Monster Fest is right around the corner!

So, like, as you probably already know (cuz I've said it a thousand times and I apologize for that), I have a book coming out titled Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999! And to celebrate, Monster Fest is hosting an amazing book launch next week to help spread the TV movie love through the streets of Melbourne Australia!

Damn nice of those folks, ain't it? It is and I'm beyond excited.

On Saturday, November 26th at 7 pm, I will be part of a panel discussing all things TV movie related, but especially telefilms dealing with monsters, the occult, bad kids, and actual issues, such as domestic violence, abuse and other cultural moments that became water cooler talk thanks to television's wide reach. You can get a sneak peak of our discussion on my blog's facebook page.

Joining me on the panel is festival director (and all around cine-fabulous) Keir-La Janisse, freelance writers Lee Gambin and John Harrison, as well as stuntwoman/actress Marneen Lynne Fields. She was in The Spell, and tons of other stuff.

Afterwards, Monster Fest is screening Bad Ronald! ZOMG! You read that R.I.G.H.T.

The book will be on sale at the festival and should be available through the publisher's website shortly thereafter. Then it will be widely available in April 2017. I really hope if you are in the area, you can make it. Would love to meet you and discuss all things small screen. Until then, G'day.

Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999... Edited by Yours Truly!

Anyone who visits Made for TV Mayhem certainly has a deep affection not just for retro television, but also for the classic Movie of the Week. In the 1970s, the ABC MOW was churning out film after film, and while that phenomenon only lasted for a few years, the idea of the TVM as an event, as something to stay home for, remained through the rest of the seventies, well into the nineties. Part of the love for the made for TV movie is, of course, nostalgia, but telefilms also tapped into current issues, and brought them into our living rooms night after night. Some movies were forgotten about, while others became fondly remembered classics. British publisher Headpress seeks to reconcile our memories of the obscure, as well as the bona fide hits in their new book Are You in the House Alone? Growing up with Gargoyles, Giant Turtles, Valerie Harper, the Cold War, Stephen King, and Co-ed Call Girls: A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999, which I edited.

Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999 (its truncated title) is a book of reviews and essays about network made for television movies. Essays span several topics, ranging from reunion TVMs to the telefilm’s response to sexual assault. And, there are hundreds of reviews covering the most talked about TV movies to some of the most obscure titles. The contributing authors are passionate about the topic, and we did our best to uncover as many of the dusty corners of the small screen as we could.

The book’s official street date is April 6th, 2017, but there will be a special launch for Are You in the House Alone? in November at Monster Fest in Melbourne, Australia. The film festival will be held between November 24th-27th, and I will be there, along with some of the book’s contributors, including Kier-La Janisse, who is the director of MF, and a noted film programmer, writer, and Editor-in-Chief of Spectacular Optical, as well as authors John Harrison (Hip Pocket Sleaze: The Lurid World of Vintage Adult Paperbacks), and Lee Gambin (Massacred By Mother Nature: Exploring the Natural Horror Film). Also joining us will be John’s wife, stuntwoman and actress Marneen Fields, who has appeared in everything from The Spell to The Calendar Girl Murders! We’ll be discussing the enduring legacy of the made for television movie and capping off the evening with a screening of Bad Ronald! You can read more about Monster Fest here, and their press release for their events can be found here.

Here's a peek at the cover of Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999:

After Monster Fest, a hardcover version of the book will be immediately available through Headpress’ website (link to come), but it will not be obtainable through general retailers until April 6th, 2017. This book has been a labor of love, not just for me, but for all of the writers as well as Headpress. I, of course, will keep everyone up to date on any events or signings, but please mark your calendars for April 6th, or if you are in Australia, come to Monster Fest, pick up the book and say hello! Would love to meet you!

The TV Sidekick Blogathon: A Love Letter to Bosley on Charlie's Angels

 
“Once upon a time there were three little girls who went to Police Academy…” 

… and a number cruncher named Bosley.

