| # |
Year |
Headline |
Source |
Subject(s) |
PDF |
Notes |
| 1 |
1980 |
None |
NY Daily News |
"Pilot Movie" preview |
PDF |
Written by legendary TV critic Kay Gardella. |
| 2 |
1980 |
Magnum P.I. |
Variety |
"Pilot Movie" preview |
PDF |
"...Its key to success would seem to be the good-looking Selleck and he created enough interest in the pilot to suggest that Magnum could be in for a successful run." |
| 3 |
1980 |
None |
NY Times |
"Pilot Movie" preview |
PDF |
"Magnum is still another Burt Reynolds lookalike striving to market the offhand style that has made Mr. Reynolds a star." |
| 4 |
1980 |
"Sexy, Macho Tom Selleck Carries New Series" |
TV News of Manhattan South |
"Pilot Movie" preview |
PDF |
"If the scripting does not become repetitive or too silly, this series could give CBS one of the top rate private eye shows on the tube." |
| 5 |
1981 |
"Magnum Has A Pal" |
Variety |
Gov. George Ariyoshi |
PDF |
Don Bellisario threatened to pull the show out of the islands because of the studio lease issues. |
| 6 |
1981 |
"Review: Magnum P.I." |
TV Guide |
Thomas Magnum |
PDF |
"This is a more benign and languid Hawaii than the one in Hawaii Five-0, which managed to make paradise look nasty." |
| 7 |
1982 |
"Magnum's America: 'Nam and Apple Pie" |
Village Voice |
Magnum P.I. |
PDF |
A very well-written review by Tom Carson. |
| 8 |
1982 |
"Magnum's forceful sidekick" |
NY Daily News |
John Hillerman |
PDF |
Hillerman "loves fine art and caviar and hates excercise". His upcoming role in Little Gloria... Happy at Last is mentioned. |
| 9 |
1982 |
"He's Hawaii's Magnum Force, But Tom Selleck Is Far From Pacific" |
People |
Tom Selleck |
PDF |
Tom's background, Magnum P.I. filming, High Road to China, Divorce Wars: A Love Story, Tom's parents, family pictures. |
| 10 |
1982 |
"One foot in the ghetto, one in his Rolls Royce" |
TV Guide |
Roger E. Mosley |
PDF |
Mosley owns a Rolls, an '82 Cadillac, a '63 Corvette Stingray, a truck and a van. He founded the Watts Repertory Company and helped form the Watts Swim Club. While filming in Hawaii, Mosley coached a little-league football team - the Kaimuki Eagles. |
| 11 |
1982 |
"Higgins - not Hamlet - will be fine, thank you" |
TV Guide |
John Hillerman |
PDF |
Hillerman bio, the creation of Jonathan Quayle Higgins (and the British accent), working with Selleck, Bogdanovich friendship. Great article! |
| 12 |
1982 |
"Hawaii Extension for U-TV's Magnum" |
Variety |
Diamond Head Studio's lease extension |
PDF |
Lease approved through Dec. 1984. The deal with the Hawaii state government cost Universal $900,000 (in addition to the regular monthly lease). |
| 13 |
1982 |
"Petersdorf..." |
Variety |
Rudolph Petersdorf's lawsuit |
PDF |
Petersdorf eventually loses the $5M suit. |
| 14 |
1983 |
"The network said: Don't play it again, Rick" |
TV Guide |
Larry Manetti |
PDF |
Background info on Manetti, working on Magnum P.I., the forced change to the character of Rick after the "Pilot Movie". |
| 15 |
1983 |
"The Lean Years Are Over For John Hillerman..." |
People |
John Hillerman |
PDF |
w/ pictures of Hillerman's Honolulu apartment. Hillerman became a fan of opera at 10 and would see The Met every year when they visited Dallas. "From the time he was 12, John would travel alone by train to Dallas [for a weekend], check into a hotel and go to the opera." |
| 16 |
1983 |
"What could possibly be bothering Tom Selleck?" |
TV Guide |
Tom Selleck |
PDF |
The price of fame, female fans, long work hours, the tabloids. |
| 17 |
1983 |
