Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

[Croix de Lorraine]

Car flub detected:

The sister's MG is the same one Maggie Poole drives in season 8.

Also, I don't know if it's just me, but when Magnum arrives at the estate after almost being driven off the road and calls the dogs several times, it sounds as if he calls Apollo "Paolo". Every single time.

[Kalai-pahoa]

Watching and re-watching the pilot movie is ever a great pleasure. Absolutely one of the best episodes of the entire show. Full of most of the elements of the series.
Everything is so exotic and cool: breaking into the estate to steal the Ferrari, Higgins and the lads, the wonderful Robin's guests, TC's chopper, the beauty of the Hawaii and a very good story too. I like very much the Ian Freebairn-Smith's theme song too.
I've been getting shocked when they passed by the cheap hotel where I stayed when I visited Oahu (in Ala Wai Blvd) . so funny. I'm proud of that.


A very interesting flub is just about the Ferrari. Every one of us knows that in this pilot the license plate on the Ferrari is '56E-478' and this will change to 'Robin 1' for all the other episodes of the series.
But during the famous chase scene is possible to see a different license plate(561-068)!!!


The off road car accident scene was shot on Oahu's southeast shore right on Kalanianaole Hwy (between Hanauma Bay and the Lanai Lookout).



Call me dumb but I never noticed before the Croix de Lorraine painted on the side of the helicopter during the flashbacks.

[ConchRepublican]

The Pilot episode is one of my go to episodes when I need my Magnum fix. I agree, it has just about everything we love about the series.

I also like the way it was shot. There was more of a movie quality about the episode to me. I don't know if it was the film used, the equipment, I'm not technical that way, but know it had a "feel".

As for the license, I don't think we can call that a true flub. I always considered the Pilot a little different, even the Estate interiors were different.

[Kalai-pahoa]

As for the license, I don't think we can call that a true flub. I always considered the Pilot a little different, even the Estate interiors were different.

Well, I get your point but I think it'd be considered a flub because at the beginning of the episode, when TM drives through the gate, the license of the car is clearly '56E-478'. Then it changes to '561-068' but maybe the tough guys were chasing the wrong car

[ConchRepublican]

As for the license, I don't think we can call that a true flub. I always considered the Pilot a little different, even the Estate interiors were different.

Well, I get your point but I think it'd be considered a flub because at the beginning of the episode, when TM drives through the gate, the license of the car is clearly '56E-478'. Then it changes to '561-068' but maybe the tough guys were chasing the wrong car

D'oh!! I totally missed that those plates didn't match either. Sorry!

[SignGuyHPW]

This was a great way to set up the series. It introduced the regulars in a great way as well as setting the tone of the show as a drama with comedy mixed into it. I wish that they'd have incorporated Dan Cook references more often into future episodes since he seemed to be tightly entertwined with Magnum, Rick, and TC. I always enjoy when Magnum interacts with the Navy and there was a lot of it from the begining to establish what would make him a great private investigator.

[Hawaii Winds]

OK James, maybe you (or anyone else) can answer this for me....

So in the pilot, we have Dan Cook established as a good guy who's looking to take down Le Bull, but is tragically killed when he's punched in the gut and ingested cocaine packets burst in his abdomen, causing him to overdose and subsequently die.

HOWEVER, if Dan is such a good guy, how did the packets get into his stomach?

He obviously wouldn't have taken them voluntarily, and lets assume he was drugged or something, don't you think he would have some recollection of being drugged/knocked out/etc before he jetted over to Hawaii?

I love the show, but this was the one glaring plot hole I've noticed.

Anyonw else think this was a bit weird?

Aside from that, I think this pilot was awesome and pretty much sets up the Magnuverse (even though Higgin's has some sort of Pirate/Scottish accent when we're first introduced to him, and TC is an utter hornball).




I had just though of this and was wondering if anyone else out there had some sort of logical reason for the Cocaine getting in the stomach of the late Lt. Cook

They never did mention that did they....the episode focused on TM trying to clear his name.

[charybdis1966]

After watching MPI for all these years from the early 1980's I finally get to see part 1 of the pilot, which bizarrely ITV4 then went straight onto China Doll afterwards and they failed to show part 2.

Most eye catching part of it ? The visiting stewardesses ! And Pamela SS was no slouch either.

But turning to the actual story itself you can see how the characters hadn't quite been fleshed out and that Higgy baby's accent was still a work in progress and J Hillerman was a slimmer figure than he would become by the 4th season and he'd dispensed with the riding crop.

[Estate resident]

Am I correct in that ep. 1 is the ony time Ms Anderson allowed indoor filming? At the 4:00 mark Higgins is seen running down the stairs. Is this indeed the inside of Robin's Nest...or just another set?

[Sam]

Hi Estate resident,

The pilot was filmed at the Marks Estate.

edit..