Scratchy voiced David Doyle came up in a family of lawyers, and even attended law school, but found acting was a lot more fun. In 1960 he made his debut on Broadway in a musical titled Beg, Borrow, or Steal, which just happened to coincide with his earliest television appearances (IMDb lists his first credit in 1959 as “Desk Clerk”). He certainly paid his dues, working his way up the ranks, appearing regularly on The Patty Duke Show, and Bridget Loves Bernie among others. And while he was a common small screen face, he didn’t become a household name until an offer to play the (originally) grumpy bookkeeping assistant to a never-seen Charlie on a landmark seventies action series came to his door. Charlie’s Angels would be unvaryingly lambasted by snooty critics, but loved by adoring fans like myself, who found Doyle’s John Bosley (referred to mostly as Bosley or “Boz”) a perfect companion to the lovely trio of detectives who solved mostly glamorous crimes on a weekly basis.

This is what I do. Answer the phone, while trying not to get knocked over by Angel hair.

Let’s be honest, the Angels, five in all, were uniformly perfect, and it may have seemed a given that Bosley would possess some form of lascivious middle-aged chauvinism, or come across as someone who was resentful of the power positions of his female co-workers. But in Doyle's confident shoes, Bosley was a lovable pragmatic assistant and friend. While many viewers saw him as a father figure to the women, Doyle thought he was more like the good-natured and goofy Uncle who might be a bit spinster-ish with the books, but whose ultimate desire was to see the Angels succeed.

Buddies 4 life!

With all this love for Bosley in the air, I dove into my research by flipping through the normally reliable Prime-Time Life by Aaron Spelling and scanned the chapter all about the Angels for Doyle anecdotes. But wait. Did my eyes just deceive me? Was there really no mention of the fabulous actor who portrayed Bosley and the role he played in making the series so great?

Curses Bosley! You’ve been foiled yet again!

Don't worry Boz, the fans love you!

But you know what? Isn’t that par for Bosley’s course? Doyle faced an uphill battle with the series, initially playing Bosley as a curmudgeon number cruncher in the pilot movie (alongside David Ogden Steirs who disappeared by the time the series began). Doyle did indeed have the unglamorous task of making his pencil pushing “secretary” character into someone likeable, and also someone who didn’t mind hanging around the background while his three female co-stars took the spotlight and better on-set stylists.

Is it just me, or is that gorgeous sweater trying to upstage Bosley?

And there is very little to Bosley, actually. He talks to Charlie, takes phones calls from the Angels, sometimes puts on a costume and/or accent to help his co-workers out, and then often finds himself the butt of the joke during the end call where Charlie wraps the whole affair up. Doyle could have easily leered at the lovely actresses, picked up his check and spent his days snorting coke in Bel Air (I’m just sayin’ for the sake of argument), but he chose to bring intelligence, humor and depth to the character. Also, he simply loved acting, and loved working with his co-stars. He once commented that working alongside three beautiful women or acting with three cigar smoking males was all the same to him, because it was the job that mattered and he saw his castmates as equals who wanted to work just as much as he did. I don’t mean to quote Aretha or anything, but R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

These are my partners, see?

Although he’d get a few love interests (who were usually bad guys in cashmere), and a couple of Bosley-centric episodes, Doyle was fully aware of his place in the series, stating in an interview “I don’t know a show that has three equal leads. So it gets harder and harder to add a further element of equality – me.” And while he publicly wished Bosley was a little more together, I grew up seeing him as quite the hero, probably in part because he readily set aside his ego to let the ladies shine. I also realize that despite that lack of spotlight, I still saw him as less of an assistant, and more a full-fledged partner. I mean, he even had his own silhouette!

You've arrived, Bosley!

What’s so interesting about ol’ Boz is that, while many critics derided the series for it’s jiggly charms and fluffy demeanor, it sometimes served as a space for some interesting gender bending storylines, where Bosley played the “girl” who needed rescuing. Angels in Waiting (OAD 3/21/79) is a prime example of this, featuring Doyle in the first of only a few Bosley-centric episodes, where he is a lovelorn, frustrated “secretary” who attempts to have a little adventure of his own. Of course, he’s fallen for the wrong lady, and inevitably has to be saved by the Angels. Switch the roles, and it would look like an episode of any other detective show, but in this bubblegum wrapper of a series, we’ve just predicted The Heat! Wut? I know. Cool, right?

Adventures always involve gunplay, you know...

