Magnum, P.I. (TV Series) Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too (1980) User Reviews

Entertaining Christmas episode

[DVD_Connoisseur · 7/10 · 25 September 2018]

"Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too" is a competently made Christmas episode that manages to retain the Magnum spirit.

The script is a little far-fetched but the speed of the storytelling glosses over the inadequacies in the plot.

Good but not great.

7 out of 10.

Magnum x mass special

[mm-39 · 6/10 · 26 July 2021]

I remember watching this Christmas episode with my cousin Eddy when it debut. We both found the episode sappy. Magnum x mass special. There is little lost girl, a picture heist, and a gullible Magnum. Well Higgens, Rick and T C add to the story. Magnum saves the day with a sappy plot twists. A gal in distress and cute little girls held for ransom and Magnum most save the gals from heat exposer. Winter in Winnipeg made us jealous of anything about warm weather while watching this episode. A by the numbers episode, but not bad after re watching. I give Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too. 6 stars.

Better than you might expect

[Jon-nel · 6/10 · 5 January 2014]

This is the first Christmas-themed episode of the series, involving a Gauguin painting and a precocious group of Vermont schoolgirls who hire Magnum to find their missing teacher. I was afraid this might be too cutesy and tedious an episode, but no worries. These young actresses were up to the task and surprisingly good.

Higgins has tightened security at the Masters estate since the arrival of a Gauguin painting worth $2 million. Of course Magnum breaches security almost immediately by taking in five stranded schoolgirls. Even Higgins finally relents and lets the girls stay over night, in the spirit of Christmas. Of course these girls are more clever than they let on.

The girls send Magnum chasing after a red herring with a story of how their teacher had hooked up with a Hawaiian guy in a dive bar the night before. Magnum and T.C. visit the infamously sketchy Hotel Street in downtown Honolulu and naturally get into a tussle. Their inquiries set off a series of coincidences that lead to future misunderstandings.

Magnum eventually rejoins the teacher with the girls and their complicated plot to swap a forgery for the real Gauguin unravels. But Higgins once again is feeling generous and lets the teacher off: no harm, no foul.

Then the girls are kidnapped by real art thieves. Higgins generosity is once again tested when he must decide whether the lives of the girls are worth trading for the real Gauguin.

There are some notable location shots throughout this episode: the statue of Father Damien in front of the State Capitol building, where Magnum first meets the girls; Diamond Head; the War Memorial natatorium at Waikiki.

There is no body count and no love interest between Magnum and Miss Booten. I only mention this because I thought the title implied romance of some sort. The title comes from the movie "Gigi," which is French. Gauguin was also French. Gauguin did his best work on islands. Magnum lives on an island. So it all fits. I found this episode to be cute without being too cute, funny, and definitely worth seeing. 6.5/10.

Christmas in Hawaii

[safenoe · 8/10 · 22 June 2023]

This is the first Magnum Christmas episode and Magnum helps five girls find their teacher who is lost somewhere in Hawaii. But there's more to their story for this episode that was screened Christmas day, 1980.

Ian Freebairn-Smith's 70s style jazzy score opens this episode and reminds me of the CHiPs theme.

Bruce Seth Green, no relation to Seth Green, directed this episode. I like the scenes of the Hawaiian streets at night which evokes a kind of seedy atmosphere that gives a level of authenticity to Hawaii.

Rick's Chinese accent was weird and cringeworthy but thankfully he didn't attempt a Swiss one because he would be confused.

You Got A Macho Lei?

[Tim-311 · 5/10 · 25 October 2009]

Magnum's 1st Christmas episode has him involved in an art con, getting beat up by goons and rescuing 5 schoolgirls. Another day in paradise.

Magnum gets a call from a potential client that he needs to find a missing person. What he does not know is that the missing person is a young school teacher named Linda and that his clients are 5 young girls on school vacation from Vermont (not New Hampshire as the plot summary says – nitpicking but hey in for a dime, in for a dollar). Thus he begins his search based off of some clues they provide. While he is out and about gathering clues he convinces Higgins to let the girls stay as they have been left alone.

We quickly see that the girls are drawn to Robin Master's (RM) newest acquisition, a valuable painting by Gauguin, touching it, much to Higgins's dismay. We see that this is the real motive for their stay at the house. After a series of dead-ends, including one the almost gets Magnum & TC both beat–up and TC grabbed, Magnum finds Linda and figures out that the whole thing is a set-up to get the painting. But wait, there's a reason they are stealing the painting. It turns out that Linda's sister is really good at art and can go to the Sorbonne IF she had the money. Linda is a good art authenticator (& I guess forger) so she strikes a deal with the fellow who "sold" his painting to Robin Masters to send a fake that Linda has made from the original. In the end Linda can't go through with it and is now trying to put back the original in place of RM's fake. Original is now returned and Higgins decides to let Linda & the girls go - hey it's Christmas.

Ah if it were so simple. When they return to the hotel room the swindling art collector turns into a kidnapper and grabs the girls in return for the painting. Of course they double cross the collector, and figure out a way to save the girls.

This is an OK episode. They continue along the theme that 1) fun is to be had at Higgins's expense and that 2) TC and Rick are invaluable to solving cases. There is a good sub-plot that forms from the girls bad leads. We do see Magnum think on his feet and talk his way out of a situation instead of using fisticuffs.

Cute quote from one of the little girls – "She shouldn't be punished for her passion!"

Episode Body Count: Women kissed = 0, Bad guys shot & killed by Magnum = 0

Running Body Count: Episodes = 4, Women kissed = 2, Bad guys shot & killed by Magnum = 2