It should be noted that the indoor scenes of the main house at Robin's Nest in the "Pilot Movie" were actually filmed at The Marks Estate in the Nuuanu Valley, not at the Anderson Estate (or on a soundstage).

http://magnum-mania.com/Articles/Robins_Nest.html

[Scotophor]

Regarding the wearing of the team ring, no one else pointed out that when Magnum removes the ring from Leboulle's left hand, he's wearing his own on his right hand.

Member Agatha wrote, "We feel like we're being let in on a secret when Thomas threatens to tell what Rick's name really is and then later, TC tells us that it's Orville." Did anyone else notice Higgins' reaction when he hears it, repeating "Orville?", indicating that he didn't previously know what it was either?

Finally, some additional info regarding flub #7 from the episode guide for part 1: "When Thomas is waiting for Alice to arrive at the airport, the shot of the plane landing shows a white aircraft with a red stripe and a blue underbelly. In the next shot, as Thomas looks out at the plane, it's metallic grey."

-Not only is it odd that the plane changes its paint scheme, the first version is totally unbelievable too... it's the Boeing factory/delivery scheme! Behind/below the cockpit, it reads "BOEING 747", and "747" is also on the tail, those are the only texts large enough to be legible, and there are no graphic logos at all. The only people who would be likely to be on board a plane flying marked that way would be either Boeing employees, or employees of the airline to which it was being delivered (before being repainted to the airline's livery). Certainly not paying passengers!

-Clearly this was a poor choice of which stock footage to use by the makers. In at least one later episode is another slightly less obvious poor choice of stock footage, but I'll need to re-watch to find exactly which episode(s). The clip I have in mind is a view from a camera mounted to the underside of a plane, near the tail, looking forward at the landing gear as the plane touches down. The problem? The landing gear is very distinctive and does not belong to a civilian, or even passenger aircraft. The nose gear, instead of being a single strut with dual wheels mounted on the aircraft's centerline, is TWO struts on either side of the aircraft, each having dual wheels. The only plane I'm familiar with having nose gear like that is the B-52 bomber!

[Styles Bitchley]

Regarding the wearing of the team ring, no one else pointed out that when Magnum removes the ring from Leboulle's left hand, he's wearing his own on his right hand.

Member Agatha wrote, "We feel like we're being let in on a secret when Thomas threatens to tell what Rick's name really is and then later, TC tells us that it's Orville." Did anyone else notice Higgins' reaction when he hears it, repeating "Orville?", indicating that he didn't previously know what it was either?

Finally, some additional info regarding flub #7 from the episode guide for part 1: "When Thomas is waiting for Alice to arrive at the airport, the shot of the plane landing shows a white aircraft with a red stripe and a blue underbelly. In the next shot, as Thomas looks out at the plane, it's metallic grey."

-Not only is it odd that the plane changes its paint scheme, the first version is totally unbelievable too... it's the Boeing factory/delivery scheme! Behind/below the cockpit, it reads "BOEING 747", and "747" is also on the tail, those are the only texts large enough to be legible, and there are no graphic logos at all. The only people who would be likely to be on board a plane flying marked that way would be either Boeing employees, or employees of the airline to which it was being delivered (before being repainted to the airline's livery). Certainly not paying passengers!

-Clearly this was a poor choice of which stock footage to use by the makers. In at least one later episode is another slightly less obvious poor choice of stock footage, but I'll need to re-watch to find exactly which episode(s). The clip I have in mind is a view from a camera mounted to the underside of a plane, near the tail, looking forward at the landing gear as the plane touches down. The problem? The landing gear is very distinctive and does not belong to a civilian, or even passenger aircraft. The nose gear, instead of being a single strut with dual wheels mounted on the aircraft's centerline, is TWO struts on either side of the aircraft, each having dual wheels. The only plane I'm familiar with having nose gear like that is the B-52 bomber!

Nice observations Scotophor. Thanks!

[steveadl]

The Pilot episode is one of my go to episodes when I need my Magnum fix. I agree, it has just about everything we love about the series.

I also like the way it was shot. There was more of a movie quality about the episode to me. I don't know if it was the film used, the equipment, I'm not technical that way, but know it had a "feel".

As for the license, I don't think we can call that a true flub. I always considered the Pilot a little different, even the Estate interiors were different.

You're right. I don't know the technicals of how/what they do differently, but it is filmed and appears more like a movie.

That way if the show wasn't picked up by a network for a continuing series, the producers could still get some money back by selling in various markets and platforms as a telemovie.

[marlboro]

I noticed the same thing about the Hawaii 50 pilot. The camera work was much more sophisticated than what you would typically see in a tv show of the time. By the second episode all that was ditched unfortunately.

[rsswg]

Great Pilot