Basket Case (3.15)

[Operation Chessboard]

Just watched this episode. Hadn't seen it in years and I enjoyed it a lot more than I had the last time I watched it. It was a bit melancholy knowing Dana Hill had passed away so young. The only other role I remember her in was in 'National Lampoon's European Vacation.' Her basketball skills were quite impressive and definitely did add credibility to the role. In all of the syndicated versions I've seen of this episode, they completely cut out the opening scene with Willie pulling her con on the speeding tourists and, instead, open with the scene at the basketball court. The only thing I didn't like about this episode was the very PC ending. Ugh.

[rubber chicken]

I came across an article about Dana Hill from the March 8, 1982 issue of People magazine. Here's links to the three pages in .jpg format - one, two, three. Better quality copies are available at the first link by downloading the whole magazine issue in .pdf form but that's 90 MB.

The article talks about the different roles she's had, her diabetes, athletic abilities and more. One funny quote - "I haven't had that many crushes yet," Dana says, "except Tom Selleck." - and the article came out just 11 months before "Basket Case" aired.


To get off topic... this is the same issue that has a long article about Mr. Selleck that many here have probably read already in the "Print Media" section of Magnum Mania, but the People site version is much better quality.

James - If you wanted to, you could replace the photocopied People articles with with better quality .pdf's from the People website. It would be pretty simple, just download the (90MB) .pdf for the correct issue and delete all the pages besides the Magnum related pages. Just a thought! The article photos in particular are much more clear. It looks like there's only two People articles, the other one being the one for Hillerman in this issue.

... I was wrong, there's Sincerely, Tom Selleck from March 12, 1984. And also this rather long article about Selleck and High Road to China, not sure if that counts.

[J.J. Walters]

Thanks for the article link RC. It's a nice read. Dana sure made the most out of her life. I gotta see Shoot the Moon.

And thanks for the links to the higher quality People articles. I'll use 'em.

[Jay-Firestorm]

Friday’s second review from me. I know some like this one, and I don’t hate it, but I class it as a so-so, “watch once” episode. It’s also sad to think Dana Hill was only a year older than I am now when she passed away.

[rating=7.5]

T.C. and Magnum are training their respective junior basketball teams for an upcoming game, when Magnum meets a young tomboy who could help his team win. But Magnum becomes suspicious when none of the girl’s background rings true. A lesser episode…

-----

This review contains spoilers.

The third season really started the trend for odd, offbeat episodes of the series (think back just a couple of episodes to ‘In Sound Mind’ for one), and ‘Basket Case’ is another such example.

This is another sports-based episode; the show seems to like to dish one up every season or so. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I’m not a sports fan, but I do like this episode a little better than the second season’s football-based ‘One More Summer’.

Young Dana Hill gives a strong performance as tomboy “Willie”. The character could have ended up being really grating and two dimensional, but Hill really brings it to life and is probably the best thing about the episode.
Hill was doing the rounds as guest star on the popular shows of the time (she also did a couple of episodes of ‘The Fall Guy’), and this episode is a good showcase for her. It is sad to think that she passed away at only 32 years old due to complications from diabetes, which she had battled through her life.

The story is a pretty easy-going one, and although there are villains of the piece (Willie is being forced to engage in various cons for her Fagin-like foster parents), it is not really as crime driven as typical MPI episodes. I really like the series trying different things, and although I haven’t given the episode a top-end rating, I do like what they were going for.
I also like Willie’s friendship with Higgins – it turns out that even old Jonathan Quayle has a heart!

Over the years, I’ve heard some people say that they don’t like that Magnum’s basketball didn’t win in the end, but personally I quite like this. It comes as a nice change from the standard “pulling it out of the bag” and winning in the final seconds, a much overused cliché.

I find this a hard episode to sum up. I like that they tried something different, but at the same time it is not one of my favourites. I’d personally rank it as one that’s fun to watch once, but doesn’t have the re-watchability of some of the other episodes of the series.

-----

Other notes, bloopers, and misc.:

* Nothing more to note on this one really, other than Willie takes to calling Higgins “Higgy” – the same name that the slightly insane (!) Katrina called him in the second season’s ‘Italian Ice’.

