Murder, She Wrote - Magnum on Ice

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Steve · #16 Post by **Steve** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:52 pm

I caught this on The Hallmark Channel last night, it's only the second time I have seen it as I was never a Murder She Wrote fan.
I do seem to recall back in the eighties when this was being filmed, there were some reports in the media that Tom Selleck and John Hillerman were frustrated working with the ladies in this episode as they would take forever getting their makeup applied and wardrobe together so they would look just right. If I remember correctly, there was a bit of tension on the set as TM & JH were used to a faster pace in filming scenes. Now, take this with a grain of salt as I don't even remember where I read it but the memory has always stuck with me. I also like the prominent use of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in this Ep. as well.........

Steve
Chicago

MPS · #17 Post by **MPS** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:58 pm

I see I’m not the only one to become reacquainted with MPI due to this crossover episode! Glad to have found this site.

AJL · #18 Post by **AJL** » Mon May 12, 2008 2:40 pm

WOW, people have very different opinions on this one! I personally voted it "not so good".
One beef I really have with this episode: Whatever happened to the TC/Rick sidestory about the property??
Also, how did the syndicated version of MPI wrap this up??? Could anybody please explain??

Zudobug · #19 Post by **Zudobug** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:42 pm

I'm not a fan of MSW and this crossover episode doesn't do anything for me as a result. As far as I can make out this episode doesn't take place after Novel Connection but rather halfway through the episode or near the end of it (it's been about a year since I saw it). Novel Connection was an okay episode but Magnum on Ice wasn't. The only other episodes that I don't have a fondness for are the ones written by Jay Huguely. He tended to throw in a bit of humour that I couldn't get to grips with in his episodes.

lutherhgillis · #20 Post by **lutherhgillis** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:30 pm

Not a good episode. Why oh why did MPI take on water by doing this shipwreck? MPI needed no help in the ratings and MSW was alread established. Maybe the writers had a 'how can we piss off the loyal viewers' meeting and decided to crossover with Jessica Fletcher and her band of pre-menstrual-to-post-menapausal posse.

If they were going to cross over, why the heck didn't they do an MPI/Rockford Files movie cross? At least this would have been interesting. Jim could have said upon meeting TM, "Hey, you look familiar to me but I cannot place you." (reference the Lance White character)

Heck, a crossover with KnightRider would have been better than MSW... Maybe Hasslehoff and Selleck could have sung Karaoke in a bar...

#21 Post by **Doc Ibold** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:22 pm

lutherhgillis wrote:Not a good episode. Why oh why did MPI take on water by doing this shipwreck? MPI needed no help in the ratings and MSW was alread established. Maybe the writers had a 'how can we piss off the loyal viewers' meeting and decided to crossover with Jessica Fletcher and her band of pre-menstrual-to-post-menapausal posse.

If they were going to cross over, why the heck didn't they do an MPI/Rockford Files movie cross? At least this would have been interesting. Jim could have said upon meeting TM, "Hey, you look familiar to me but I cannot place you." (reference the Lance White character)

Heck, a crossover with KnightRider would have been better than MSW... Maybe Hasslehoff and Selleck could have sung Karaoke in a bar...

Could you imagine a Higgins and KITT exchange? That would be priceless!

MrMoustache · #22 Post by **MrMoustache** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:18 pm

ha!

although after watching the tragically short Buck rogers series, I got 4 episodes into Knight Rider and could stomach anymore melodrama. But it rekindled my love affair with MPI though!

I never understood MSW.. an entire series full of agatha christie style parlor murder whodunnits.. it was fun for a while, but it's so one dimensional. Rosemary & Thyme is an excellent substitute. it's an english series available on netflix. it's worth a view as the characters are strong enough to carry the series and there's usually enough touching or interesting moments balance out the "somebody died again" monotony.

I always used to ask my mom too about MSW: why did people keep inviting her to all those parties?

Jay-Firestorm · #23 Post by **Jay-Firestorm** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 12:31 pm

I found this hard to sit though. I shouldn’t be such a completist!

