Magnum Mania!

Thanks RG, at least Teaser's a better band name than Shnazz. Actually, while gay clubs are a standard comedic setting nowadays, it would be quite neat and progressive had Magnum featured a scene in one, knowing that the writers generally wouldn't resort to stereotypes. Actually, it would make more sense had Magnum run into Carol Channing there!

My dad if he was in Hawaii would kill to be at that baseball game, as would a lot of other people.

Sam wrote: Did you find a story from 1988 regarding a final Cast and Crew softball game in the park? I saw the article but we didn't go,,

Here's what I found Sam!

Honolulu Advertiser, March 24, 1988...





Honolulu Advertiser, March 28, 1988...





Star-Bulletin, March 28, 1988...

All the articles posted are "cherished" records of our favorite tv times, but that last one covering the game....that one is GREAT!

A hearty thank you to you RG, for taking the time and trouble to search the net, finding all these gems. Hopefully, it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Taking into account the ole' "everybody wants to get into the act" adage, you will uncover more and more articles-clips highlighting the show, the stars, the popularity, the legacy, that is our own Magnum PI.

People love to talk....right? They mostly love to talk about that which they believe will make them the center of attention, so when a show or star is rising/at the peak/waning, it/they tend to find themselves the subject.

Sorry to ramble a bit, but just wanted to again let you know how much your research is appreciated.

Keep at it RG....PI!

308GUY wrote: A hearty thank you to you RG, for taking the time and trouble to search the net, finding all these gems. Hopefully, it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Thank you, 308GUY , and you said it...there's a lot of articles/blurbs out there & I'm only searching Hawaii papers right now. I assume that Hawaii would have the most, though...so I'm not sure what I'll find once I start looking elsewhere.

I was trying to post articles in chronological order but I keep finding new items, so trying to post in chronological order may wind up being a lost cause.

A few of the following posts mention "Trappers"....Trappers was a classy jazz club in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki which opened in 1976 and was the hot spot. Jimmy Borges was the showcase performer and the club was popular with locals, tourists, and the Hollywood crowd. Here's a brief article with a little background...

Honolulu Advertiser, May 7, 1977...






A pic of Trappers...




Okie dokie, onto the articles! Some of these aren't exactly thrilling but they're MPI related one way or another so...

Star-Bulletin, February 21, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, June 24, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, July 17, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, July 21, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, July 23, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, August 3, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, August 11, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, August 18, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, September 1, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, October 3, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, October 7, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, October 13, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, October 18, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, October 21, 1980...

thechickinthemiddle wrote: Also, "lives in a houseboat on Hawaii"? Either that's a mistake on the part of the writer or a detail changed later in the production. I'm guessing TS was too tall for such a setting if the latter scenario was true.

Glad you liked them, chickinthemiddle!

I read a different article from about the same period (that I can't locate right now) that describes Magnum as living "above a boat house" or "in a converted boat house" so I think that reporter just goofed.

*update* - I found the article that calls TM's digs a "converted boat house"...

April 1, 1980...

Thank You RG....I sorta remembered that article..didn't remember the opponents..I wonder why Don Ho didn't appear in either a HFO or MPI episode?

I do remember the follow up with the results of the game from the Star-Bulletin...Thanks again

Sam wrote:Thank You RG....I sorta remembered that article..didn't remember the opponents..I wonder why Don Ho didn't appear in either a HFO or MPI episode?

I do remember the follow up with the results of the game from the Star-Bulletin...Thanks again

You're welcome, Sam! If anyone else has any requests for articles please let me know.

Following are some reviews about MPI when the networks announced their new shows for the upcoming season. Many of them were the same, copy/paste descriptions of the show's premise, so I tried to pick a few different ones...

Asbury Park Press, September 14, 1980...





Muncie Evening Press, September 19, 1980...





Green Bay Press-Gazette, September 21, 1980...







Ft. Lauderdale News, October 26, 1980...





Chicago Tribune, October 26, 1980...

"Surely the gimmick won't work. A flop." I didn't think there'd be critics who dismissed it this harshly. I guess with TS as the lead they wrote it off as a purely escapist show with no real point or weight to it.

Also, that Burt Reynolds comparison is even more hilarious now, having seen "L.A.".

Palm Beach Post, July 19, 1980...









Chicago Tribune, October 21, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, October 22, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, November 10, 1980. Spats was the night club/disco in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, same hotel as Trappers...





Honolulu Advertiser, November 20, 1980...







Star-Bulletin, November 26, 1980...





Star-Bulletin,December 1, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, December 4, 1980...





Philadelphia Inquirer, December 5, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, December 5, 1980...





Los Angeles Times, December 11, 1980...

More excellent finds there RG!

I had to smile at the Dec. 1 1980 article mentioning a manager named Mai Tai Sing.......he or she should be managing a karaoke bar with that name.....say it fast enough and it sounds like Might I Sing......a PERFECT fit - love it!

Or if you consume enough mai tai's.....you probably will sing!


Also thoroughly enjoying each and every tidbit from the past about the show/stars and/or anything having to do with MPI.

Interesting how some of the reviewers said it wasn't going to make it.

I had heard about the chopper crash and have seen the dedication on the DVD's, but had never seen any details of the incident before. Sad, but informative.

Great to see that Mosley was involved with local kids, just like his character.

Seems to have been a running theme on the show....the main characters put allot of themselves into them.....maybe that's why it worked?

KENJI wrote:I had to smile at the Dec. 1 1980 article mentioning a manager named Mai Tai Sing.......he or she should be managing a karaoke bar with that name.....say it fast enough and it sounds like Might I Sing......a PERFECT fit - love it!

Here's the rest of the sentence, Kenji.



I just read up on it, and they're referring to the Honolulu mayoral race of 1980 when Eileen Anderson defeated incumbent Frank Fasi. Interestingly, MPI is mentioned on Anderson's wikipedia page?...

Popular Culture, Magnum P.I.
The 1981 to 1985 seasons of the CBS television program Magnum, P.I. were filmed in Honolulu during Anderson's mayoral leadership. The show unintentionally included background scenes that featured major construction and development projects on Oahu, promoted by Anderson as mayor.


Here's Mai Tai Sing, second from the right, in 2011 at a jazz concert at La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls...




And of course Jimmy Borges was performing!

Thanks for the additional info RG!
Great pics of Mai Tai and Jimmy!
Mai Tai appears to be a very happy person in the first pic. Here are a few links regarding Dong.....
http://www.dongkingman.org/about.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpGqY73ko2g

The school mentioned in the second pic - La Pietra Hawaii School of Girls was created by none of other than Barbara Cox Anthony (Eve Anderson's step-mom) and another lady named Lorraine Day Cooke.

308GUY wrote:Or if you consume enough mai tai's.....you probably will sing!


Also thoroughly enjoying each and every tidbit from the past about the show/stars and/or anything having to do with MPI.

Interesting how some of the reviewers said it wasn't going to make it.

I had heard about the chopper crash and have seen the dedication on the DVD's, but had never seen any details of the incident before. Sad, but informative.

Great to see that Mosley was involved with local kids, just like his character.

Seems to have been a running theme on the show....the main characters put allot of themselves into them.....maybe that's why it worked?

Glad you're liking them, 308GUY! Here's even more about the chopper crash, and the last article mentions the settlement Bob Vanderkar's widow received...


Star-Bulletin, November 20, 1980...





Honolulu Advertiser, November 21, 1980...





Star-Bulletin, November 21, 1980...




Los Angeles Times, January 19, 1985...