"Copter Pilot Gets 90-Day Suspension In Magnum Crash" |
Variety |
Robert Sanders |
PDF |
NTSB appeal - pilot originally received a 270-day suspension. |
| 18 |
1983 |
"Eleven-Market, $70-Mil Gross" |
Variety |
Magnum P.I. in syndication |
PDF |
In its first week in syndication Magnum P.I. made $70M, shattering the previous record! |
| 19 |
1984 |
"Magnum co-star has his own style" |
NY Daily News |
John Hillerman |
PDF |
Hillerman has a 10-room, 38th floor apartment overlooking Honolulu. "Part of the magic is that we enjoy working together. Tom's a delight." |
| 20 |
1984 |
"Wheels to go" |
NY Post |
Manetti & Selleck |
PDF |
Selleck gave Manetti, Hillerman and Mosley a Porche 928 as a "thank you" present. |
| 21 |
1984 |
"Bellisario" |
Primetime
(Issue No. 10) |
Don Bellisario |
PDF |
Very interesting 3-page interview with Don Bellisario. The credited screenwriter of "Flashback", "Lance Madrid III", is actually a pseudonym for Robert Hamilton, a veteran Magnum P.I. writer. Airwolf also discussed. |
| 22 |
1985 |
"Thighs & Whiskers: The Fascination of Magnum P.I." |
Screen |
Magnum P.I. |
PDF |
A scholarly deconstruction of Magnum/Selleck's sex appeal - the magnum opus of masculinity - and other aspects of the show. Also features a great review/interpretation of "The Woman on the Beach". |
| 23 |
1985 |
"My Lord, Jack & Magnum Team Up!" |
NY Post |
Jack Lord, "Deja Vu" & Larry Manetti |
PDF |
Jack Lord to appear in a Season Six episode (turns out to only be a rumor). Manetti bumps into Ringo Starr in London who accidentally burns his jacket with a cig. |
| 24 |
1985 |
"Magnum to hit the road this fall" |
NY Daily News |
Season Six |
PDF |
Info on "Deja Vu" filming. Confirmation that Jack Lord will NOT be appearing in any upcoming episodes. |
| 25 |
1985 |
None |
Village Voice |
Magnum P.I. |
PDF |
Quentin Crisp's Your Show of Shows column. He likes the show. |
| 26 |
1985 |
"CBS Beefs Up Magnum's Beefcake Part" |
NY Post |
Magnum P.I. |
PDF |
Selleck will be "alive in every show. He no longer will be a bookcase for Higgins." The show will also use more guest stars. |
| 27 |
1985 |
"Dear Magnum: Get Tough, Get Passionate, Get Smart..." |
TV Guide |
Magnum P.I. |
PDF |
Best-selling romance novelist Janet Dailey advices Tom Selleck on how to spruce up his show. |
| 28 |
1986 |
"No foolin': hard work pays off for Magnum" |
AP |
Tom Selleck |
PDF |
Over the summer Selleck turned down movie offers and spent the 10-week break working with the writers and producers. |
| 29 |
1986 |
"High-caliber Magnum aiming for Dynasty" |
NY Post |
John Hillerman |
PDF |
Magnum P.I. going head-to-head with Dynasty. CBS announced plans to do a crossover with The Equalizer! |
| 30 |
1986 |
"Wedding Belle in Magnum's future" |
NY Post |
"L.A." & Dana Delaney |
PDF |
The wife of Charles Johnson (Magnum P.I. producer) saw an episode of Moonlighting with Dana Delaney and told her husband she must be on the show. |
| 31 |
1986 |
"Magnum P.I. Calls Hawaii Home..." |
Variety |
Filming in Oahu |
PDF |
Magnum P.I. leaves about half of the $22M it spends annually in Hawaii. |
| 32 |
1986 |
"Magnum, he wrote" |
NY Daily News |
"Novel Connection" |
PDF |
Negative review of "Novel Connection", the Murder, She Wrote crossover episode, by TV critic Kay Gardella. |
| 33 |
1987 |
"Magnum to Die: Show to Live On" |
Coast to Coast syndicated column |
"Limbo" |
PDF |
Selleck did some post-production work for "Limbo" in Toronto between rehearsals for Three Men and a Baby. |
| 34 |
1987 |
"Magnum, VIII" |
NY Daily News |
8th Season |
