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Soul successfully proved that Wright never even attended the play. Instead, the journalist sent a junior colleague to see the play for him. Soul was awarded $70,000 in damages and $350,000 in legal fees.

Soul has had his ups and downs. His 1983 attempt to turn Humphrey Bogart's classic Casablanca into a TV show was flop.

But before Soul's attorney calls, let me be the first to admit, I didn't see David Soul's TV version of Casablanca in the early 1980s, and for all I know, it might be one the most underappreciated masterpieces of our time, and he may have made a better Rick than Bogie.

Hawaii Five-O:

Talk about a recycled Hollywood idea: In 1980, when Hawaii Five-O finally ended its 12-year run, CBS thought it would be a shame to break down the expensive sets, they just created another tropical cop show. Thus Magnum, P.I. and Tom Selleck's famous mustache entered our hearts.

Five-O's beach-pounding theme was only matched by star Jack Lord's performance. As Detective Steve McGarrett, he wore dark suits even in the blistering island heat, and typically ended episodes by cuffing a bad guy and saying to his partner — in the ultimate deadpan voice — "Book 'em, Danno."

Ironically, it was Lord himself who couldn't be booked — as a special guest on Magnum, P.I.. Selleck wanted Lord on his show desperately and made several public overtures.

It would have been easy, since Lord remained in Hawaii up until his death in 1998. He became something of a local hero. His cop show was the first TV series shot entirely in the 50th state.

Perhaps Lord found Selleck's depiction of a private investigator in khaki shorts and an obnoxious Hawaiian shirt just a little too informal for law enforcement. Perhaps it was Selleck's mustache.