Magnum, P.I.

I don’t typically watch much TV, other than sports, movies, and occasionally something on the History or Discovery channel. I really prefer to spend my extra time reading. But in the fall of 2013 I happened to tune into the Encore Classics channel one evening as they promoted an upcoming event. They would soon be airing daily reruns of some classic 1980’s shows. One of these caught my attention. It was the hit show, Magnum, P.I. — one of my all-time favorites.

I was forced to make an exception to my TV viewing rules for this opportunity. And I did. For the next two years…

 
The Beginning

Magnum first debuted in the fall of 1980, when I was 13 years old. My dad and I loved watching certain TV shows together – primarily those filmed in the tropics, like The Love Boat or Fantasy Island. But really, any climate warmer than ours was a big draw during the long Minnesota winters, whether it was the Streets of San Francisco, The Six Million Dollar Man, or the short-lived action show VEGA$.

However, my parents had taken their first trip to Hawaii earlier that year. So Magnum, P.I. (not widely known that it was created as a successor to the recently retired Hawaii 5-0 for CBS) was an instant must-watch weekly adventure for me and my dad.

Every Thursday over the next few years, until I moved off to college, you would find the two us in front of the TV. I even tried my best not to schedule shifts on Thursday nights at Godfather’s during my high school years, in spite of my great love for making pizzas. This was “our” show, and it was not to be missed.

 
Weekly Therapy

When I first started watching these reruns in late 2013, I felt a little nostalgic and emotional. My dad had only passed away two years earlier, and I missed him a lot. But watching these reruns became a sort of therapy for me, reminding me of the fun times we spent together…before I grew up, moved away and began a life of my own.

After watching the pilot and the first few shows, I decided I was going to do this properly, viewing all the episodes in their exact chronological order (a personal quirk of mine). So I saved each one on our DVR and watched them in order, at my leisure. Once a week, I would have dinner by myself in front of the TV, with the show feeling like a little getaway in the middle of the work-week.  Most often, this was a Thursday night.

It became a ritual, just like it had been back in the 80’s.

Sometimes it felt like my dad was there, too, watching those shows with me.

The Show

I really enjoyed getting reacquainted with the show’s main characters. Thomas Magnum, with his astonishing private eye intuition, always impressing the ladies while driving around the island in his red Ferrari, dressed in short-shorts and Detroit Tigers baseball cap. Jonathan Higgins, the distinguished and honorable British ex-soldier, who did everything by the book, constantly clashing with the free-style Magnum. And then there was Rick the “connected” bartender and TC the helicopter pilot, both of whom fought together with Magnum in Vietnam. These two invariably got roped into helping Magnum solve his latest case, whether or not it was in their best interest.

Each week would bring talented guest stars to the show – from Frank Sinatra to Morgan Fairchild to Carol Burnett. Along with the natural beauty of Hawaii, it was a perfect recipe for fun and adventure.

The Theme Song

After watching the first few episodes, I was a little confused about the show’s music. Something didn’t seem right. I finally realized that the early episodes didn’t use the theme song I remembered so well. The initial theme was a “funky” version of the standard 70’s recipe for television dramas…complete with over-dramatic orchestra strings. Check it out:

 
The music that any of us over the age of 35 now so easily recognize didn’t show up until halfway through the first season. As I delved further into the catalog of reruns, it was this popular version of the theme song that triggered the strongest memories for me. Hearing this song, I could perfectly picture an average Thursday night at my house in the early 80’s, just like it was yesterday…

Dad would be sitting in one of our two bulky, over-sized orange recliners, with me in the center of the room wedged inside our brown vinyl beanbag chair, lying on my stomach with my elbows propped up on the thick blue shag carpeting. Both of us munching on freshly popped and buttered popcorn, or sharing a bag of Cheetos. I would be drinking a Dr. Pepper, probably served in a Burger King glass with Darth Vader or Chewbacca on the front, or maybe a McDonald’s glass with Mayor McCheese or the Hamburglar (my family’s featured glassware from the 70’s). Our full attention was on the TV – a mountain of an appliance that filled a full corner of the room, complete with an industrial sized rabbit-ear antenna sitting on top. Mom wasn’t usually far away, either busy in the kitchen or ironing clothes. Eventually she would sit down and join us.

The memories were so strong that I often got goose bumps at the beginning of each show, as I listened to the opening music.

Back then, it wasn’t just Thursday nights when I heard this theme song. It was also a hit on the radio, peaking at #25 on the Billboard charts in May of ‘82. For a stretch, I heard it every morning on the radio show I used for my morning alarm. This song permeated my life in 1982. So hearing it now always takes me right back.

