The Elmo Ziller Story (2.21)

[Styles Bitchley]

Wow. I now know more about Texan accents than I ever have before.

Thanks Amanda!

[mandolabar]

Well, all regional accents are declining a bit--the influence of our global culture--but in general (at least in my area of the state), a Texas accent is more word use than pronunciation. There's a few pronunciation markers, but what really gives us away are things like "y'all" (plural form of "you"); the double modal ("might oughta"; "maybe should"); and regionalisms like "fix" in the sense of getting ready to, or of making (I'm fixin to go down to the store; I'm fixing dinner).

I commented on the Season 4 Letter to a Duchess thread--I'm not sure if Brits use "fix" to mean "make"--because Higgins said "I fixed pheasant"; and I was curious if it was his Texan roots showing. It's really really hard to get away from those usages...

LOL, no wonder I like Higgins! Magnum would have walked off by now....

[Seaver41]

Aside from the banter surrounding whether it was Elmo or Higgins himself, the plot, villains, and conclusion were flat out bad. It played out more like a Dukes of Hazzard episode with the idiocy. I could do without this one.

what exactly did Elmo and his daughter mean when they discussed if they bought it and that the plan was still on......what was that about? Simply getting Magnum to help? Writing was weak in this one.

[Visiting Stewardess]

I also expected more from the text on the sleeve. It does have funny moments (quite a few actually) but the story is weak.

On the accent thing: Yes, the British are also using "to fix" sometimes as "to make", "fixing dinner" is a common expression. But not in "I'm fixin to go down to the store (or shop as it would be in Britain)"

Hillerman says [de-'tails] (with the emphasis on the second syllable, the British emphasize the first syllable ['dee-tails]) a few times throughout the series, I have noticed (unfortunately I haven't made note of it, but I may do so in future, if I notice it again).

For me it was funny to find two actors from Starsky & Hutch in this episode. The blond "brighter" baddie played a Texan in "Texas Longhorn" of series 1 and the lady who played Marcella played the female side kick of a comedian in "Shootout", also series 1.

[Louise]

Well, all regional accents are declining a bit--the influence of our global culture--but in general (at least in my area of the state), a Texas accent is more word use than pronunciation. There's a few pronunciation markers, but what really gives us away are things like "y'all" (plural form of "you"); the double modal ("might oughta"; "maybe should"); and regionalisms like "fix" in the sense of getting ready to, or of making (I'm fixin to go down to the store; I'm fixing dinner).

I commented on the Season 4 Letter to a Duchess thread--I'm not sure if Brits use "fix" to mean "make"--because Higgins said "I fixed pheasant"; and I was curious if it was his Texan roots showing. It's really really hard to get away from those usages...

LOL, no wonder I like Higgins! Magnum would have walked off by now....

We are more likely to say "I cooked pheasant" or "I made pheasant". There's also a generational difference in language - the younger generation are using expressions/words from your side of the pond much more than us older people!

[marlboro]

"What the hell are you trying to pull?"

Hillerman was great in this. Not quite as "bloody marvelous" as in Tropical madness, but still very good.

[Stelth]

Barbara Rhoades, who played Marcella Ziller in The Elmo Ziller Story was a guest star on two episodes of Sanford and Son in 1976, which took place in Hawaii, (The Hawaiian Connection: Part 1& Part 2) She played a gangster's girlfriend.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694149/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694150/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

[charybdis1966]

I also expected more from the text on the sleeve...... Britain

Hillerman says [de-'tails] (with the emphasis on the second syllable, the British emphasize the first syllable ['dee-tails]) a few times throughout the series, I have noticed (unfortunately I haven't made note of it, but I may do so in future, if I notice it again).

.....t", also series 1.

I noticed that also VS, as I posted back in Feb 2010, and it's one of the few occasions where John Hillerman doesn't quite get his english accent quite right.

While I'm being unreasonably picky did anyone else notice that he blatantly can't play "gee-tar" as his left hand fretting in the opening scenes in TM's place was just fumbling?

