*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!
Friday, April 14, 2017
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Episode 2_2: Magnum P.I. "J. Digger Doyle"
Quintessential eighties private investigator Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) might have met his match in J. Digger Doyle (TV's Erin Gray), but what kind of match--romantic, professional, nefarious, or all three? He also has to protect Robin Masters (voice of Orson Welles), navigate his prickly relationship with Higgins (Jonathan Hillerman), and negotiate with pals T.C. (Roger Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti). All in a day's work for a man and his 'stache!
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
BOTNS Special Investigation: Was Redd Foxx really going to play Jethro Simpson on "Diff'rent Strokes"?
On our season 2 premiere, we discussed the report that Whitman Mayo, who is so stellar as con man and would-be Jackson adopter Jethro Simpson, was filling in for former Sanford and Son co-star Redd Foxx. I was skeptical and couldn't find much to support this online tidbit, so I instructed our famous crack research team to explore the issue.
According to Black and Blue: The Redd Foxx Story by Michael Seth Starr, this story is...TRUE! Yes, as effective as Mayo is in his guest shot on the two-part 'The Adoption," he stepped in at the last minute only after Foxx bailed.
Foxx became a sensation on NBC as Fred Sanford, but after numerous contract disputes (and sometimes missing episodes that would then be built around Mayo's Grady character), he jumped to ABC to lead a variety show (It was the 1970s, after all). When that tanked, another pilot failed, and ABC severed ties with him, Redd was having problems with the IRS--as in, he had a problem paying his taxes, and the IRS had a problem with that--he was looking for cash.
Starr writes that NBC "extended an olive branch" to its former star by offering him the role of Jethro Simpson. Foxx agreed, and NBC brass actually discussed making the character a regular or at least a recurring role if the episode turned out well. Only one problem: Foxx didn't bother to show up, calling in sick, and Mayo got the call.
Can you imagine Foxx and Gary Coleman as regular co-stars? I can, and I kind of like it.
Starr continues that later, Redd passed Todd Bridges at the studio and saw he was holding a motorcycle helmet the Strokes producers had given him for Christmas. When Foxx discovered that they only gave him the helmet--no motorcycle--he was "pissed," as Starr succinctly describes, and returned after a week "pushing a gas-powered three-wheeled motorbike" and telling Bridges, "I bought you something."
Was Foxx in one of those cantankerous/generous moods? What if he had run into Conrad Bain in the studio hallway that day? I picture Foxx coming into the studio a week later with a horse to go along with a new polo mallet Bain was carrying. "Hey, Connie, I bought you something."
According to Black and Blue: The Redd Foxx Story by Michael Seth Starr, this story is...TRUE! Yes, as effective as Mayo is in his guest shot on the two-part 'The Adoption," he stepped in at the last minute only after Foxx bailed.
Foxx became a sensation on NBC as Fred Sanford, but after numerous contract disputes (and sometimes missing episodes that would then be built around Mayo's Grady character), he jumped to ABC to lead a variety show (It was the 1970s, after all). When that tanked, another pilot failed, and ABC severed ties with him, Redd was having problems with the IRS--as in, he had a problem paying his taxes, and the IRS had a problem with that--he was looking for cash.
Starr writes that NBC "extended an olive branch" to its former star by offering him the role of Jethro Simpson. Foxx agreed, and NBC brass actually discussed making the character a regular or at least a recurring role if the episode turned out well. Only one problem: Foxx didn't bother to show up, calling in sick, and Mayo got the call.
Can you imagine Foxx and Gary Coleman as regular co-stars? I can, and I kind of like it.
Starr continues that later, Redd passed Todd Bridges at the studio and saw he was holding a motorcycle helmet the Strokes producers had given him for Christmas. When Foxx discovered that they only gave him the helmet--no motorcycle--he was "pissed," as Starr succinctly describes, and returned after a week "pushing a gas-powered three-wheeled motorbike" and telling Bridges, "I bought you something."
Was Foxx in one of those cantankerous/generous moods? What if he had run into Conrad Bain in the studio hallway that day? I picture Foxx coming into the studio a week later with a horse to go along with a new polo mallet Bain was carrying. "Hey, Connie, I bought you something."
