Old Acquaintance (6.3)

[J.J. Walters]

I tell ya what, Rodney Radcliff is one of the coolest characters ever seen in the show - a laid-back uber-mechanic/painter who tells good stories, listens to good music and has some sweet cars in his garage! Loved that flaming VW bug! He would have made for a great recurring character in the show. His character would have been a great way to showcase Hawaiian hot rods -- whenever someone showed up at his garage, different hot rods would be seen.

Anyway, this episode holds up much better on multiple viewings. And Goldie didn't annoy me nearly as much this time!

[lutherhgillis]

Goldie was annoying but not as much as the 2 characters played by Cassie Yates in Kiss of the Sabre and Photo Play!

I know there is no real connection between a Magnum type of character and a Goldie. But I do remember being in High School and I had some friends that I had nothing in common with. I don't know why but some people you like just because there is an unexplainable connection.

Goldie grew up to be a Hugo Chavez loving, tree hugging, bra burning, neo-commie that will probably vote for Hillary Clinton in 08!

[Doc Ibold]

Amen Luther.

Amen!

[Doc Ibold]

(In terms of the Cassie Yates comments)

[J.J. Walters]

Ladies and gentleman, the one and only - Ms. Goldie Morris!

She may be annoying, but that scene just cracks me up every time! "It's all a smoke screen. It's just a token gesture!". Goldie burning down the goalposts (with a young Thomas looking on in utter horror, no doubt!). "A dolphin is a mammal, not a fish".

[IslandHopper]

I don't know why the writers felt that it was necessary to make Goldie so annoying and such a crusader. I think the episode would have been much better if they had toned her character down a little. The plot was good (even if it was from a George C. Scott movie), and I'm sure her character came across as intended, but this is one of those episodes that I can't bring myself to watch very often. I think they could have had Goldie play a normal, well adjusted, marine biologist who is simply trying to find the stolen dolphins. They could have still incorporated her history with TM. My favorite scene from the episode was where Higgins reprimands Goldie for her role in the dolphin caper.

[AJL]

I actually loved this one, it was just fun, some great action and beautiful scenery. I LOVED the first scene in the guesthouse where Rick and TC look through Magnums old yearbooks or whatever. And that Rodney guy was an awesome character. Yes Goldie was somewhat annoying, but I didn't mind her that much, the chick from Kiss of The Sabre was WAY WAY WAY more annoying.

[Doc Ibold]

I actually loved this one, it was just fun, some great action and beautiful scenery. I LOVED the first scene in the guesthouse where Rick and TC look through Magnums old yearbooks or whatever. And that Rodney guy was an awesome character. Yes Goldie was somewhat annoying, but I didn't mind her that much, the chick from Kiss of The Sabre was WAY WAY WAY more annoying.

AMEN!

[rubber chicken]

I tell ya what, Rodney Radcliff is one of the coolest characters ever seen in the show - a laid-back uber-mechanic/painter who tells good stories, listens to good music and has some sweet cars in his garage! Loved that flaming VW bug! He would have made for a great recurring character in the show. His character would have been a great way to showcase Hawaiian hot rods -- whenever someone showed up at his garage, different hot rods would be seen.

I agree, he really jumped out of the scene so to speak, and we should have seen the character again. With TC being well acquainted with him, there could have even been a whole show built around Rodney. Or maybe using his demolition skills for Magnum. Or at least coming over to the estate to paint a backdrop for an annual play of Higgins' and then getting involved in a case of Magnum's.

Lee de Broux (Radcliff) has over 100 roles credited on his IMDB page. I saw that he had a minor role playing a policeman in Chinatown, which John Hillerman was also in of course. He also had a bigger role as Sal in RoboCop. (A drug producer I think.) Other TV shows include Quantum Leap, MacGyver, TJ Hooker, Hart to Hart, Max Headroom, The Incredible Hulk, Mash, etc. He's also been in countless other movies. I either didn't realize or remember he was in two other Magnum P.I. episodes. He has terrible luck in both...

China Doll (1.3) - Duffy the Sailor, who's killed by the Chinese assassin after trying to play tough.


