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Magnum, P.I. Season 1 Episode 1

Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii

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8.9

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 12/11/80

When Thomas Magnum's childhood friend and Naval comrade, Dan Cook, turns up dead, Magnum is adamant that the official cause of death, a burst bag of smuggled cocaine, is bogus. He enlists the aid of Dan's sister, Alice, in taking on the Navy to uncover the true nature of the top-secret assignment Dan was working on before his death.moreless

Fan Episode Reviews (2)

The suspicious circumstances surrounding a Navy buddy's death, and his CO's refusal to investigate it, prompt Magnum to look for the truth on his own.

9.0

By nizhnykid, Apr 29, 2010

While "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii" definitely has its flaws, the episode serves as a great introduction to the Magnum franchise. It is obvious from such faux pas like Magnum's echoed voice-over, his juvenile fascination with the Swedish house guests, or some outright terrible music and dialogue (Higgins refers to the lads as "me beauties" as if he's not sure he wasn't hired to play the role of a pirate) that all involved with production were still feeling out what they wanted to make of the series. On the whole, though, the show moves in the right direction.

After a brief (perhaps too brief for fans) explanation of how Magnum came to live the good life at Robin's Nest, the writers lay the foundation of what really carried Magnum, PI through eight seasons and sealed it as one of the greatest television shows ever: the good-natured rivalry between Higgins and Magnum. Indeed in future seasons the series would bank on Magnum & Higgins droll hilarity to carry it through (and even keep us watching) some of the most outlandish and otherwise idiotic storylines and plots imaginable: Higgins' interactions with a seemingly endless supply of half brothers; Rick, T.C., and Higgins being robbed by a trio in animal suits; Magnum befriending a tubby teen who plays basketball like Dr. J. Even with such corny episodes as these, the fully developed characters of Magnum, Higgins, Rick, and T.C keep us watching, laughing, thinking. "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii" lays a solid foundation for great things to come.moreless
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When Hawaii-based P.I. Thomas Magnum's childhood friend is killed while seemingly trying to smuggle drugs, Magnum is determined to prove his friend's innocence, but a bitter Naval Captain stands in his way. A so-so pilot to a classic series...moreless

8.0

By Jay-Spacedust, Apr 29, 2010

So this is it, the pilot to one of the best American television series of the 1980s.

As with a number of TV pilots, there are a number of differences from what we would see in the regular series – for example, the use of the real interior of the Anderson Estate instead of a sound stage set, the Ferrari not having the regular 'Robin 1' license plate, Higgins referring to Zeus and Apollo as "my beauties" (!) instead of "the lads", and most notably, Rick owning a nightclub in town instead of the beachside King Kamehameha Club. However, unlike many other TV pilots, these differences can be explained away, and in many cases were written in and referred to (such as Rick's night club) in later episodes.

(Jeff MacKay also turns up in a small role, as "Ski", before taking on the role as the recurring "Mac" MacReyolds in a few episodes time).

Magnum's narrative voice is also slightly different in this story, having an echo and almost sounding ghostly.

For a pilot, I find the story rather so-so. Although it serves well as an introduction to Magnum (the character), as well as Higgins and briefly Rick (we only see T.C. in flashback, he is not seen 'properly' until the second half), the story suffers from being slightly dragged out and over-wordy. It also suffers somewhat from not having a main identifiable villain for much of the plot.

Magnum (the character) is instantly likeable, and Tom Selleck is perfect in the role (which was originally to have been called 'Cutter' – a name that Donald P. Bellisario would later use for the lead Jake Cutter in his one season wonder 'Tales of the Golden Monkey' (1982-3)). We only get hints at the love-hate relationship with Higgins, which would become one of the key points of the series, but the seeds are definitely sown here.