Monday, April 10, 2017
Further Viewing: Diff'rent Strokes--Reconsidering Sam
As we mentioned with very little enthusiasm during our Diff'rent Strokes episode, the later years of the show featured new "cute kid" Sam (Danny Cooksey). The redheaded son of Drummond's new wife (Dixie Carter/Mary Ann Mobley), Sam played Arnold's foil/compadre, allowing Arnold to play big brother. As a kid watching at the time, it seemed Gary Coleman had gotten too old and saddled with seriousness and a dopey sidekick. I didn't like it, and it soured me on the show.
Because we'll go to great lengths for our listeners, I decided to watch a couple Sam episodes and see if that feeling held up. I will say I don't blame Cooksey for any faults I found then or now. He was just a kid who, it seems, fell into an acting career while pursuing a music career (more on that at the end of the post). Besides, he had to live in the shadow of Coleman's obvious charisma and talent. I picked two episodes from season 7 (1984-85), Cooksey's first full season (he and Carter also appeared in parts of season 6).
First up, "Arnold Saves the Squirrel" (January 12, 1985). Sam attends a taping of local kids show Sandy the Squirrel, where Sandy (played by living legend Chuck McCann), announces to the kids in the nut gallery that the station has canceled the show. Sam takes it especially hard (as does housekeeper Pearl, who has a thing for Sandy), and things get worse when they learn his mom has been offered Sandy's timeslot for her aerobics show, a big move from cable (oddly, Drummond says he's glad because he won't have to stick an antenna out the window to watch her show now. You'd think a tycoon would understand how cable works). Even a Van Halen t-shirt-wearing Arnold can't console the moppet.
In a strange meta moment, Drummond suggests Sam start a write-in campaign. After all it worked real-world show Cagney & Lacey (this really happened, but the show aired on different network--CBS--than Diff'rent Strokes). Drummond gladly admits that he wrote in because "that Cagney is a real knockout!" Arnold and Sam bring a petition signed by eleven people to the studio, but the smarmy station manager laughs it off and says they need 10,000 signatures!
Despondent, they write as many letters under as many names as they can--well, Arnold and Willis do. Sam just licks the envelopes. They know they can't make impossible numbers, and Drummond doesn't approve of phony letters, so they're about to give up when Arnold has a brilliant idea. He enlists Sam's Cub Scout pack to help recruit Scouts from all over New York. During Sandy's last episode, Arnold storms the stage, and the Scouts dump all their letters on the floor. Sandy gets his job back (with a raise), Sam's mom loses her opportunity (but doesn't care 'cause her baby's happy), and Pearl confesses her feelings to a surprised and delighted Sandy.
In this episode, Arnold still gets plenty of jokes, and they feel in character--a kid who likes to crack wise--just not as unique. He seems like a mature kid in a slightly small body (at this point Coleman was around 17, playing 15), but he no longer has the incongruity of his size versus his maturity/wit. Meanwhile, Sam never has the uniqueness because he just seems like a little kid (Cooksey was around 10, so he he might be playing young, too). Sam gets a few kid comedy lines, but mostly, he plays the "emotional" points, and, dare I say it, that kind of works. It allows the show to have a story that might appeal to little kids--losing a favorite show--and Arnold and the family to come to the rescue while Sam learns something. Nothing brilliant but nothing offensive. Well, maybe the show trying to put over Sam's "puppy dog eyes."
"A Camping We Will Go" (February 23, 1985) centers more on Sam and his relationship with his two dads--Drummond (or Mr. D as Sam calls him, harkening back to the early days of the show) and biological dad Wes, a country singer played by legendaryparty animal country singer Hoyt Axton. Wes rolls in and out of town when it suits him, offering up folksy charm, bear hugs, and in Sam's view "fun." Drummond likes the big lug, but he can't compete. Arnold suggests Drummond use one of Wes' ideas and take Sam camping. Maggie agrees, but they also drag Arnold into it (despite his claims to have a trip to Cleveland scheduled).