And further to Boz's charms, despite being mostly a flashback episode, in the very last Charlie's Angels, Let Our Angel Live (OAD 6/24/1981), Bosley got to show off some insanely amazing chops after Kelly is shot by a suspect. I can't even put into words how much he goes into a tour de force of badassery, so I'll just do it in pictures:

But despite all that male feminism and working for the love acting, David Doyle was the best simply because made me smile. It’s not that the Angels weren’t funny (although they really weren’t, let’s be honest) but Doyle had terrific comic timing, and was never afraid to be the silly odd man out. After Kate Jackson left and the ratings began to dip, one forward thinking television columnist suggested that Bosley was the Angel’s Fonzie, and that his role should be expanded to exploit his character to its fullest potential. Bosley in a bikini with a holster? I’m in.

This is how I will always remember David Doyle, and with love.

This post is part of the TV Sidekick Blogathon, which is hosted by the fine folks over at the Classic Film and TV Cafe. Check out the rest of the amazing entries by clicking here.

Christmas Presents from MeTV!

Check it: MeTV released their new winter schedule recently, and the new additions are amazing... potentially bordering on the greatest thing that has ever happened!

Starting January 1st, expect more good times on one of my favorite stations (copied from their press release):

Quincy, M.E., weekdays from 11:00am- 12:00pm ET/PT, stars Jack Klugman as the strong-willed L.A. County medical examiner Dr. Quincy, who along with his expert forensics team uses the combination of fact and reasoning to solve suspicious deaths that usually suggest murder.

Carol Burnett and Friends, weeknights from 11:00- 11:30pm ET/PT, takes comedy to an entirely new level with a ground-breaking television show featuring skits by Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe of Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner and Tim Conway.

The MeTV Mystery Movie, weeknights from 12:30- 2:30am ET/PT, pays homage to The NBC Mystery Movie, featuring many of the same series broadcast by NBC in the mid-seventies including but not limited to McCloud, Columbo, McMillan & Wife, and Banacek.

Um, what the wut? I'm so excited about this! Some of you may remember that I held live tweet parties for MeTV's Friday Night Made for TV Movie, and just loved the programming. It looks like they intend to air a lot of the NBC Mystery Wheel (no complaints), but I expect some surprise treats to pop up now and again. I'll also be doing a couple of live tweets through the season as well. It's super late at night for me, but worth an extra cup of coffee! 

And you might also know that I've written quite a lot about Quincy in the past. You can read my posts here, here and here.

Also from the press release:

Some of MeTV’s current shows find new homes and a few fan favorites return to the schedule. The Mary Tyler Moore Show can now be seen weekday mornings from 8:30- 9:00am ET/PT.  The Love Boat returns to port weekday mornings from 9:00- 10:00am ET/PT.  Adventures of Superman lands on weekday afternoons from 4:00- 5:00pm ET/PT.  The Mod Squad joins the Sunday Catch Me If You Can line-up from 5:00- 6:00pm ET/PT. (You can check out their entire schedule here)

I think I'll need to take a semester off from school!

The Women of Amazon Instant Video

I guess Punxsutawney Phil wasn’t joking around when he let us know that we had a few more weeks of the cold stuff coming! If you’re like me, you’ve probably become very good friends with your space heater, and have been spending a lot of time watching television. As much as I love living in the past, I am also grateful to be connected enough to the interwebs that my options as a retro loving geek are opened up in so many different ways!

Last year, when it was too hot to go outside, I wrote about The Summer of Amazon Prime, but now that it’s too cold to go outside, I thought I should add some titles for those of us cooped up for the winter. I was thrilled to find that Amazon has added a slew of new titles, some of which I’ve already started reviewing. A lot of these films are on DVD, and while that was another treat to stumble upon, many of TVMs listed are a bit obscure, and this might be the first time they’ve been available for some time. I tried to add links to both the streaming and DVD purchase link, but please forgive me if I missed something!

And enjoy!

I think the TV gods have been listening to my prayers, because Amazon has a great selection of films by some of my favorite small screen actresses. For this post, I decided to focus on the ladies who have a nice chunk of their TVM work available for streaming:

Victoria Principal: I’ll be honest, while I always thought Pamela Barnes Ewing was gorgeous, and Victoria was fantastic on Dallas, I never really took a liking to the character. She seemed a little self-righteous and overly emotional (and not in that fun I-should-be-in-drunk-tank way that Sue Ellen so often was). I was always a little distanced from Pamela’s woes. It wasn’t until later, when I started to watch Victoria’s other work that I really understood what a truly fine actress she is. Although it’s not on Amazon Instant Video, I cannot recommend Mistress enough (and it’s on vhs!). Victoria put in an affecting performance as the ex-kept woman on a downward spiral. After that film, I started to seek out more of her work. In 1989 she moved behind the camera, producing the kinds of films that she wanted to appear in. Amazon is offering a nice handful of them:

Naked Lie: This little potboiler finds Pamela as a prosecutor mixed up with a murderous judge. The judge is James Farentino and he’s a sex-fiend. His voracious appetite for the dirty stuff gets him mixed up with a would-be blackmailer, and it very quickly leads to murder. Naked Lie is lots of fun, and Farentino is particularly great. And it's on DVD!

