Magnum, P.I. (TV Series) The Case of the Red Faced Thespian (1984) User Reviews

Great fun episode

[lbowdls · 8/10 · 7 May 2019]

This is a great episode one of those type which have a house full of guests who may or may not be who they say. And a cliche costume party taking place, along with Higgins going in and out of psychosis, thinking he is a 20's actor and being accused of murder. Sure it's one of those far fetched episodes but still with a great mystery and typical Magnum fun.

Comic episode!

[mm-39 · 8/10 · 23 September 2021]

The Case of the Red Faced Thespian has a mix of Agatha Christy with all the cast dressed for a retro party! There is murder mystery in a murder mystery with the theme party. Well what makes The Case of the Red Faced Thespian great is Higgens get nocked out and does random Shakespeare and the party loves it. The random interjection of Higgens is hilarious. A comic episode which is memorable. 8 stars.

Was it the butler?

[safenoe · 8/10 · 8 November 2023]

Ivan Dixon directed The Case of the Red Faced Thespian, which is a fun episode that sends up Agatha Christie, and all the cozy crime mysteries. Ronald Lacey, a British actor, guest stars, and he famously played Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark just a few years earlier, and we know Tom Selleck was the original choice to play Indiana Jones.

Another British thespian, June Chadwick, also has a starring role, and later she had a starring role in V: The Series.

Anyway, the ending of The Case of the Red Faced Thespian was a real twist that I never saw coming. Colleen Camp also guest stars, and she looks very, very different in 1984 compared to now.

Stereotypical and Rather Banal

[brucesimon-22952 · 5/10 · 18 March 2024]

Any presentation with a murder weekend or dramatic revival of some type tend to be riddled with tiresome catchphrases and rather pretentious scenes. Magnum must deal with at Robin's nest a parade of rather vacuous rich people, a possibility of theft and Higgins, lapsing in an out of concussion induced hallucinatory behavior due to his personal vendetta against mongooses. This episode accentuates the theatric, but is feebly anchored in any type of realistic coherence. I found it heavy on absurdities, but short of an engaging plot. Maybe in a more comedic setting, it would have been received with induced laughter. But the characterization was rather cartoonish and even the ending suffered from exaggerated and prolonged drama to be believable. More built on platitudes to be absorbing for me.