[rating=5.5]

Thomas Magnum has been arrested for supposedly killing a hitman in cold blood. Jessica looks into the case and tries to identify who really shot the hitman, and find who the true target is. A confusing and bland conclusion to this crossover story…

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I am hardly a fan of ‘Murder, She Wrote’, and sat through this episode after watching the first part, ‘Magnum, p.i.’s ‘Novel Connection’, feeling obliged to watch this conclusion just to be completist! I’m a glutton for punishment.

As I said in my review for ‘Novel Connection’, I find Jessica Fletcher irritating. Also making me dislike the show further is the fact that, here in the UK, my local ITV region ran the episodes over and OVER again when most of the surrounding regions had stuff I love, such as ‘The A-Team’ and ‘Knight Rider’.

Anyway… I found it hard to keep up with all of the twists of this story – although, I confess, maybe I just didn’t really care enough.
In fairness, the mystery element works better than in ‘Novel Connection’, but the whole overall story just comes across as uninteresting, and if they insisted on doing such a crossover, I just can’t help but feel that the whole thing could have been done so much better.

Although not one of my favourites, I supposed MSW can occasionally dish up a reasonable mystery (I seem to recall that a 1992 episode, ‘Murder on Madison Avenue’, featuring John ‘Higgins’ Hillerman as board games manufacturer, wasn’t too bad), but this is hardly an example of both MPI and MSW at their finest hour. They shouldn’t have bothered.
To quote myself on my review for ‘Novel Connection’, “it feels like two different shows awkwardly welded together, and does not work at all”.

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* I didn’t care enough to stop much more with this episode!

Oh, and mrmuscle, how can you not stomach 'Knight Rider' - it's one of my favourites (hey, I have a lot of favourites!!)

MACattack · #24 Post by **MACattack** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 1:26 am

This was the only Murder She Wrote episode I enjoyed. But as a MPI episode, it's lacking something......

MACattack · #25 Post by **MACattack** » Sat May 22, 2010 5:29 am

very silly episode.

Little Garwood · #26 Post by **Little Garwood** » Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:38 pm

One thing about the music in this episode: the Murder She Wrote composer used a stereotypical Hawaiian slide guitar sound in the "establishing shots", something we never heard in a Magnum episode. It lets the viewer know that it's a Murder She Wrote episode they're watching, and that Selleck and Hillerman are merely "guest stars.

Somehow, I get the feeling that each program's respective audiences were separate entities. I know that "1980s Me" wouldn't be caught dead watching Jessica Fletcher on a weekly basis!

I also would've liked more Thomas in this half of the two-parter and have the two work together, but seeing as Jessica doesn't appear until 25 minutes into the MPI half, I can see why they put Magnum *ahem* on Ice...

Waterbug Blue · #27 Post by **Waterbug Blue** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:46 pm

Well I don't know about old ladies - but in both episodes Landsbury seems more to be ACTING Fletcher, gesturing et al., whereas TS manages to naturally impersonate Magnum ... does that make him the better actor?

AmandaByNight · #28 Post by **AmandaByNight** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:55 pm

I've been on a crazy Murder, She Wrote obsession lately. I'm on season 7. I passed up this crossover episode because I hardly remember it and I want to watch both episodes together when I have more time to bask!

I have a feeling I'm going to love it. Lansbury and Selleck! Should have been a cop buddy action movie!

Waterbug Blue · #29 Post by **Waterbug Blue** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:21 pm

I hope you won't be disappointed ... well there are quite a few good entwining jokes though - watch out for the hunch

AmandaByNight · #30 Post by **AmandaByNight** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:22 pm

OK, so I just watched Novel Connection and quite enjoyed it. Yes, I know I'm in the minority, but I just adore J.B. Fletcher. Also, it was so cool to see her and Jonathan Hilllerman in those characters together (he also appeared on at least one episode of MSW as a different character). Both are such enjoyable and formidable actors. It was a treat.

I have a question. I watched Novel Connection on Netflix, which has the wrapped up ending to make it a one-off instead of a crossover. Does the DVD have the same ending, or do they have the original? I am wondering because I'd like to see how it's left hanging and because I was going to suggest these episodes on my blog's Must See Streaming TV theme...

Thanks for any help!

Amanda

Murder, She Wrote - Magnum on Ice

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