Sparks: The Price of Passion: I did a big ol' spit take when I ran into this one, because I’m still giggling over Ted Wass’ sexy sexiness in Baby Sister (which I really need to do a write up on). In Sparks, Victoria plays the mayor of a small town. Her almost-affair gets her into some hot water, but that doesn’t stop her from getting to the bottom of a strange series of murders that have been plaguing her town. Not great, but a good time waster. Sparks also features a nice appearance from the great Ralph Waite, who we lost recently. And it's on DVD.

The other two Principal movies that are streaming are Abduction, and Dancing in the Dark. I am hoping to get to those soon!

Lindsay Wagner: Who doesn’t love this gorgeous creature? I’ve recently been revisiting the ridiculous but fabulously entertaining Bionic Woman series (on Amazon Instant Video no less), and I’ve been reminded of just how lovely and charming Lindsay is. I'm a big fan of her TVM work as well, and I was thrilled to see a nice chunk of it featured on the site:

Nightmare at Bitter Creek: Any film that mixes the likes of Lindsay Wagner, Joanna Cassidy and Constance McCashin, with a touch of the handsome Tom Skerritt just has to be good right? Definitely. I adore this survivalist flick that pits a group of city woman, and their drunkard cowpoke guide against a bunch of militant racists who only want cleanse ‘Murrica! Surprisingly suspenseful, Nightmare is my favorite of Amazon’s Wagner offerings. You can buy it on DVD as well.

Babies: I saw Babies when it originally aired in 1990, which is funny because I have absolutely no maternal instincts. I don’t remember why I tuned in, but I’m sure I was heavily influenced by the incredible cast, who include Lindsay, Dinah Manoff, Adam Arkin and Marcy Walker (who is quickly becoming a favorite small screen face). This one is all about the different ways modern families grow, or don’t grow, depending on your needs. It offers a few different viewpoints on motherhood and Lindsay is in fine form. And my god, this woman is gorgeous! Babies is on DVD!

Callie and Son and A Child's Cry are also on Amazon Instant Video, and they are on my list!

Barbara Eden: If you’ve ever visited my blog, I am sure you are aware of my unending love for all things Eden. This lovely actress is one of my all time faves, and I am pleased with the offerings available on Amazon Prime:

The Woman Hunter: It's been eons since I saw this movie (on DVD), but I remember it was fun and stylish and Stuart Whitman looked gorgeous. Must see TV!

Return of the Rebels: Such fun fluff! Read my review here. Return is also on DVD.

Visions of Terror: This is another one I saw a long time ago and haven't had the chance to re-visit. Terror (aka Eyes of Terror) is the sequel to a TVM called Visions of Murder, which also starred Eden as a psychic psychologist! There are a few references to the original film (which is on DVD), but I followed it just fine without seeing the original. Eden looks great too.

The Portrait Series: The films Portrait of an Escort, Portrait of a Showgirl and Portrait of Stripper are not related except by the word Portrait (and semi-connected by Lesley Ann Warren who appears in two of the films), but they are great wanna-be tawdry examples of the more exploitative side of the television movie.

Of the three, I think I enjoyed Portrait of an Escort the most. I’m not sure it’s the best in the series, but it’s the one that had me the most engaged in the story. Susan Anspach is a put upon mom working for no money and for a crap boss. Her co-worker suggests she make ends meet by working for a dating service that is almost exactly what it sounds like… a dating service. Susan is able to dodge sleeping with her clients, and, every now and then she meets a decent guy. However, it’s out-of-work actor Tony Bill that catches her fancy. Only, she doesn’t want him to know she’s an escort and he doesn’t want her to know that he’s being kept by an older rich lady. That sounds like some heavy duty web tangling, right? Well, throw in a psychotic stranger who likes to break into Susan’s apartment and cut up her clothes, and you’ve got one great night of entertainment! Portrait is on DVD.

