TRUMBO'S WORLD
01.06 Episode 6 (#40191-005)
Airdate: November 10, 1985
In Brazil, MacGyver helps a plantation owner defend his land from an army of ants that threatens to destroy the jungle.
Written by: Stephen Kandel
Directed by: Donald Petrie
Guest Starring: David Ackroyd as Lucien Trumbo, Peter Jurasik as Dr. Charles Alden, Will Gotay as Luiz, Maurice Sherbanée as Santos, Melinda Peterson as Dr. Andrea Gates, Enzo Gagliardi as The Cook, Ranscombe Richmon as Guard, Simone Boisserée as Yana, Hal Jon Norman as Old Man, David Cadiente as Non-Com
OPENING GAMBIT: "WHITEWATER" In the Pyrenees, MacGyver rescues a prisoner, then makes a daring escape with her by raft. Written by Stephen Kandel / Directed by Lee H. Katzin
Nielsen Ratings: 15.6 rating / 22 share / 2nd (31st overall)
Reference: Charles Alden, Brazil, Andrea Gates, Luiz, Pyrenees, Santos, Soldier Ants, Lucien Trumbo
MACGYVERISMS
Stole a towel from a clothesline using a Swiss Army knife and thread as a fishing line
Super heated shower water over a campfire as a distraction
Opened a locked door by using a log as a lever to lift it off its hinges
Soaked a rope in kerosene so that it could be easily burned after making an escape
Ran barbed wire across a river to puncture and sink pursuing rafts
Made an electric arc welder from a generator, jumper cables, and two half dollars
Twisted a rope with a bamboo pole to winch up a heavy canoe and free a trapped woman
Built a flame thrower with a garden hose, pipe, and chemically thickened gasoline
Made nitromannite explosive from nitrate fertilizer, plant cellulose, and acid
Made a protective suit from netting, a melted garden hose, and duct tape
NOTES OF INTEREST
- Much of the footage of the ants consuming the jungle was stock footage from the 1954 movie "The Naked Jungle."
- Although the episode only identifies the location of the episode as the Amazon rain forest, the TV Guide specifies the location as Brazil.
- MacGyver eats meat when he samples the Basque stew.
- MacGyver indicates an interest in hockey when he wears a hockey cap from the Calgary Flames.
- MacGyver rides a horse again.
- The shooting location for Trumbo's cocoa plantation was also used as the southeast Asian orphanage in "The Road Not Taken."
- Familiar Faces:
- David Ackroyd, who portrays Lucien Trumbo, also played Steven Knapp in the MacGyver episode "The Negotiator."
MEMORABLE REMARKS
- It's the only towel I brought with me. [MacGyver]
- Oh, my God! Do you know how far it is down there? [Gates]
No, ma'am, I don't. [MacGyver] - Well, I don't know how good ants are at swimming, but I'd be willing to bet a good fire would get their attention. [MacGyver]
- You got that one, Trumbo. Trouble is, a couple billion of his relatives are coming to the funeral. [MacGyver]
- Keep it coming, Nero. [MacGyver]
- We're out of gasoline, and we're out of miracles. [Trumbo]
So, now's the time to start thinking. [MacGyver]
FOR THE RECORD
- Swiss Army Knife Count: (2)
- Used with thread as a fishing line to steal a towel
- Cut up plant bark for cellulose to make nitromannite
- Duct Tape Count: (1)
- Taped together the pieces of the protective suit
- RIP - MacGyver's Friends Who Have Been Killed: (1)
- Dr. Charles Alden, a scientist and old friend, was eaten alive by soldier ants
IMAGES
