The Legacy of Garwood Huddle (5.4)

[J.J. Walters]

This is the official MM thread for The Legacy of Garwood Huddle (5.4). All discussions and reviews for this episode should go here. If you wish to rate the episode, please do so with the poll. The avg. score will be the official 'community rating', which will be used on the episode page (updated monthly).

This thread is also linked in the episode page of the Episode Guide.

Original Air Date: 10/18/1984
One crime might just justify another when Magnum helps a notorious bank robber find his hidden loot so he can pay the ransom on his kidnapped grandson.

[J.J. Walters]

When I think of this episode, I think of one thing: pochismo cologne.

[Doc Ibold]

"T.C.: You know, there's that smell again. It's smells kinda funny, like old gym shorts. You smell it Thomas?
Magnum: (says nothing)
T.C.: It's gettin' worse. It smells like old brussel sprouts.
Magnum: Ok! Ok! Ok...It's me. Some guy gave me this sample of pochismo cologne.
T.C.: Pochismo col...Is this the same guy that gave you the Pat Wax?
Magnum: Yes, and I put some on and now I can't wash it off.
T.C.: Man, you should have smelled that stuff before you put it on.
Magnum: It doesn't smell like anything. It's supposed to take on your own natural scent.
T.C.: Heh, boy if that's your own natural scent you've got a serious problem.
Magnum: Look, will you stop it please and help me find William Daniels!
T.C.: Yeah, sure. You just stay down wind. "

AWESOME exchange.

Poor John Ratzenberger. Caught up in an Amway-esque pyramid scheme.



If Norm were there, none of this would have happened!



Although James, I think it might be spelled "Patchismo", in keeping with the PatPlan style, i.e. Pat Wax, Patty Bear, etc.

[J.J. Walters]

I think it might be spelled "Patchismo", in keeping with the PatPlan style, i.e. Pat Wax, Patty Bear, etc.

Ah, I think you're right Doc! That certainly makes more sense than "Pochismo" cologne!

And yes, it was fun to watch a pre-Cheers, pre-Pixar John Ratzenberger!

[Magnums Little Voice]

Same for me the TC and Thomas Aftershave chat was so funny, apart from that it was quite an average episode, tho you did see the softer side of Ice Pick!!
You got a serious problem boy!!

[Little Garwood]

Despite the fact that it's my username here, I rated "The Legacy of Garwood Huddle" a 7.5. I was always amused at the amount of times any given character said "Little Garwood"! Anyone else notice that it's a women's voice dubbed in for LG when Ratzenberger is trying to feed him?I'm sure you all have. I'd like to be able to use the picture of Little Garwood as my avatar but don't have the means to do so. Someday, maybe...

And one *has* to love T.C.'s complaining about "someone cooking brussel sprouts"!

[Ice_Pick]

I love this episode!

[lutherhgillis]

I certainly will not argue that you shouldn't enjoy this epi but it seemed to me that they maade this one up at the last minute. It was sort of like, "we need one more. Can you write another one tonight and we will film it in the morning?"

I love how they spoofed AmWay. That bogus stuff was everywhere in the 80s. I had people asking me to sell that garbage all the time. I could recognize their pitch as soon as they began talking. What dolts...

Weak but enjoyable...

[Ice_Pick]

Oh, the days when viewers didn't question the ability of a 60+ year-old man to escape from jail! If people will buy it, scriptwriters will write it. lol

[lutherhgillis]

I just noticed that Pat Hingle aka Garwood Huddle died recently at the age of 84. CNN's obituary includes "Hingle's other TV series included "Hawaii Five-O," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Hart to Hart," "St. Elsewhere," "Magnum, P.I." and "Cheers.""

Hingle had lived at Carolina Beach, NC.

[J.J. Walters]

I just noticed that Pat Hingle aka Garwood Huddle died recently at the age of 84. CNN's obituary includes "Hingle's other TV series included "Hawaii Five-O," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Hart to Hart," "St. Elsewhere," "Magnum, P.I." and "Cheers.""