Portrait of a Stripper is a lot like Escort only this one stars Lesley Ann Warren and instead of working as an escort, this single mom makes her money as a stripper. Well, kinda. She’s a good dancer but the breaks are few and far between. It doesn’t help that her dead husband’s parents want their grandson and have set out to start smear campaign against Lesley. A fantastic photographer but low rent detective is put on the case, and check it out, he falls in love with Lesley. I mean, how could he not? I liked this one a lot too. It’s all very romantic, despite the stripping and spying and Lesley is just lovely in the part.

I like Portrait of a Showgirl, but despite the stellar cast of Rita Moreno, Lesley Ann Warren, Dianne Kaye and Tony Curtis, it’s just not as engaging of a film. This is more of a slice-of-lifer and has a lot of energy but lacks whatever oomph it needs to keep up with the other two Portrait films. Still, it’s a fine time waster, and Rita Moreno is worth a watch in anything. This is on DVD.

If you need more Lesley, you can also watch Family of Spies, a mini-series that is currently streaming on Amazon!

I’m telling you… TV movie heaven!

Horror at 37,000 Feet is Coming to DVD!

Mark your calendars for March 18th, a day that will be remembered as The Day of the TV Movie.

OK, perhaps I am exaggerating a bit, but this is indeed a day that TV movie lovers will rejoice, as Paramount unleashes the cult TVM Horror at 37,000 Feet on DVD. I know, how amazingly cool is that?!?

As many of you know, Shout Factory released the double disc TVM pack The Initiation of Sarah and Are You in the House Alone just last December, and Amazon is streaming some pretty decent flicks from the genre (updated list coming soon). This is turning out to be a truly great time for small screen films!

Fanning the flames!

I hope that even if you have a **cough** copy **cough** of these films, you pick up, or stream the legitimate releases. Trust me, as a starving student I know that is not always possible, but if you can support the small screen films that could, it may lead to more releases, commentaries or a gazillion other types of extras. It's a great way to document these films and properly preserve them... That's the wishful wannabe-archivist-dreaming in me, but you know what? These movies been good to us, they deserve some love!

Read my review here.

I wonder whatever happened to the movie 7500?

OK, as you were!

Happy Birthday Tom Selleck!!! Celebrate with Magnum P.I.

If there is one thing I’ve learned about this world, it is that happiness is found in the little things. Little things can be anything, an extra tasty cup of coffee, a soft kitty at your feet, Magnum P.I. streaming on Netflix. In fact, I can not think of three other things that make me happier. Life is good, right?

Since it’s Tom Selleck’s birthday and since Magnum P.I. is the best show that ever aired on TV, and since it's streaming on Netflix, I thought I’d celebrate the day by making a list of episodes that I think all fans should rewatch and all maybe-fans should give a shot. Narrowing down each season to two episodes was extremely difficult, and also a lot of fun. For a fan like myself, even just scrolling through the titles brought a smile to my face. I went with a lot of personal choices, although I tried to pepper in a few fan favorites as well. If you venture over to Netflix to watch these, I do hope you enjoy them. Also, feel free to let me know what your favorite Magnum episodes are in the comments section.

Is there a better way to warm up on a cold winter’s day than taking a short tour of Hawaii?

Happy Birthday Tom! It kind of goes without saying, but just in case you wanted to hear it again, I love you!

Season One: Don’t Eat the Snow in Hawaii, Part One and Two

While any long lasting series will go through changes, Magnum was a surprisingly consistent show for most of its eight-season run. Don’t Eat the Snow was the pilot and although it’s not my absolute favorite, it does set up Magnum very nicely. It also features the gorgeous Pamela Susan Shoop as a women seeking answers in her brother’s death. There’s lot of action and intrigue, and beginnings of a nice romance, which seems to happen a lot to our dear Magnum.

Of note: The team ring that Mangum, Rick (Larry Manetti) and T.C. (Roger Mosley) wear throughout the series is first seen in the pilot. The ring symbolizes the profound relationship between the buddies who met while fighting in the Vietnam War. The conflict and the effects it had on the soldiers who came home is dealt with in many episodes, sometimes overtly and sometimes in a more subtle fashion. The ring really captures a bond made during the darkest of circumstances.