PDF |
Selleck has a deal whereby he can exit the show midseason if he chooses. |
| 35 |
1987 |
"Sinatra and Selleck are really cookin'" |
NY Daily News |
Frank Sinatra and "Laura" |
PDF |
"Laura" is Sinatra's first (and only) appearance in a television episodic drama. |
| 36 |
1987 |
"The Fall & Rise of Magnum" |
NY Daily News |
Magnum P.I.'s rise in the ratings, Frank Sinatra |
PDF |
Sinatra met Selleck at a dinner party (the summer before, after a Sinatra concert in Hawaii) and expressed interest in appearing on the show. Selleck makes $2M+ a season. |
| 37 |
1987 |
"Joining Tom Selleck: As Tough as Ever, Frank Sinatra Bounces Up off the Canvas" |
TV Guide |
Frank Sinatra & filming "Laura" |
PDF |
When "Laura" wrapped, Sinatra received a captain's hat, a Magnum P.I. watch and a koa-wood bowl. |
| 38 |
1987 |
"Magnum Blasts Status Quo" |
Variety |
Magnum P.I. ratings in various markets |
PDF |
Washington, D.C. consistantly has the highest ratings of any major market (10.1/25 Nielsen average). Dallas has the worst (2.3/4 Nielsen average). |
| 39 |
1987 |
"Magnum Packs A Wallop" |
Variety |
MCA TV syndication package |
PDF |
"MCA TV has broken all the dollar records in syndication with its sale to stations of Magnum P.I.. Within five weeks of its introduction into the marketplace, Magnum P.I. has soared over the $1,000,00-an-episode mark." |
| 40 |
1987 |
"The Eyes Have It in Tomorrow's Magnum Opus" |
NY Newsday |
Magnum P.I. review |
PDF |
Written by longtime media critic Marvin Kitman. |
| 41 |
1987 |
"Magnum, P.I." |
Variety |
"Laura" |
PDF |
"...Tom Selleck is certainly having what amounts to the last laugh." |
| 42 |
1988 |
"Camera Adventures with Magnum P.I." |
American Cinematographer |
John C. Flinn III |
PDF |
"Each show had a higher-than-average shooting schedule of eight or nine days." Flinn used Panavision cameras - Panaflex, PanaX and PanArri. |
| 43 |
1988 |
"Magnum's aloha airs Sunday on CBS" |
The Dispatch and Argus TV Week |
Series finale "Resolutions" Preview |
PDF |
Another mention (confirmation) of Selleck's executive producer role on the show ("...for the past two years"). |
| 44 |
1988 |
"Magnum exit a hot one" |
NY Daily News |
Series finale "Resolutions" |
PDF |
The series finale, "Resolutions", averaged a huge 30.3 rating (percentage of all TVs) and a 45 share (percentage of TVs in use). The episide had its best performance in Washington, D.C., where it averaged 37.8 and a 56 share! |
| 45 |
1988 |
"Far From Final" |
NY Post |
Series finale "Resolutions" |
PDF |
"Magnum's oddly unfunny finale left plenty of room for more." |
| 46 |
1988 |
None |
Advertisement |
Team Ring |
PDF |
The Larry Manetti-sponsored Team Ring order form. 18 kt. gold layered ring for $19.95. A matching Emblem Pendant is also available, also for $19.95. |
| 47 |
1988 |
"Magnum Foursome Plan Hawaii Prod." |
Variety |
Selleck, Charles Johnson & Chris Abbott |
PDF |
"Selleck, Johnson and Abbott have formed a company and hope to produce TV programs in Hawaii, if they get help from the state and concessions from the unions." |
| 48 |
1992 |
None |
Broadcasting |
MCA TV syndication |
PDF |
MCA sells third-cycle syndication package of 156 episode to USA Network for $150,000 per episode, or $23.4 million. The first cycle earned Magnum P.I. a record $2.5 million an episode for an off-network hour in syndication. |
| 49 |
???? |
Magnum, p.i. |
Television Chronicles |
Magnum P.I. review |
PDF |
Great 8-page article about the history of the show. Thanks to Little Garwood for sending this in. |