The music was written by super-composer Mike Post (whom I wouldn’t fully appreciate until The Who wrote a song about him in 2006), along with veteran TV composer Pete Carpenter. But the real kicker is that the flashy guitar part on the song is played by Larry Carlton, one of my favorites. He was a member of The Crusaders in the 70’s, and he and Mike Post had just teamed up prior to Magnum, in 1979, creating a #10 hit with The Theme from Hill Street Blues. But for me, Larry was most known for providing the killer guitar solos to the biggest Steely Dan hits in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Really great stuff. Years later, while backstage at a Peter Frampton show, I would be lucky enough to meet Larry and share my enthusiasm for his work. But that’s another story.

My Own Hawaiian Adventure

The cool thing about Magnum, P.I. is that the show perfectly overlapped my teenage years, from age 13 to 21. The early episodes reminded me of the late 70’s and my junior high years. While the later seasons were classic 80’s all the way, reminding me of my college years. But as I reached the last of the 158 Magnum episodes, filmed in 1988, I began to realize that the show was now bringing back memories of my own Hawaiian experience in 1989.

My college offered a class that took place in Hawaii during the month of January each year. For obvious reasons, this class was very popular. By the time school started in the fall, the 30 openings for the class were, somehow, already filled.

But one day on the way to class during the fall of my senior year, I ran into a girl I knew who informed me that four openings had suddenly appeared for this class and needed to be filled. She intended to claim one of them, so I had to act fast.

That evening, the soonest moment I figured my parents would be home from work, I called from school to discuss the opportunity. My college tuition had already made a significant impact on my family’s finances, so I really didn’t think this additional expense would fly. But I had to give it a shot. And to my surprise, my parents immediately jumped on board and said they would make it work. My dad seemed to be as excited as I was, and told me that the check would be in the mail the following day.

As if that wasn’t enough, two of my good friends grabbed the last remaining spots.

We were going to Hawaii!

 
I can’t say enough about the experience that January. It was life-changing. Our class spent the first three weeks in Honolulu (Magnum’s stomping grounds) and then one week on the Big Island. But the icing on the cake was that we had a short break before the next semester started, so I was able to spend some extra time in Honolulu with my closest classmates. Two additional friends (including my roommate, Wooly) joined us on their way home from spending January in Tokyo. We had an absolute blast.

 
I have so many fantastic memories from that entire trip, but one in particular always makes me laugh. It was the day my friends and I splurged and rented a Mustang convertible so we could tour the island. The only problem is that it rained the entire day. Of the 35 days I spent in Hawaii, that day was the only complete wash-out. There were times we had to pull over because it was raining so hard, like a tropical storm. It let up once for about 10 minutes, so we pulled over and took a quick picture.

 
We still managed to have a great time, making the best out of a soggy day. Before returning the car that afternoon, we made one final stop. It was to the covered parking garage at the Ala Moana mall in Honolulu, just so we could officially drive the car with the top down.

Thinking Back

Have you ever had wonderful memories of a special place in your past…and then gone back to visit many years later? I think you’ll know what I mean when I say that it’s often disappointing, because that place you knew so well no longer exists the way you remember it. It’s been replaced by a modern version of itself, barely (if at all) matching the vision in your memory. I know for sure this would be true for me with Hawaii. But as I watched the last few episodes of Magnum earlier this year, I had the privilege of witnessing Hawaii just as I had experienced it back in the late 80’s. Right before me, in live action, was the version of Hawaii that I knew so well.

I watched Magnum race through the Honolulu streets in his red Ferrari – streets that I walked myself only a year later. I saw Waikiki as it was then, where my friends and I spent all our extra time. I got to see the north shore, looking as it did before all the massive new hotels and resorts moved in. I saw Magnum running around the Honolulu International Airport, looking just as I remembered it. And I saw him on stake-outs at different restaurants and bars in Honolulu, many of which I visited myself.

But mostly, I saw the Hawaii that my parents fell in love with in 1980, and wanted so badly for me to experience myself.

This made me miss my dad even more…thinking about how much he always supported and encouraged me wholeheartedly, with everything I did. I’m sure grateful for the wonderful memories of the times we spent together, especially enjoying our favorite TV shows.

So thanks, Dad, for the special memories.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making that trip to Hawaii happen.

And thanks, Magnum, for providing one last tour of the Islands I remember so well.

I also have to acknowledge Mike Post, Pete Carpenter and Larry Carlton, for creating this fantastic theme song. It’s one that will always trigger special memories for me.

Enjoy!