Being rich and a sitcom character, Drummond goes all out and buys all the ridiculous camping gear he can find (electric socks, a solar-powered stock analyzer, an already-inflated raft, freeze-dried fettucine alfredo). At the last minute, Wes shows up unannounced and ends up going on the camping trip with them. An expert camper, he just brings a big, hollow pole filled with everything he needs, and he says he's never slept in a tent. He and the boys go off to fish while Drummond sets up his tent. A skunk wanders in and sprays him, and he dashes for the lake, spoiling it for fishing. They also have to bury his tent and sleeping bag.
The next day, Wes and Arnold set off to fish again, while Drummond and Sam go to collect more firewood (the wise Wes' idea to give them some bonding time). They get lost (Sam's fault, but Drummond doesn't know what he's doing either) and huddle for warmth. Sam confesses that he hates camping and reveals a penchant for stocks. Wes and Arnold eventually find them, Drummond blames himself for everything (teaching Sam the importance of lying), and Sam makes believe that he's a great camper, pleasing Wes (See? Lesson learned!).
I like this episode a little more mainly because Conrad Bain gets to cut loose a little. Plus, Hoyt Axton brings a lot of charm to the screen (and looks a like a giant alongside Coleman and Cooksey). We also get to hear tiny Cooksey sing in a big country voice. Again, Sam doesn't get tasked with a whole lot of comedy. Instead, he (and Bain and Axton) holds down the emotional turf while others cover the comedy--Drummond's ineptness, Arnold's wise cracks. They could have done more with Arnold getting Drummond into this unfortunate incident, really gone the Laurel and Hardy route with it, and they could have done more with the Drummond-Wes conflict, but they only had 25 minutes. They did give us this enduring image.
Conclusion. Sam doesn't usurp Arnold's importance on the show, but he doesn't bring anything special to it either and perhaps underscores its sentimentality. If you want to watch classic Diff'rent Strokes, go for those early seasons, but if you wind up watching episodes from the Sam years, it probably won't ruin your day or anything, especially if you're a little kid (our main demographic of course).
Cooksey's acting career continued, including a role in T2 and a lot of voice-over work (Tiny Toons' Yosemite Sam-like character Montana Max). Plus, he fronted early nineties glam metal teen band Bad4Good. Enjoy!
Because we'll go to great lengths for our listeners, I decided to watch a couple Sam episodes and see if that feeling held up. I will say I don't blame Cooksey for any faults I found then or now. He was just a kid who, it seems, fell into an acting career while pursuing a music career (more on that at the end of the post). Besides, he had to live in the shadow of Coleman's obvious charisma and talent. I picked two episodes from season 7 (1984-85), Cooksey's first full season (he and Carter also appeared in parts of season 6).
First up, "Arnold Saves the Squirrel" (January 12, 1985). Sam attends a taping of local kids show Sandy the Squirrel, where Sandy (played by living legend Chuck McCann), announces to the kids in the nut gallery that the station has canceled the show. Sam takes it especially hard (as does housekeeper Pearl, who has a thing for Sandy), and things get worse when they learn his mom has been offered Sandy's timeslot for her aerobics show, a big move from cable (oddly, Drummond says he's glad because he won't have to stick an antenna out the window to watch her show now. You'd think a tycoon would understand how cable works). Even a Van Halen t-shirt-wearing Arnold can't console the moppet.
In a strange meta moment, Drummond suggests Sam start a write-in campaign. After all it worked real-world show Cagney & Lacey (this really happened, but the show aired on different network--CBS--than Diff'rent Strokes). Drummond gladly admits that he wrote in because "that Cagney is a real knockout!" Arnold and Sam bring a petition signed by eleven people to the studio, but the smarmy station manager laughs it off and says they need 10,000 signatures!
Despondent, they write as many letters under as many names as they can--well, Arnold and Willis do. Sam just licks the envelopes. They know they can't make impossible numbers, and Drummond doesn't approve of phony letters, so they're about to give up when Arnold has a brilliant idea. He enlists Sam's Cub Scout pack to help recruit Scouts from all over New York. During Sandy's last episode, Arnold storms the stage, and the Scouts dump all their letters on the floor. Sandy gets his job back (with a raise), Sam's mom loses her opportunity (but doesn't care 'cause her baby's happy), and Pearl confesses her feelings to a surprised and delighted Sandy.
