way around. A cap does not! You don't call it a cowboy cap, and you don't call it a baseball hat! This is just one of those things that drives me crazy! It's a ball cap! Thank you, and goodnight!
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Re: Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#7 Post by 24coffee »

Sorry...

I editted my post.... :wink:

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Re: Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#8 Post by MagnumILWU »

24coffee wrote:Sorry...

I editted my post.... :wink:
No, problem! That's wasn't just to you! It's my little quirk!
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Re: Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#9 Post by 24coffee »

LOL!

I can understand... But I always figures all are hats... All caps are hats but hats are not caps... Kinda like the fingers and thumbs thing...

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Re: Purpose for hat Thomas Magnum wore?

#10 Post by ConchRepublican »

24coffee wrote:I just wondered if he had a reason to wear a hat.

I agree with your thinking, and I understand the Tigers and the Vietnam cap. I read somwhere, that Tom Selleck likes to wear cap in real life. So Magnum does too.

I just wondered if totally random.

On the rack I know there was a USC cap where Tom Selleck went to college and wore once. I also think the Al's Muffler was a leftover from another show or pilot that he probably just liked.

The moniker is two for coffee but I do drink it ALOT... probably too much. It is my default for thinks like that...

Thanks...
Welcome 24coffee!

Interesting query there . . . Did the caps signify a mood for Thomas during the series. Was the Tigers cap the default, was Da Nang a tell it was a darker Magnum, etc. interesting, I don't think we've delved into that.
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Re: Purpose for hat Thomas Magnum wore?

#11 Post by Doc Ibold »

ConchRepublican wrote:
24coffee wrote:I just wondered if he had a reason to wear a hat.

I agree with your thinking, and I understand the Tigers and the Vietnam cap. I read somwhere, that Tom Selleck likes to wear cap in real life. So Magnum does too.

I just wondered if totally random.

On the rack I know there was a USC cap where Tom Selleck went to college and wore once. I also think the Al's Muffler was a leftover from another show or pilot that he probably just liked.

The moniker is two for coffee but I do drink it ALOT... probably too much. It is my default for thinks like that...

Thanks...
Welcome 24coffee!

Interesting query there . . . Did the caps signify a mood for Thomas during the series. Was the Tigers cap the default, was Da Nang a tell it was a darker Magnum, etc. interesting, I don't think we've delved into that.
Now THAT'S a study. We should do a comparison to see if the hats determine the mood of the show! I have my Magnum marathon coming up in a few weeks, so I'll have to note that.

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Re: Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#12 Post by Styles Bitchley »

So, there may be something to this. I couldn't help watching for it while enjoying The Elmo Ziller Story over the weekend.

The episode starts with Magnum being himself around the estate, getting a kick out of Higgins being dressed up like a cowboy. No hat.
Image

Once he takes the case, the episode has a generally goofy tone at the rodeo that has him suitably wearing the Al's Muffler meshback (arguably the most redneck of his collection).
Image

Once things turn more serious, with the attempts on "Elmo's" life, the Tigers hat appears.
Image

Of course, this is just one episode, but it does seem to be more than just random in this case.
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Re: Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#13 Post by BWheelz54 »

So anyway, I was checking out this little clip from the pilot of The Chinese Typewriter put together in '79 (does anyone know where the complete pilot might be found, if it can be found) and I noticed Selleck wearing a very familiar cap - that red Tigers cap we see from time to time in Magnum. Makes me wonder if that cap might've been a bit of an inside joke to the Chinese Typewriter Pilot. Check it out in this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw4zvlmMxaQ

One step further down the Magnum PI rabbit hole.

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Re: Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#14 Post by The Birdman »

And since Magnum was in the Navy he probably would have called a cap a "cover".
Uh PHRASING!!!!

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Re: Purpose for cap Thomas Magnum wore?

#15 Post by Styles Bitchley »

BWheelz54 wrote:So anyway, I was checking out this little clip from the pilot of The Chinese Typewriter put together in '79 (does anyone know where the complete pilot might be found, if it can be found) and I noticed Selleck wearing a very familiar cap - that red Tigers cap we see from time to time in Magnum. Makes me wonder if that cap might've been a bit of an inside joke to the Chinese Typewriter Pilot. Check it out in this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw4zvlmMxaQ

One step further down the Magnum PI rabbit hole.
The hat appearing in this has been referenced many times, but I've never seen a clip. Thanks for that. Would like to see the whole pilot.
"How fiendishly deceptive of you Magnum. I could have sworn I was hearing the emasculation of a large rodent."

- J.Q.H.

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