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Friday, April 14, 2017

Show Notes: Episode #2: Magnum P.I., "Digger Doyle"

*Season 1, episode 17 of Magnum P.I., "Digger Doyle," aired on CBS Thursday, April 9, 1981 at 9:00 P.M.

*Magnum was a big hit on Thursdays and peaked at #4 for the year in its third season, but it plummeted into the 40s by 1985, an apparent victim of NBC's Cosby train.

*The Higgins/Robin connection--are they actually the same person?--remains a mystery, but according to the fascinating and extensive timeline on Magnum Mania, Higgins took over Robin Masters' estate in 1972.

*Hawaii Five-O, from which Magnum obtained some sets and even some crew members, aired on CBS from 1968 to 1980, a whopping 12 seasons.

*The Emmy history of the show is as follows: Tom Selleck won Best Actor once (1984), John Hillerman won Best Supporting Actor once (1987), but both were nominated from 1984-1987, with Selleck also nominated in 1982 and 1983. The series was nominated for Best Drama in each of its first 3 seasons.

*Selleck's great performances as Lance White on The Rockford Files can be found in "White on White and Nearly Perfect" (season 5) and "Nice Guys Finish Dead" (Season 6).

*Much to my surprise, Tom Selleck never won People's Sexiest Man Alive honor. If only it had started sooner than 1985, he might have locked down a few. Sure, it's tough to argue a young Mel Gibson in 1985, but Selleck lost to Mark Harmon and Harry Hamlin the next few years.

*Erin Gray's Digger Doyle character was reportedly considered for a possible spinoff, but much to the chagrin of the hosts of this podcast, it never happened.

*Sharon Stone guested on the show in the two-part season 5 opener "Echoes of the Mind."

*Dana Delany appeared in the season 7 opener "L.A." and then returned later that season in "Out of  Sync."

*Hillerman played half-brothers of Higgins in 3 different episodes--illegitimate siblings named Paddy. Elmo, and Don Luis.

*Matt Houston (1982-1985, ABC) was indeed a rich Texan who, for some reason, worked as a P.I. despite being loaded with oil money. Let us know if you'd like to see us cover this series in a future podcast!

*Our crack research team was unable to locate the picture of Selleck and Lionel Richie that Mike mentions, but we can confirm that both 1980s icons entered the Mustache Hall of Fame in the class of 2015.

*Remember to check out our YouTube channel for a Magnum-centric playlist with promos, vintage ads, and other surprises!



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