I'd assume a director would shoot over Elmo's shoulder so you couldn't see the guitar neck - I mean Tom Selleck can play the saxophone so it's fine to show him playing that, but JH is no axe man, that's for sure.

[Hawaii Winds]

One might think that Magnum -- who was already nearly certain that "Elmo" was actually Higgins -- would have been absolutely positive the whole thing was a hoax when he saw Agatha Chumley pretending to be Sylvia the front-desk clerk!

Was this Agatha's first appearence in MPI?

[Hawaii Winds]

Barbara Rhoades, who played Marcella Ziller in The Elmo Ziller Story was a guest star on two episodes of Sanford and Son in 1976, which took place in Hawaii, (The Hawaiian Connection: Part 1& Part 2) She played a gangster's girlfriend.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694149/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694150/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

Now that rings a bell!

[Stelth]

Barbara Rhoades, who played Marcella Ziller in The Elmo Ziller Story was a guest star on two episodes of Sanford and Son in 1976, which took place in Hawaii, (The Hawaiian Connection: Part 1& Part 2) She played a gangster's girlfriend.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694149/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694150/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

Now that rings a bell!

She was also in "The Shakiest Gun in the West" with Don Knotts.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063591/?ref_=nm_knf_t2

[EZiller]

Terrific episode, mostly comedic. Gave it a 9.5.

After some weaker episodes in year 2, the writing began to hit its stride late in year 2, with this and "Texas Lightning" They began adding more dimensions to Higgins character as for the first, but not last time we would meet a Higgins half-brother... one Elmo Ziller, who was the result of a tryst between his father and a Red Cross nurse from Texas. Higgins father had been ill from the deadly influenza outbreak that occurred after WW1 and she provided...comfort.

Robin Dearden is back, she played Mandy, the IRA hit lady is Season 1's "No Need to Know" This time she's the heroine, playing Elmo's daughter. She looked outstanding in a bikini in NNTK and fills out her jeans and denim shirts superbly in this episode. Top ten MPI babe.
Also interesting that Gillian Dobb is making an appearance as a hotel clerk, I guess Agatha's character didn't begin appearing till year 3.

Outstanding job by Hillerman and a clever script, when I first saw this I was going back and forth as to whether he was or was not Elmo. Great job by Barbara Rhoades as Marcella, Elmo's gold digging wife.

[SignGuyHPW]

This was not bad as a comedy episode, but it didn't seem to know if it was going more for comedy or serious.

I always find it odd when Magnum has a case where someone's life is in danger yet he treats it as a huge joke. I can see him thinking it was at first, but to accept the case (and presumably the money) and STILL act as if it's a big game doesn't seem professional. I also found it stretching things a bit to leave it unexplained as to how Higgins could go from the guest house to the main house and completely change clothes in so short a time span. It was also odd how Higgins felt the need to explain exactly how Elmo came to be when Magnum hadn't asked.

I wish they had revisited the Elmo story. Either have him back in Hawaii after being found or have the daughter hire Magnum to bring him back from Mexico after she learns where he is. I thought the premise was stretching things a bit, but Hillerman's brilliant job helped it out a lot. Rick getting distracted by the cowgirl and blowing the protection job was classic Rick.

[marlboro]

"The Elmo Ziller Story"

Is the title a parody of the classic tv western "Wagon Train"? Every episode of that show was a variation of "The So and So Story":

http://epguides.com/WagonTrain/

Maybe it's really obvious and everyone else already picked up on that.

[Milton Collins]

I just watched this again and I find that over the years each time I watch it the more I like it. I find all the episodes with one of Higgins illigitemate bro's to be hilarious. The scene where he's eating whatever ridiculous concoction he was and says "needs more hot sauce" right before TM tries to pull off his mustache always cracks me up. I have to say that that is one CUTE!! cowgirl that Higgins has for a niece:) I love when Higgins is embarassed and disrupted at the hotel (was he really kicked out?) and comes back to find Magnum sitting reclined in his chair with his feet on Hig's desk drinking brandy and smoking a cigar, awesome scene! Overall a very fun episode!