[lutherhgillis]

James asked what Magnum is driving in this episode. It is a Jeep Wagoneer and it looks to be about a 1982 model. It was also used in The Look when Magnum carried building supplies home for the Higgins birthday project. That is the only other time I can remember it used in an episode.

During the basketball court at Robin's Nest scenes, you can see they are screening out the boathouse/guesthouse with palms or some other type of foilage screen.

[Donuts ensucrats]

I really like the scene when Willie shake hands with Higgins. His reaction is funny without saying anything.

GIMME FIVE!!

[MACattack]

GO LAKERS!

[All About the Stache]

Dana Hill is fantastic in this episode. A perfect part for her. She won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress, Guest in a Television Series, despite the fact that she was actually 19 when she filmed this episode. Very sad that she died so young from diabetes complications.

She was 19?! That's crazy. I was surprised to see her breasts move around in the episode, since she looked almost too young to have them. Talk about being wrong!

Pretty good episode, though the ending could have been more exciting.

[AmandaByNight]

I like this one too. I was a Dana Hill fan. I knew she was older than she looked, but man did she ever look young back then. She's in a great tv movie where she's lured into child porn by Richard Masur called Fallen Angel. I would LOVE to see that movie again. As a kid, it traumatized me.

She's also in this awesome Afterschool Special called What Are Friends For? At one point she puts on some heavy kiss makeup.

Here's a link to the blog post I wrote about it:

http://madefortvmayhem.blogspot.com/200 ... ecial.html

She's so good in Magnum cuz she can hold her own with any adult actor. That was really a plus for her as far as her career went. To look so young but act that old and be believable, really set her apart.

[Styles Bitchley]

She's so good in Magnum cuz she can hold her own with any adult actor. That was really a plus for her as far as her career went. To look so young but act that old and be believable, really set her apart.

Man, I remember her from way back when. Based on your comment I looked her up and was surprised to read she died in 1996. What a shame.

[nha trang]

I had the misfortune of watching this episode again because I'm watching the episodes in sequence and I sometimes catch one on in syndication.

The only parts of this episode I like are the basketball scene with TC and Magnum (also because it features in the beginning montage - at least for some episodes - kind of a game I play to identify every episode from the montage clips), and magnum making higgins fill his glass up to the top because he's an adult, made me laugh anyway.

This is the second negative review I've given this week, also on "Solo Flight," but I guess both seemed to fall victim to sappy writing, an excuse for thinking. They could have made this one a "Brady Bunch" crossover episode if it weren't for the anachronism involved.

I guess it also has a creepy factor, but more of a vomit factor, so sappy with higgins and magnum wining and dining the poorly written Charles Dickens character.

No offense to the (late) actress, it was the writer's fault.

[miltontheripper]

Agreed, this is an aweful episode (except for the Magnum vs TC one on one match, loved it!). Good acting by "Willie" but bad plot and creepy foster parents, yuk! One of the worst of the entire show.

[Jelly Doughnuts]

What in the world is this?



Is it ever seen again?

Is this used in Birdman of Budapest too?

I absolutely loved the Magnum vs TC basketball session, one of my all time favourite magnum moments

Had no idea Dana had passed away or that she was 19 at the time, wow. RIP.

[MaiTaiMan]

Don't like this one much...dumb and boring. An annoying, and somewhat ugly kid, setting up people to be robbed for her "bad" foster parents is not really what I consider to be worthy of a "Magnum" episode.

It's just kind of boring and I can't really get into it...I usually end up doing something else while it's on when I go through the show. This, as well as "Two Birds of a Feather" and "I Do?" are probably my least favorite of season 3.

[Sisophous]

I enjoyed this episode a lot. The best episodes are the most simple ones. When too many characters are introduced, and the plot twists and turns constantly it loses my attention. If you look at the highest rated episodes, they are all quite simple. This episode while goofy, is unusual. I found the opening scene to be hilarious when Dana Hill fakes injury to con a motorist out of money.

I could tell there was something going on with her as her body looked so young but her acting skills were that of a young adult. I too was shocked to find out she passed away shortly after watching this episode for the first time several months ago after reading the short bio of her on the IMDB. I would think her illness was manageable especially for someone so young but perhaps not so back in the 80s.