Runner up: Adelaide

This is more of a personal favorite. I love a lot of episodes from season one but I think Christine Belford’s portrayal of the shy and naïve Adelaide and the relationship she forms with Magnum makes this one of the sweetest episodes in the series. Adelaide hires Magnum to take care of Norman, who turns out to be a horse! This one always makes me smile.

Season Two: Mad Buck Gibson

Picking a favorite from season two was difficult, but Darren McGavin’s portrayal of the maddening Gibson, and the bittersweet ending, make this episode must see TV. Buck Gibson owes his ex some hefty alimony, and she hires Magnum to track him down. However, it turns out Buck has a secret that has kept him at arm's length. McGavin shines in this episode. I love Mad Buck Gibson mostly for the performances and the final scene. Check it out.

Of note: Before Gillian Dobb became Agatha Chumley, Higgins’ (Jonathan Hillerman) sometimes confidante, she appeared in this episode as Nola Barnes.

 Runner up: The Elmo Ziller Story

If you are going to get into the mythos of Magnum, this is a good place to start. For one, it introduces one of Higgins’ half-brothers (spoiler: he has a lot of half-brothers!). In this story, Ziller hires Magnum to prove that his wife is trying to kill him. Higgins plays both brothers, so it becomes increasingly difficult for Magnum to believe Ziller is a real person. As a fan of Hillerman, this episode is a real treat!

Season Three: Did You See the Sun Rise, Part One and Two

Not only is this episode a huge fan favorite, but I have a personal attachment to it as well. My father was also a Magnum fan and when it went into syndication, we watched it together every afternoon. As the years passed, my father forgot a lot of the storylines, but if I brought up the show he’d always say, “Do you remember the one where Magnum… (SPOILER)…?” And this would always be the episode we’d talk about. I think many others fans have a deep attachment to this magnificent two part episode because of the emotional roller coaster ride it puts the audience through. There are a couple of twists, but it is the unforgettable last scene that continues to haunt us.

Runner up: Of Sound Mind

After the intensity of Did You See the Sun Rise, you’ll want to relax a little with the humorous Of Sound Mind. This episode is definitely in my top five Mangum episodes. After an eccentric millionaire played by Donnelly Rhodes dies in a plane crash, he leaves his fortune to Magnum, much to the chagrin of the millionaire’s family! Now someone is after Magnum… or are they? Donnelly Rhodes is fantastic as the nasty rich guy and he’s aided by great performances from Roscoe Lee Browne, Elaine Joyce and Magnum’s suit of armor. Don’t ask, just watch!

Season Four: Home From the Sea

Season four opened with one of the most memorable episodes of the series. After his surf ski capsizes Magnum has an Open Water moment while he reflects on losing his father in the Korean War. This episode sets up the depth of Magnum’s loss, as he spends every 4th of July on his own to commemorate the day his dad died, a recurring theme. Most of the episode relies on Selleck’s ability to draw us into a crazy but static scene, as he bobs up and down in the ocean. This premise will be replayed in season seven’s Solo Flight, and while I like that episode, it doesn’t have the same emotional depth as Home From the Sea.

Runner up: Distant Relative

This is another personal pick. Rick’s sister comes to visit and winds up dead a short time later. Distant Relative is one of those episodes that starts out light and fun and then gets very dark, very fast. I make no bones that I adore Larry Manetti and his portrayal of Rick, and this is my favorite of the Rick-centric episodes. He runs around with big guns and looks cute doing it. There, I said it. Plus, this episode has a totally awesome cameo by Carol Channing.

Of note: Distant Relative introduces Kathleen Lloyd as Carol. The role was originated by Patty McCormack, but Lloyd plays her through the rest of the series.

Season Five: Mac’s Back

If you’ve seen Did You See The Sun Rise, than you have a good hold on Mac, and what became of him. This episode reintroduces the character, but with a twist. For me, Mac’s Back is a turning point in the series. This episode dives into an otherworldly and emotional tone that I feel is carried throughout the rest of Magnum’s run. Also, Jeff MacKay was just the best. We miss you Jeff.



 








Runner up: Ms. Jones and A Pretty Good Dancing Chicken

OK, I could not choose just one other episode because I adore season five to no end. That said, I went with two personal favorites. Ms. Jones is a recurring character on the series, and her maddeningly by-the-book (and hilarious) personality gets the spotlight when she hires Magnum to find her missing boyfriend. Margie Impert is simply adorable as Ms. Jones, and this is a fun episode.

