Fans push for
more Magnum

A Detroit man is leading
a campaign for a reunion film
based on the Hawaii TV series

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

"Magnum, P.I," left Hawaii nearly a decade ago but fondness for the series still burns in the hearts and minds of the detective show's diehard fans.

So much so that a Detroit-based fan club has started a letter-writing campaign to MCA/Universal, owners of the show, to get a much-talked about reunion film made.

"Magnum" fans want to make Universal Studios aware "that viewers around the world" -- the show is still seen in 90 countries -- want a reunion film made, said David Romas, director of Magnum Memorabilia in Detroit.

"We've been hearing rumors of a reunion throughout this decade," Romas said. "We hope this time our voices will be heard. If we get the word to Universal in an organized front, then at least they won't be able to say they're uncertain if an audience remains."

Romas has created a form letter that is being circulated on the Internet for people to print, fill out and mail to MCA/Universal by Oct. 31, he said.

Romas, a college instructor of television studies, believes the time is right because of the successes of many television-to-big-screen productions like "The Fugitive" and "Maverick," and made-for-television reunions of other shows.

Selleck himself is interested and even tried to sell a "Magnum" movie idea to Universal. According to published reports, he got novelist Tom Clancy, a personal friend and "P.I." fan, to agree to write the story.

But even with Clancy on board Universal wanted Selleck to first do four television "Magnums" to reinvigorate the franchise. Selleck declined.

Selleck, 51, will return to Hawaii this weekend to host the grand opening of the Lanai Pine Sporting Clays, a clay- and skeet-shooting facility. The actor has returned to movie popularity this year with his co-starring role in "In & Out," portraying a gay reporter.

Selleck maintains a home at Black Point, but he and his wife, Jillie Mack, and their seven-year-old daughter, Hannah, live on a ranch in Thousand Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Romas' form letter to Universal can be found on the worldwide web at: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/2715/daveindexe.htm or at http://magnum.stwendel.de/movie.html

Romas can also be contacted at: Magnum Memorabilia, 4417 Second Ave., #110, Detroit, MI 48201; or by telephone at (313) 831-3646; email: ac2942@wayne.edu.