Oh, so sorry to hear that. RIP Pat.

He had a long, established career. His most memorable role for me (in addition to Garwood) will always be Judge Fenton from Hang 'Em High.

I was just reading his bio in Wikipedia and came across this shocking piece of info regarding a near fatal accident he had in 1960:

In 1960, he had been offered the title role in Elmer Gantry, but could not do it due to a near fatal accident; caught in an elevator in his West End Avenue apartment building that had stalled between the second and third floors, he crawled out, trying to reach the second floor corridor, lost his balance and fell 54 feet down the shaft, fracturing his skull, wrist, hip and most of the ribs on his left side, breaking his left leg in three places and losing the little finger on his left hand. He lay near death for two weeks and his recovery took more than a year.

Wow

[N1095A]

Frannie Huddle tells Magnum that Walt plays gin with his buddy Norm. Walt is played by John Ratzenberger, Cliff from Cheers who's best friend was Norm. I half ecpected to see george Wendt when TM burst into the house where they were hiding out.

[Jay-Firestorm]

I’m surprised how many people find this a passable episode, as personally I found it quite weak and dull.

[rating=7.5]

Higgins persuades Magnum to help Garwood Huddle, an aged ex-Robin Hood type who has broken out of prison to recover a stash of loot needed to pay for the release of his young grandson, who has been kidnapped. A rather dull episode…

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Coming after such a great episode as ‘Mac’s Back’ would always be hard to top, but ‘The Legacy of Garwood Huddle’ is a definite step down, and one of the show’s weaker stories.

As has already been commented, this episode always struck me as being shown out of sequence, as Magnum has long hair in this instalment, but had it cut in ‘Mac’s Back’.

The story starts off with some potential, with an aged robber having broken out of prison to find the ransom for his kidnapped grandson, but unfortunately it soon goes downhill, and is downright dull in places. Sadly, this would be the case for many episodes of the fifth and sixth season.

Pat Hingle is an okay guest star I suppose (he reminds me of Eugene Roche, who plays the recurring Luther Gillis), but I just had very little interest in Garwood, which is not a very good sign in a story where you should be rooting for him.

Also, I guessed who the villain of the piece was straight away. I won’t give it away here, but I personally found it very obvious.

A nice touch – and probably the best element of the story – is the aftershave sampler that Magnum tries on, making him reek of “brussel sprouts” and “old gym shorts”. This is the only truly humorous moment of story; The familiar spark of the series is definitely missing with this one.

For all I’ve said against it, I wouldn’t say this is one of my all-time least favourite episodes, but is a definite notch down from proceeding stories (especially when watching the show on reruns or DVD without a break from the fourth season, which also had some strong episodes at the end). At best, it would be down the end of a season to bump the year’s episode count up – it certainly has a ‘filler’ feel to it – but placed so near the start of season, and after such a classic episode, it really suffers.

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* Nothing to really note on this one, other than that Rick only appears in one sequence in the story (when he goes to visit Ice Pick).

[Tidal Pool Lifeguard]

I've been a long-time visitor to this site, but I never really thought about participating. I love the forums here and have learned a lot reading through these threads, so I finally took the plunge and registered. I didn't see a thread for new members, so consider this my "Hello!"

I thought this was a fun episode. Poor Magnum, having to miss his playoff game. These cases always seem to pop up at the most inopportune times! And I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when Frannie said that John Ratzenberger was "playing gin with his buddy Norm." A great nod to Cheers! Wonder if Magnum or Garwood had to pay for the massage parlor floor, lol?


BTW, is there someone on this forum who uses the same photo I used for my avatar? I use this pic of TC's chopper for a lot of things, like my fantasy sports teams' logos, etc., and I can't remember if I found it on my own or I saw someone here using it. If someone else has it, I'll switch so as not to be confusing.

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Welcome to the forums! This is a great place to discuss Magnum with a fine group of people. I hope you enjoy it!