My second pick, A Pretty Good Dancing Chicken, is an episode that never fails to move me. Carol asks Magnum to locate her missing 17 year old cousin, only to find how dangerously mixed up she’s become with a seriously bad guy who is serving time in a work farm. Magnum goes undercover at the farm and gets the ugly truth about Carol’s cousin. This is not a fan favorite and I think I may be this episode’s biggest champion. There is just something about it that gets to me every time. It’s worth a look.

Season Six: Way of the Stalking Horse

By the time Magnum got to season six the landscape of television had been changed by Miami Vice, and the series made a few hyper-stylized episodes that felt MV inspired. Stalking Horse is dark, man. It starts simply enough, with Magnum looking for a young man’s long lost father, but it turns deadly when the meek man turns out to be a hitman who kills the man Magnum located. Bent on revenge, Magnum hits Oahu’s skid row, teaming up with a runaway during his search. I love this episode. It’s thick with atmosphere and as serious as a heart attack.

Of note: Marta Kober plays the runaway, and I know her best from Friday the 13th Part 2 and the women in prison exploitation flick Vendetta. She’s adorable. Also Clu Gulager makes an appearance, and that alone makes Stalking Horse worth seeing.

Runner up: Going Home

Magnum returns to his childhood home after his grandfather dies. Faced with a stepfather he doesn’t like and a mystery, Magnum learns the act of letting go. This is just a fabulous episode. It’s a small story with a huge emotional impact.











Season Seven: Death and Taxes and Laura

OK, so I’ve got a few recommendations for this season. I simply could not narrow it down to only two. We’ll start with Laura, which is most noted for featuring Frank Sinatra in an incredible role as a hard boiled cop avenging the death of his granddaughter. Sinatra prowls around Hawaii, pushing people’s heads through glass and generally kicking ass, but at the heart of the episode is the loss of the little girl’s life. It never fully leaves the viewers mind, and the final scene featuring a tearful Frank crying over his granddaughter’s grave is probably one of the most moving moments in the show's history. A favorite.

Death and Taxes is incredible. I’m not sure I have another word for it. Someone is killing prostitutes and sending Magnum cryptic clues. This sends him on a wild goose chase as he stalks the gritty streets of Honolulu! Like Stalking Horse, this episode is uncompromising in its dark depiction of city street life. And, it is balanced delicately with the recurring theme of Magnum’s father’s death. It also puts a little focus on the lovelorn Maggie Poole (Jean Bruce Scott), who has an obvious crush on Magnum, and one that is never returned. I feel your pain Maggie!

Runner up: I’ll just list these out:
L.A. Part One and Two
The Little Girl Who
Forty
Limbo

Of note: Limbo was intended to be the final Magnum P.I. and it ends with his death. Incredibly well done, it brings me to tears every time. I’m so glad they continued the show for another half season, because I’m not sure I could go on in a world without Magnum!

Season Eight: Unfinished Business

If you see Limbo, you should probably watched Infinity and Jelly Donuts next (link below) because it brings our dear Magnum back to life. However, of all the episodes from this season, Unfinished Business is the one to sit down with (I recommend watching The Little Girl Who before this one). Again, we are dealing with the theme of letting go, and Magnum has some hard decisions to make after he receives a shocking videotape from one of his enemies. This is gut-wrenching episode and, along with Did You See the Sun Rise, defines Magnum as not just a character, but as a very real and relatable man. Just thinking about this episode makes me sniffle, so I’ll stop here.

Runner up: Again, I could not narrow it down to two episodes. Check out:
Infinity and Jelly Donuts
A Tigers Fan
Resolutions, Part One and Two (this is the series finale episode. I recommend watching Forty first)

Since I’m the most indecisive person on the planet, I’m sure in a day or so, I’ll wish I had picked some episodes over others. But as it stands now, these are my must see episodes of the series. And as a bonus, check out Novel Connection and Magnum on Ice (in that order) to get the Magnum/Murder, She Wrote crossover! Remember what I said earlier? Little things make life good!

And if you haven't gotten your fill of Magnum, please stop by the incredible fansite Magnum Mania for lots of great trivia, stills and whatnot. Enjoy! 

Have a great birthday Tom! 

Check out my other Tom Selleck birthday posts here, here and here!