As a part of a new regular feature at the Legacy, I will be posting something special on most Saturdays. As most of you know, Walker Texas Ranger and also Sons of Thunder aired on Saturday nights. So in keeping with this little memory from the past, you can look forward to something special at the website on Saturdays. Now, I’m not sure if this will be an every Saturday thing. For the most part, I will try to bring you something each week. But if I don’t have anything or life happens, then I may not post on some Saturdays. When I do post, it may be something like a brand new podcast, this day in Walker/Sons history, or a special feature such as what today’s blog is all about that I am hereby dubbing “The Private Eye." In it, I will reveal rather interesting little connections and neat finds related to both Walker and Sons that I have discovered thanks to my top notch detective skills honed no other way than by learning from our two favorite PIs. Heehee! So, without further ado, let’s get this party started.
THE PRIVATE EYE (file no. 1)
Location doubles. So I get it. After Sons of Thunder was canceled **suppresses a mild inward growl** I guess it was no surprise that the sets used for the short-lived series was still standing and up for the taking. While I have no idea how it came about, Uppercuts/Thunder Investigations was indeed “recycled” for the final season of Walker just two short years later. That’s right, Thunderites. Keep your eyes peeled about eleven minutes into the episode “Justice for All” and see if you can’t spot a familiar sight. Sure they put the sign “Scuzzy’s” up there to try to fool us. But it didn’t work. Nope, that my friends is the exact same location where our beloved PI threesome hung out and worked hard.
Further proof comes along when Trivette and Sydney amble into the little criminal’s cove seconds later. Hmm, that door looks very familiar. Heck, the whole wall looks familiar. How dare those goons occupy a place of honor at Butch's counter. Okay, I'll calm down.
What really made my heart sing was that it didn't stop here in the exact same Walker episode. That's right. It continues. Except this time, Gage and Sydney are visiting a police headquarters in another Texas city according to the story. While this scene was a little harder to confirm as an SOT location, it wasn't hard to figure out after reviewing the side-by-side evidence to find that we were indeed looking at what was Trent's office at Thunder Investigations. Further proof of this is revealed when the camera switches angles around to the police officer and we see a nice view of that wrap-around window in the corner of the entrance to the PI headquarters. You have to admit the addition of that Scuzzy's sign in place of the Uppercuts sign made this one a dead giveaway.
Fun fact, the fun didn't stop there. In the exact same Walker episode (I think I hear an echo), approximately seventeen minutes in, Alex along with Walker and Trivette rendezvous at White Rock Lake with a few individuals important to their case who wasn't fond of the spotlight at the time. Many will remember this location though from "Lost Boys" as Jesse's secret hideaway where Carlos used to take him fishing as a kid. As it appears, it received a good spring cleaning in the time separating these two episodes. This boathouse, called the "Boomerang" in real life, still stands today at White Rock Lake near the heart of Dallas.
CASE CLOSED! It might just fare you well to be on the lookout for some familiar locations the next time you watch Walker Texas Ranger. You just might be surprised at what you find. And there's plenty more to come from "The Private Eye" in the near future as we take a look at little hidden treasures within these timeless stories. Thanks for reading the debut report, and don't forget to keep that Thunder in your soul!