Rick has always been my least favourite character of the main four (though I don't HATE him), and here, in his "Play it again, Sam" mode, I just find him impossible to warm to – I'm glad they changed the setting, and the character somewhat, by the first regular episode. Rick's Casablanca nightclub is the one thing that severely dates this episode, in a series that, on the whole, time has been quite kind to.

Also of note is the music, complete with Ian Fairbairn-Smith's original theme tune for the series. Although Mike Post & Peter Carpenter's tune, introduced mid-first season, is the far more iconic, I confess to quite liking this original theme, and often find myself whistling or humming it. The in-episode music is also in a similar vein, with a much more jazz-type feel that would become the norm. Again, I don't dislike this score.

As touched upon above, the story isn't one of the most interesting, nor the most clear at some points; things only start to liven up when two goons give chase to Magnum to try and bump him off, and end up going over a cliff.

Thankfully, far more engaging stories would soon come along with the regular series.

All-in-all, a watchable but so-so first half of a pilot that would lead to a classic series.

Review continued in Part 2.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Tom Selleck	Thomas Magnum
Larry Manetti	Rick Wright
Roger E. Mosley	Theodore "T.C." Calvin
John Hillerman	Jonathan Higgins

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Clyde Kusatsu	Medical Examiner	Guest Star
Pamela Susan Shoop	Alice Cook	Guest Star
W.K. Stratton	Ens. Healy	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (6)
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- The license plate on the Ferrari is 56E-478, which would change to Robin 1 in subsequent episodes.
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- Rick owns a club in town, Rick's Café Americana, in the pilot, but would manage the beachside King Kamehameha Club in subsequent episodes.
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- When Magnum pulls over to the side of the road after stealing the Ferrari he unclips the roof and slides it back where does it go. The roof does not go automatically into any compartment so it must have been left on the side of the road.
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- As the Ferrari races through the gates, the closing gates trap one of the dogs at its neck before reopening slightly, freeing the poor animal.
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- When Thomas yells "Higgins, you yo-yo!", it's clear that the original line was "Higgins, you dummy!" and was rerecorded in post-production.
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- When Thomas is waiting for Alice to arrive at the airport, the shot of the plane landing shows a white aircraft with a red stripe and a blue under-belly. In the next shot, as Thomas looks out at the plane, it's metallic grey.
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QUOTES (1)
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- Higgins: Don't ruin my whiskey with ice! I'm not a bloody American!
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NOTES (5)
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- The German episode titles are "Der heiße Schnee auf Hawaii" and "Wer braucht schon Schnee auf Hawaii?", meaning "The Hot Snow of Hawaii" and "Who Needs Snow in Hawaii?". The French title is "Pas de neige à Hawaii (1/2)", meaning "No Snow in Hawaii". The Italian title is "La neve delle Hawaii (1ª parte)", meaning "Hawaiin Snow (Part 1)".
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- The pilot originally aired as a two hour made-for-tv movie which was later edited into two one hour episodes for syndication.
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- This is the only time that the complete version of Ian Freebairn-Smith's original theme for the series is heard. A shortened version is played under the credits until "The Ugliest Dog In Hawaii". The closing credits have an alternative version of this original theme, which is the only time this version is ever used in the series.
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- Although Glen A. Larson came up with the original premise of the series, which he developed with Donald P. Bellisario, this is the only episode he wrote.
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- The show's title during the first two seasons is Magnum P.I. The comma was added at the start of the third season.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Rick's club in the pilot episode, Rick's Café Americana, is named after Rick's Café Américain, the club in the 1942 film Casablanca.
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- Higgins' two Dobermans are named Zeus and Apollo, after the Greek gods. Zeus was the god of the sky and thunder in Greek mythology. He was also King of the Gods, along side his wife/sister Hera. Apollo, a son of Zeus, was the God of the Sun, leader of the Muses. The dawn was Apollo riding his golden chariot across the sky, bringing day. He was associated with the lyre and the bow. He was also considered to be the god of medicine, colonists, archery, prophecy, poetry and reason, as well as other arts and sciences.
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