China Doll (1.3)

[Braddah Kimo]

Here is another Hardie Phillips designed home. Situated just a mile or so from the Cooke Estate...

[Pahonu]

Pahonu,

I was never convinced the Higgins Den was at the studio in this episode...too much detail for the set.Look beyond the doors in this pic.

You're absolutely right Sam, and sorry about attributing the photos to Kimo. The den in this episode always seemed to have more "character" to me, which is because of all the detail.

I still find it funny that, after the pilot was picked up for a full season, they would initially use a location for Higgin's den when it is so central to nearly every episode. They built a set for the guest house in the pilot, but used a (different) location for the den in the pilot. Then they used another location for the den in China Doll before building a set that looks just like the China Doll location for the next episodes onward. It just seems odd.

Now that I look at it, though, there are three sets of double doors to the left of the green mark you made. The fireplace is between two sets of double doors in the den. Did they mock up a fireplace in front of the center pair of doors or am I looking at the wrong area completely? In the first of the three photos you originally posted the couch would be right in front of the fireplace. I'm more confused now than before!

[Braddah Kimo]

It is simple. The confusion lies in the fact you are assuming these referenced areas are one and the same room. When in fact they are not. The doors you are confusing as one and the same... are not. They are of different sizes, and different designs; metal frame, all glass panes and the other doors to the den are wood frame with glass uppers and lower solid wood panels.
Just because they appear to have walked directly from a Robin's Nest (the Cooke Estate) courtyard into "a den", does not necessarily make it so. In fact not so at all... Don't confuse "hollywood magic" (set decorating, editing, etc..) with reality. Just as one should never confuse the propmaster's artwork of a greatly (fully, completely and overthetop-ly) exaggerated and wholly geographically impossible fantasy perspective of a mythical Robin's Nest... for anything near the real thing.

[Pahonu]

Hey Kimo,

Your right about the lower part of the doors having wooden frames. That cannot be the same room to the left of the green mark that they enter moments later. But, correct me if I'm wrong, the shot of the den from China Doll, with the wood ceiling, is an actual room in the Marks Estate that you showed in the original photos. Then a set was created that closely resembles it for all later episodes? If that is true, and I think Sam agrees with me on this, then I still find it odd that they used three different dens in the first three episodes.

[Frodoleader]

Another minor flub: when TM & TC were flying back to Kaui, in the exterior shot of the chopper, you can definitely see that the pilot is wearing khaki pants. When the camera view switches to an interior shot, TC is most certainly wearing jeans instead.

[Lazyking]

I've just started watching Magnum P.I I'm 27 and so obivously I missed it when it was live.. I've only watched up to China Doll so far and it is my favorite so far lol. The cast is settling into their roles, whereas the pilot only briefly touched on what they were doing in the present I felt.. It has a lovely female lead (I'm very partial to asian women haha.) And a very entertaining finish to the episode that showed how matter of fact the show was gonna be about death.


Go magnum!

[MaximRecoil]

The den didn't look like a set to me, because of the wooden ceiling and all of the detail you can see outside through the doors, so I came to this thread to see if it was being discussed.

So if it is a real room at the Marks Estate, does that mean there was already a safe in the wall covered by a painting that slides open like a Star Trek door when you turn a bird knick-knack? It seems unlikely that the owner of the estate would let them build such a thing into their wall, but it also seems unlikely that they already would have already had such a gizmo (or maybe bird-activated Star Trek door paintings concealing wall safes are more common among wealthy estate owners than I'd imagined). It also seems unlikely that the owner would give out the combination to the safe if it was already there.

[Doc Fred]

This is one of my real favorites.... I loved the story and the assassin... How many times have we seen TC being battered by anyone??

But what I liked the most was Susie Elene, who's the hottest gal, by far, I saw in the entire series... WOW ! ! !

[ConchRepublican]

[quote="Lazyking"]I've just started watching Magnum P.I I'm 27 and so obivously I missed it when it was live.. I've only watched up to China Doll so far and it is my favorite so far lol. The cast is settling into their roles, whereas the pilot only briefly touched on what they were doing in the present I felt.. It has a lovely female lead (I'm very partial to asian women haha.) And a very entertaining finish to the episode that showed how matter of fact the show was gonna be about death.


Go magnum![/quote]


Welcome Lazyking! If you're only up to China Doll get comfy!! LOL!!

[Stelth]

Or get Cozi...

[ConchRepublican]

Or get Cozi...

Well played.

[Croix de Lorraine]

Body count so far:

Magnum 2
Rick 1

No one stands trial.

[marlboro]

Probably my favorite season 1 episode. The only nitpick I have with it is that I wish it didn't have the little epilog at the end. I think it should have ended with the blink/gunshot.

[Pahonu]

Probably my favorite season 1 episode. The only nitpick I have with it is that I wish it didn't have the little epilog at the end. I think it should have ended with the blink/gunshot.

That final scene includes Magnum's famous eyebrow raise used in the opening credits (in a slightly different form).

[marlboro]

Neat.

I recently received the box set as a gift and I've just started rewatching the series for the first time in years. It's kind of fun watching the opening credits at the beginning of each season and waiting to see which episode the various clips will appear in.