The Arrow That Is Not Aimed (3.14) - Gallagher the tourist shop owner, who runs from Tozan the samurai and ends up in the hospital after trying to wash his car in the harbor.


So it's nice that he rises like a phoenix in his last and best role of the show, the character of Rodney Radcliff. If he came back for another episode I think as long he didn't go up against an Asian man he would have been great.

His garage is located here. The garage is part of the Paki Hale Community Center (the main building isn't seen in the show), which in turn is part of Kapiolani Park. It may be more commonly known as just Paki Hale, and was formerly the Winstedt house. (map of park)


And here's "The mark of Radcliff," a "signature, not a logo."

[J.J. Walters]

So it's nice that he rises like a phoenix in his last and best role of the show, the character of Rodney Radcliff. If he came back for another episode I think as long he didn't go up against an Asian man he would have been great.

Heh!

You know what would be great, if we could ID all of the cars at the garage. It looks like there's ~ 10 of 'em.

[rubber chicken]

I wonder how the show went about getting them.

[Lt. Cook]

I also loved the scene where TC and Rick are looking through TM's yearbook. TC: "Captain of the football team, Homecoming King?. Nobody has a life like that in high school!"

[Jay-Firestorm]

I hadn’t seen this episode in a while. Yes, Goldie is annoying, but in that deliberate MPI way, and I find this episode much better than many of the previous season.

[rating=9.0]

Magnum meets up with an old high-school friend, an animal rights activist who promptly hires him to find a highly-trained dolphin that has been stolen from a local zoo. But the case has a far more sinister twist than first predicted. A silly but likable episode…

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This review contains spoilers.

It has a somewhat daft plot, involving a stolen dolphin loaded with explosives, but I for one find ‘Old Acquaintance’ to be a pretty enjoyable episode. It is certainly miles better than many of the offerings from the previous season, and has more of that vintage ‘Magnum, p.i.’ feel to it.

Some fans have comment that Magnum’s old high-school friend, Goldie Morris, is very annoying. Well, yes she is – but in that deliberate, well-written MPI way; the kind of character that you like to be annoyed by. Lee Purcell plays the part well, and at least Goldie has some character to her.

Another good character is Rodney Radcliff (Lee De Broux, who plays several bit parts throughout the series), who was behind the paint job on T.C.’s helicopter and van. Again as other fans have commented, he’s a pretty interesting character, and it is a shame that we never see him again in the course of the show’s run.

There is also some good action – yet ANOTHER thing that was absent from so many fifth season stories. I like the shot as T.C.’s chopper flips a gunman down from the top of a rise; the climax of the episode, as Magnum and co. race to stop the dolphin blowing up the foreign delegate’s boat, is exciting too.

This isn’t a perfect MPI episode – for one thing, it takes a long time to get to the point in places, but even so, bar the previous feature-length / two-part ‘Deja Vu’, I haven’t enjoyed an MPI episode so much in ages. And I care about that dolphin a lot more than I did for many fifth season characters – are you getting the feeling that I didn’t think much of the fifth season?!

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* This is the first episode where T.C.’s tiny earring (or ear clip) on his right ear is visible. (If he had it in ‘Deja Vu’, I didn’t notice it)

* In the scene at the zoo when Magnum and Goldie are watching the remaining dolphin, in one shot the creature is heard to squawk (or whatever sound a dolphin makes)… when it is underwater! I don’t think this is possible.

[steveadl]

I'm with you guys - found Goldie annoying.

Though a personal highlight for me is the scenes shot at Sea Life Park which I visited last year while on Oahu. It's actually spooky how little it's changed! It looks pretty much exactly the same today as it did back in the 80's including the dolphin pools, the pirate ship where the instructors are, and even the grand stand where the audience sits!

Talk about a time warp!

[nha trang]

Nothing says "sexy" like a chick into animal liberation wearing pleated khaki pants and a parachute silk blouse!

Rated it a 6.5 but perhaps that was too harsh, I watched it a couple of nights ago, and I remember Rodney's scene being pretty good, but all I can remember is the (nearly) exploding dolphin - chum, anyone?