In this episode, Arnold still gets plenty of jokes, and they feel in character--a kid who likes to crack wise--just not as unique. He seems like a mature kid in a slightly small body (at this point Coleman was around 17, playing 15), but he no longer has the incongruity of his size versus his maturity/wit. Meanwhile, Sam never has the uniqueness because he just seems like a little kid (Cooksey was around 10, so he he might be playing young, too). Sam gets a few kid comedy lines, but mostly, he plays the "emotional" points, and, dare I say it, that kind of works. It allows the show to have a story that might appeal to little kids--losing a favorite show--and Arnold and the family to come to the rescue while Sam learns something. Nothing brilliant but nothing offensive. Well, maybe the show trying to put over Sam's "puppy dog eyes."
"A Camping We Will Go" (February 23, 1985) centers more on Sam and his relationship with his two dads--Drummond (or Mr. D as Sam calls him, harkening back to the early days of the show) and biological dad Wes, a country singer played by legendary
Being rich and a sitcom character, Drummond goes all out and buys all the ridiculous camping gear he can find (electric socks, a solar-powered stock analyzer, an already-inflated raft, freeze-dried fettucine alfredo). At the last minute, Wes shows up unannounced and ends up going on the camping trip with them. An expert camper, he just brings a big, hollow pole filled with everything he needs, and he says he's never slept in a tent. He and the boys go off to fish while Drummond sets up his tent. A skunk wanders in and sprays him, and he dashes for the lake, spoiling it for fishing. They also have to bury his tent and sleeping bag.
The next day, Wes and Arnold set off to fish again, while Drummond and Sam go to collect more firewood (the wise Wes' idea to give them some bonding time). They get lost (Sam's fault, but Drummond doesn't know what he's doing either) and huddle for warmth. Sam confesses that he hates camping and reveals a penchant for stocks. Wes and Arnold eventually find them, Drummond blames himself for everything (teaching Sam the importance of lying), and Sam makes believe that he's a great camper, pleasing Wes (See? Lesson learned!).
I like this episode a little more mainly because Conrad Bain gets to cut loose a little. Plus, Hoyt Axton brings a lot of charm to the screen (and looks a like a giant alongside Coleman and Cooksey). We also get to hear tiny Cooksey sing in a big country voice. Again, Sam doesn't get tasked with a whole lot of comedy. Instead, he (and Bain and Axton) holds down the emotional turf while others cover the comedy--Drummond's ineptness, Arnold's wise cracks. They could have done more with Arnold getting Drummond into this unfortunate incident, really gone the Laurel and Hardy route with it, and they could have done more with the Drummond-Wes conflict, but they only had 25 minutes. They did give us this enduring image.
Conclusion. Sam doesn't usurp Arnold's importance on the show, but he doesn't bring anything special to it either and perhaps underscores its sentimentality. If you want to watch classic Diff'rent Strokes, go for those early seasons, but if you wind up watching episodes from the Sam years, it probably won't ruin your day or anything, especially if you're a little kid (our main demographic of course).
Cooksey's acting career continued, including a role in T2 and a lot of voice-over work (Tiny Toons' Yosemite Sam-like character Montana Max). Plus, he fronted early nineties glam metal teen band Bad4Good. Enjoy!
Friday, April 7, 2017
Show Notes: Diff'rent Strokes: "The Adoption" (Parts 1 and 2)
*The two-part episode "The Adoption" aired on NBC October 31, 1979 and November 7, 1979, Wednesday nights at 9:00 P.M.
*According to an interesting Mental Floss article, NBC wanted to cast Gary Coleman in something and chose Diff'rent Strokes when a Little Rascals pilot fell through. The article also mentions Coleman's contract disputes, something we didn't really explore on the show.
