The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Factual error: At the beginning of the episode, the captions say; "Texas Hill Country." Later, Elmo explains the case and mentions to Magnum that it happened "outside El Paso." Very much outside, since El Paso is nowhere near Hill Country, hundreds off to the West. (00:01:35 - 00:15:40)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: Magnum arrives to his place sporting a V-shaped patch of sweat down his shirt, but inside the guesthouse his clothes are already perfectly dry. (00:04:45)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Audio problem: TC moves to answer the door a split second before the sound of the knocking is dubbed in. (00:10:20)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Revealing mistake: Magnum sits down with Elmo and answers that no, he has not had any breakfast. Before he breaks out in a "WHAT are you eating?" you can see John Hillerman failing to pick up anything with the fork but pretending to be eating anyway. (00:14:15)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: Magnum tries to pull Elmo's moustache; Elmo pulls a gun on him in the first shot, and doing so tips the bottle of Tabasco over. In the side view with his daughter intervening, the bottle is still standing, and in the rest of the scene it is again resting on the table, but turned around 90° compared to before. (00:14:35)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: Elmo asks "Who?" when Magnum tells him he looks a lot like 'someone'. A young cowboy guy walks behind Magnum, then it cuts to Lexi, and the guy is behind her now. (00:14:40)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Other mistake: Elmo tells Magnum that the attempt to his life consisted of "three shots through the windshield before the truck turned over, caught fire." The opening scene had just one rifle shot, not three. (00:15:45)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: Higgins steps foot on his brother's traveling show, and spots two familiar faces. "I say, are you both joining the band?", he asks. Rick's neck handkerchief has a bit inside his open shirt, but it's out in the next shot. (00:29:45)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: During the conversation between Higgins and Rick and TC upon his arrival - when he recalls meeting Elmo on D-Day - the same cowboy extras walk about the premises, sometimes incoherently even between consecutive shots - look at the one with a red shirt far off in the background, going opposite directions as Higgins pronounces the words "During the war" across a cut. (00:29:55)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: Rick in rodeo clown garb yells (through an obvious dubbed-over line) Elmo to watch out for the loose bull. During the longshots that clown has his hands together on his lap, but in the preceding and following close-ups Larry Manetti has his hands supporting him on the beam. (00:32:45)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Revealing mistake: When Elmo gets bumped and tossed around by the bull, the stuntman is wearing thinner fake moustache than John Hillerman's. (00:32:55)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Visible crew/equipment: When Magnum asks Higgins why he's angry, Higgins gets up from his desk and shouts about Magnum's, "Abysmal failure to perform rudimentary detective procedures, like finding one loud course woman." In the next shot the white tape mark is visible on the floor behind Lexi (where was previously standing, and then it's gone a few shots later). (00:38:20)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Visible crew/equipment: After Bronco tells Rick the blaggards won't try to kill him unless he keeps his distance, Rick follows Bronco out of the trailer, and when blonde Barbara distracts Rick, the plastic T-mark is visible on the ground at her feet. Then when Magnum spots Bronco being pushed into the pickup he sticks his gun into his waistband, and as Magnum runs over to the horse a crew member (presumably animal wrangler) can be seen crouching behind the tractor. (00:42:50 - 00:44:05)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: When Barbara the trick rider flirts with Rick, runs her fingers down his chest in the first shot, she's holding his scarf in the next one, and again her hands are on/off the scarf between cuts. (00:43:10)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Visible crew/equipment: As the cab carrying Lexi Ziller drives off, set lights are reflected in the passenger window, and same for the boom mike in particular in the quarter glass. (00:47:40)
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Other mistake: There are spotty areas in the plot of the episode; in particular, it's never explained how can Elmo make an appearance at the newspaper office - but at the same time also be considered dead, and Higgins be at the hotel - and who would be riding his bronco leading others to believe he's around.
The Elmo Ziller Story - S2-E20
Plot hole: Considering the reveal about 2/3 into the episode, Higgins appearing to Magnum coming down the stairs of the estate at the beginning does not make sense. Spoiler; it is revealed that he was Elmo all along, but then he would have had - with his terrible athletic ability as shown in previous episodes - to run across the estate beating Magnum to the villa or somehow find a way to the top floor that is never shown throughout the whole series, change clothes and - with the lads! - come down without breaking a sweat.
