Fraters Libertas

Just When You Thought You Knew Someone...

There was a most disturbing post yesterday by the Infinite Monkeys on some of our site graphics:

There's a fair ticket stub lower in the FL left hand column, and for some reason, at the top left, there's a haunting image of Burt Reynolds done in the the style of those religious altar candles in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.

Burt Reynolds? Does that look like Burt bleepin' Reynolds to you?

Followed by this attempt at a correction by another Monkey:

Is that Burt Reynolds? Looks more like Magnum-era Tom Selleck to me. I didn't watch the show, but didn't he tromp around Hawaii wearing a Dodgers cap?

Appalling. Shameful. How you no sense of pop culture history sirs?

Where to begin? (Note: The following was written based solely upon my memories of the show. I did not Google up any Magnum sites until after it was completed.)

Thomas Magnum did not wear a Dodgers cap for Chrissakes. He wore a Tigers cap. He was a huge Tigers fan.

Magnum ended up in Hawaii after serving as a SEAL in Vietnam. It should be noted that Magnum P.I. was one of the first television shows that depicted Vietnam vets as ordinary guys and not psychopaths liable to snap at any moment. Although I do believe that one of Magnum's friends did suffer a bit of post traumatic stress disorder from time to time.

Is any of this ringing a bell?

How about TC and Rick, Magnum's buds from 'Nam? TC was a helicopter pilot and vertically challenged Rick, when not trying to bed hot women, was the owner of the King Kamehameha Club. What about Higgins or Higgy baby as TC liked to call him? His memoirs? His gardening? The toothpick model of the Bridge on the River Kwai? The dogs (Zeus and Apollo)?

Surely you heard about Robin Masters? The guest house? The Ferrari? The .45 magnum? Icepick in the sauna? Surf skiing?

I realize that it might sound a little trite and even silly today but when I was growing up, Magnum PI was the coolest show on the airwaves (pre-Vice of course) and included what was probably one of the greatest endings to a television episode ever. A Soviet Colonel named Ivan who interrogated Magnum, TC, and Rick in Vietnam returns and, in an attempt to kill Magnum, blows up Mac, another friend of Magnum's. At the end of the two part episode, Magnum lures Ivan into a remote location and has him completely defenseless. Ivan makes some remark about having diplomatic immunity and being the good guy that he is you know that Magnum's going to have to let him go. He asks Ivan, "Did you see the sunrise this morning?" Ivan's reply is an affirmative with the additional, "and it was particularly beautiful..." interrupted by a blast from Magnum's gun. End of episode. He shot him down in cold blood. For a thirteen year old boy it just didn't get much better than that.