Was flicking the channels thru one afternoon recently and an old rerun of “Magnum P.I.” was on. Tom was participating in a triathlon. Looked like old 12 sp steel road bikes that everybody was using. Used to really like that show, especially Higgins, but can’t remember the exact years that Magnum was on TV. Must have been the mid/late 80’s?
Are there any other Hollywood portrayals of triathletes that anyone can think of?
I remember that episode on Magnum P.I.
Pretty silly as I recall. He signed up for Iron Man to catch a crook or some such nonsense.
It was dumb even back then and I can’t imagine that it aged very well.
I think there was a made for TV movie about IM starring (I think) JoAnne Woodward long ago but I didn’t see it. Triathlon critics panned it as being pretty bad.
I think the really important thing was that Tom looked so good. Let’s keep our priorities straight, people.
Amy,
I had a tennant for a short period about ten years ago that looked exactly like Tom selleck. Almost a clone. He’d go out to a bar and women would swoon him thinking he was the real thing. Kids would ask for an autograph. You would have loved him.
Related, but not specifically on target–the guy who plays Jesus Christ in The Passion is a triathlete. Not sure what races he’s done, but there was an article in People magazine dated 3/22 (my wife showed me…honestly).
I remember the episode very well. I was stationed with the Army in Hawaii when they shot it and a member of our tri-Team (Team hawaii) was his stand in. At the time the Ironman was new and everyone was making a reference to it. Yes, it was bad then, very unrealistic, but it gave us - triathletes - exposure.
As far as the other one, I think it was called Challenge of the Lifetime or something like that. Penny Marshal was divoced, overweight momwho decided to do the Ironman. However, she first had to “qualify” in a race the day prior (yeah, right), where she crashs, injures her arm, but makes it in the “lottery”. The producers recruited all of us to ride in a pack around her to film the scene (how slow do we have to ride?). The whole idea was to market a movie that captured the Julie Moss crawl and made the Ironman something anyone could do. Yes, it was BAD!! But what “made for TV movie” based upon a real incident isn’t.
I am a triathlete and I downloaded the Magnum P.I. theme song for the ring on my cell phone. It makes me feel really cool but I can’t get the damn song out of my head.
I can think of a few stars that are into triathlon. Ian Zerring (Steve) from 90210 is a professed triathlete and some guy off of General Hospital soap operas, is a triathlete, His name is Jasper Jax on the show. Anybody else think of tv/movie stars that are into triathlon?
I can think of a few stars that are into triathlon. Ian Zerring (Steve) from 90210 is a professed triathlete and some guy off of General Hospital soap operas, is a triathlete, His name is Jasper Jax on the show. Anybody else think of tv/movie stars that are into triathlon?
Robin Williams, David Duchovny, Alanis Morrisette…
Was flicking the channels thru one afternoon recently and an old rerun of “Magnum P.I.” was on. Tom was participating in a triathlon. Looked like old 12 sp steel road bikes that everybody was using. Used to really like that show, especially Higgins, but can’t remember the exact years that Magnum was on TV. Must have been the mid/late 80’s?
Are there any other Hollywood portrayals of triathletes that anyone can think of?
If you notice, the Ironman was done on Oahu (or O’ahu - when did that get changed BTW?) and the event order was Swim, Run, Bike. Carol Burnett was also in it, I believe.
Jim Caviezel, the guy that played Christ in The Passion of the Christ is also a triathlete…
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That is soooo my favorite episode of Magnum … i think … (maybe the treading water for 2-days with a circling shark one) … he’s finishing up on the bike -looking like death, but in something like 12th place, (at the time i didn’t know you ran last) … and he’s working out the mystery in his head in classic magnum voice-over / flashback … when about a mile from the finish he figures it out and TURNS AROUND!! CC (helicopter pilot), is livid as he’s sponsored Magnum … until the evening news shows the results and then features Magnum’s back as he rides the other way saying something like “Island Hoppers, we like your style” … sooo great …
magnum is cool … short shorts and all.
They had Laura on Remmington Steele do a triathlon one episode.
I liked the treading water one for 48 hours the best… I did not see the triathlon one though. I remember seeing the treading water one, and told my sister that I could do that, and she said no way. She said if I could do it fout 1 1/2 hours she would pay me $100, so I made her telll ouur parents and went out to the pool that night and did it. I could not survival float or swim around, just tread water, as a result she paid me from her minimum wage job at Burger King. A very memorable moment 
Magnum was the perfect character for the portrayal of an early triathlete. After all, he did have the proper facial hair right? Dave Scott and I think Scott Tinley both had those fine mustaches. That basically defined the Triathlon pioneer look. I guess magnum’s was more of a cop-stache, but he was on the right track.
The blonde haired guy (Paul Walker) from The Fast and the Furious is a triathlete. He was registered for Treasure Island this past year but I think he flaked. Wasn’t in the results and I didn’t see him anywhere. I’d love to know how fast Steve (from 90210) is.
That Magnum episode with the sharks and the treading water…was that the one that also involved flashbacks to his dad who had died serving in the military?..I have vague recollections of a 4 or 5 year old Thomas Magnum at his fathers funeral and he had been given his father’s watch…the watch he was wearing all those years later after he had fallen from his surf ski…
For some reason that episode has stayed with me what must be 15 or so years?
Same episode?
Yep, that’s the one they’re talking about - great episode. One of the better. Wonder when they’ll do a Magnum TV movie? They’re not getting any younger.
Maybe Ben Stiller will do a Magnum movie ala Starsky & Hutch. “Hutch” looked like crap - dude is not aging well.
Yeah that’s the one!
now that i think about it, there are parallels between that one and the “butch and his father’s war watch” story line in pulp fiction.
hmmm … think QT is a closet magnum fan?
It’s allmost as bad as Kevin Kostner as a cyclist in “American Flyers”
jaretj
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