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When the Chairman of the Board asks for something, he gets it. Recently, Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck recalled the time that Frank Sinatra strongly hinted that he’d like to guest star on the hit ‘80s TV show Magnum P.I. 

Frank Sinatra wanted to be asked to be on ‘Magnum P.I.’ 

Tom Selleck, Larry Manetti, and Frank Sinatra on the set of 'Magnum P.I.'
Tom Selleck, Larry Manetti, and Frank Sinatra in ‘Magnum P.I.’ | CBS via Getty Images

Earlier this year, Selleck took the stage at the 92nd Street Y in New York City with his Blue Bloods co-star Bridget Moynahan to discuss his memoir, You Never Know. During their hour-long chat, they touched on one of the more memorable moments from his time on Magnum P.I. 

Selleck first met Sinatra through his Magnum co-star Larry Manetti, who played Rick Wright. Eventually, Manetti revealed that the legendary crooner was hoping for a role on the show. 

“[Larry] said, ‘Frank wants to do the show,’’ Selleck recalled (via YouTube). “I said, ‘Really?’” He says, ‘But you’ve got to call him. Because he wants to be asked.’”

Sinatra wanted to ‘beat somebody up’ on ‘Magnum P.I.’ 

Selleck screwed up his courage and gave Ol’ Blue Eyes a ring. 

“So I called him,” the actor said. “And I don’t know what to say … so I say, ‘Frank, if we do a show for you, we’re going to have to write it for you.’ He says, ‘Yeah, I know.’ And I said, ‘What do you want to do?’”

“He said, ‘Oh, I don’t care. Just make sure I get to beat somebody up,’” Selleck said. 

Sinatra was so interested in being on Magnum that he told Selleck he’d do the appearance for free. He just wanted to have his expenses paid. The production company was “just elated” when they heard that. “Until they got the bill,” Selleck said. “His expenses were about $250,000.”

Sinatra’s Magnum P.I. episode aired in 1987 and one was one of his final acting roles before his death in 1998.

Frank Sinatra wearing a Hawaiian-print shirt and looking at a man on the ground on the set of 'Magnum P.I.'
Tom Selleck and Frank Sinatra in ‘Magnum P.I.’ | CBS via Getty Images
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In the season 7 episode, “Laura,” the iconic entertainer played a New York City cop whose granddaughter is kidnapped and murdered. He hires Thomas Magnum (Selleck) to track down the men responsible but doesn’t reveal that he’s really out for revenge. 

The “My Way” singer’s wish that he’d be able to beat someone up onscreen was fulfilled. After locating one of the killers at a nightclub, his character confronts the man.  

“She was my granddaughter! You slimy bastard. You beat her face to a pulp. You broke her body down to nothin’ and then you threw her in an alley and left her to die. And I’m gonna do the same thing to you,” he says, before throwing a series of punches that eventually send the man tumbling to his death. 

Want to revisit Sinatra’s appearance on Magnum P.I.? The episode is streaming for free on The Roku Channel. 

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