*Speaking of Little Rascals, Matthew "Stymie" Beard does appear in this episode. He was in the Little Rascals until the mid 30s, when he was replaced by Buckwheat. Beard suffered through drug addiction before getting clean in the 1960s and then re-entering acting with parts such as a recurring role in Good Times before guesting in "The Adoption."
*Alan Thicke does indeed sing the theme song, but it's more evident in some versions than in others. Check our YouTube playlist for this episode for more!
*Actor Walter Stocker was the "generic voice-over guy" who narrated this episode. He has a name, guys! He has a name!
*Todd Bridges did date Janet Jackson "back in the day," but he later told Oprah that he kept his distance from her as a girlfriend because he she was so nice that he didn't want to hurt her.
*Wikipedia says Willis' catchphrase is "Say what?" The BOTNS research team (I'm leaving out the word "crack" in this case out of respect) is unable to verify this.
*The BOTNS research team DID confirm that Redd Foxx was originally slated for the role Whitman Mayo assumed in this episode. Check the blog next week for the results of our special investigation.
*Mayo, best known as "Grady" in Sanford and Son, was 48 years old when this episode aired.
*A note on the Drummonds' apartment: A poster on the Sitcoms Online message boards says that in a later episode, Willis moves into Kimberly's bedroom when Kimberly "studies abroad" (i.e. is kicked off the show). That doesn't really clear up the bathroom situation, though, does it?
*Kimberly's trip to Eastland, which served as the backdoor pilot for The Facts of Life, is at the end of season 1, "The Girls School."
*A partial list of Gary Coleman's TV movies (he also appeared in several theatrical films during the series' run):
The Kid from Left Field (1979)
The Kid with the Broken Halo (1982)
The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983)
The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984)
*According to an interesting Mental Floss article, NBC wanted to cast Gary Coleman in something and chose Diff'rent Strokes when a Little Rascals pilot fell through. The article also mentions Coleman's contract disputes, something we didn't really explore on the show.
*Speaking of Little Rascals, Matthew "Stymie" Beard does appear in this episode. He was in the Little Rascals until the mid 30s, when he was replaced by Buckwheat. Beard suffered through drug addiction before getting clean in the 1960s and then re-entering acting with parts such as a recurring role in Good Times before guesting in "The Adoption."
*Alan Thicke does indeed sing the theme song, but it's more evident in some versions than in others. Check our YouTube playlist for this episode for more!
*Actor Walter Stocker was the "generic voice-over guy" who narrated this episode. He has a name, guys! He has a name!
*Todd Bridges did date Janet Jackson "back in the day," but he later told Oprah that he kept his distance from her as a girlfriend because he she was so nice that he didn't want to hurt her.
*Wikipedia says Willis' catchphrase is "Say what?" The BOTNS research team (I'm leaving out the word "crack" in this case out of respect) is unable to verify this.
*The BOTNS research team DID confirm that Redd Foxx was originally slated for the role Whitman Mayo assumed in this episode. Check the blog next week for the results of our special investigation.
*Mayo, best known as "Grady" in Sanford and Son, was 48 years old when this episode aired.
*A note on the Drummonds' apartment: A poster on the Sitcoms Online message boards says that in a later episode, Willis moves into Kimberly's bedroom when Kimberly "studies abroad" (i.e. is kicked off the show). That doesn't really clear up the bathroom situation, though, does it?
*Kimberly's trip to Eastland, which served as the backdoor pilot for The Facts of Life, is at the end of season 1, "The Girls School."
*A partial list of Gary Coleman's TV movies (he also appeared in several theatrical films during the series' run):
The Kid from Left Field (1979)
The Kid with the Broken Halo (1982)
The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983)
The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984)
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Episode 2_1: Diff'rent Strokes "The Adoption" Parts 1 and 2
Season two begins with a look at a special two-part Diff'rent Strokes. The time has arrived for Mr. Drummond to officially adopt Arnold and Willis, but a con man played by the great Whitman Mayo (Sanford and Son's Grady) has different ideas. What will happen, how does Mrs. Garrett feel about all of this, and--more importantly--what's the bathroom situation in the Drummond household?!
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