‘Fantasy Island’ arrival
ends post-‘Magnum’
doldrums

Workers hope one of the
pilots shot recently can
fill the 'P.I.' void

By Gary T. Kubota
Star-Bulletin

WAILUKU -- Film equipment truck driver Masepa Tanoai says movie work has been inconsistent since "Magnum, P.I." ended. He's happy to be working even briefly for the TV pilot production of the new "Fantasy Island."

"It's good for us," Tanoai said. "This is the best advertising for Hawaii."

As film production in rural Hana begins today on "Fantasy Island," movie workers are hoping this pilot or one of the others produced recently will fill the economic hole left when "Magnum" departed.

Two other pilots produced in Hawaii recently are the police drama "Honolulu CRU" and the family-ranching drama "Wind on Water."

"Hopefully, we'll get one of them going," said George Cambra, owner of George Cambra Movie Production Trucks Inc.

The original "Fantasy Island" starring Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke ran on ABC from 1978 to 1984.

About 11 trucks carrying film production equipment arrived in Hana yesterday.

Actor Malcolm McDowell, who will star as Mr. Roarke, and others in the cast arrived by aircraft at the Hana Airport.

The Hana Ranch Restaurant was scheduled to serve about 100 dinners last night, with an ala carte menu that included prime rib, barbecue baby-back ribs, chicken stir fry, chicken Caesar salad, sashimi and lavosh mahimahi.

The 93-room Hotel Hana-Maui was completely booked with 65 rooms being occupied by cast and crew of Fantasy Island, said Larry Mayo, the hotel's general manager. "For us, this is a big check-in day," he said.

Mayo said during the one-week stay, the production crew will be filming various parts of the hotel, including the dining room, a hotel room and the Plantation House, a centerpiece in the drama.

Mayo said the production comes at a good time, when occupancy would otherwise be low.

Maui County information officer Lloyd Yonenaka said about $1.5 million is expected to be spent on the pilot, portions of which are also being filmed on Kauai and Oahu.

Mayo said a number of celebrities have visited the Hotel Hana-

Maui, including first lady Hillary Clinton, and hotel employees and residents are usually not the type who follow Hollywood celebrities or ask for autographs.

"Everybody is respectful of others' privacy," Mayo said. "Half the time we don't know who they are anyway."