Charisma, P.I. – Learning Lessons from Robin’s Nest

A buddy of mine from Anchorage visited Honolulu for the first time a few weeks ago and I showed him around. He loved it here and, after he left, asked me how he could learn more about Hawai‘i history and culture. All right! Of course, I referred him to HONOLULU’s 50 Essential Hawai‘i Books by Don Wallace and his staggering follow-up, The Next 134, plus a list of excellent locally made features and short films. I also threw in some Hollywood productions that ring true from my 2019 list of the 10 best films and TV shows shot in the Islands (bit.ly/hn-best-films).

Photo: Michael Kenny

If Magnum, P.I., is all people watch, their mental image of Hawai‘i will likely be crawling with hitmen, secret agents, KGB spies and clueless wealthy socialites

My friend followed my advice and, one afternoon, sent me a screenshot from an episode of the original Magnum, P.I., that featured Murphy’s Bar & Grill, asking if it was where he and I drank beers one day (it was). On the show, Murphy’s was a stand-in for a fancy restaurant named “One Horse Chez.” In real life, I knew the location had a more interesting backstory, but I didn’t know what it was. Our conversation inspired me to dig into the history of 2 Merchant St., home to the Royal Hotel, which opened in 1855 and was frequented by the likes of King Kalākaua and writer Robert Louis Stevenson. (The present building where Murphy’s is today was constructed in 1890 by Walter Peacock, who also opened the Moana Hotel.) Watching the episode later, I recognized the actor playing a bartender in one scene but couldn’t remember from where. My friend solved the mystery by checking the Internet Movie Database: It was the late radio personality and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards founder Krash Kealoha, making a cameo.

SEE ALSO: The History of Hawai‘i From Our Files: Magnum Mania

In a way, our experience echoed this particular episode of Magnum, P.I. (season eight’s “Innocence… A Broad,” if you’re interested), which revolves around an aspiring private eye who’s joining Magnum on a case. Magnum’s trying to show her the ropes but he ends up getting everything wrong. Meanwhile, she’s figuring it out on her own and is mostly solving things for the both of them. Here I was, telling my friend to read books and watch movies and TV shows to learn what I thought I already knew about my home. But in reality, there are gaps in my knowledge too. Somehow, this TV show that was meant to share fictional stories set in Hawai‘i four decades ago is still inadvertently educating visitors—and locals like me—in the present day. Not through car chases and shootouts, but by inspiring us to dig up actual stories about the real-life places and even the people featured.

There’s no single source material that can teach people everything they need to know about Hawai‘i. If Magnum, P.I., is all people watch, their mental image of Hawai‘i will likely be crawling with hitmen, secret agents, KGB spies and clueless wealthy socialites (though these might not be too far off from reality). But if you’re curious like me, it can inspire you to find out more about the history behind what you’re seeing on-screen. Magnum might seem an unusual choice to appear on a “best” list about Hawai‘i because it isn’t nonfiction or locally produced. But good pop culture that’s set in Hawai‘i can teach us more about this place. It’s our responsibility to continue to educate ourselves.