Hey,
I just realized I had a picture of this promo on my site and thought I'd share it. Someone recently had it for sale on Ebay and that kinda prompted my memory. Anyway, this is a really early promotional piece for MacGyver that does indeed identify Richard Dean Anderson as playing the role of Stacey MacGyver!!!
Oh wow- I'm so glad they changed that name! I mean- Stacey is a great name- for a girl. Not quite so cool for a boy though. Angus is better- at least that is a boy's name- just not a very popular one.
Anyway- check out the promo here.

Was this run in magazines.. or was it part of a press release kit?

Hmm...Stacey or Angus...either way, you can understand why Mac never reveals his first name until almost the end of the series! If they had stuck with Stacey, it could explain a lot of his grit, toughness, and determination--ever heard Johnny Cash's A Boy Named Sue?

and then you think of Stacey Keetch

I always thought it was something like Stacey, and that they'd changed it to Angus once they realized it fit him a lot better.

the character was never meant to have a first name.

There's a bit about it in our FAQ page Which I now need to update thanks to this picture.

I'm pretty sure it was part of early press release kits. Perhaps this was used to pitch the show to ABC? I imagine this was used for pitching that original 90 minute pilot and by the time the 1 hour pilot we're used got aired, Paramount had made the decision to not give MacGyver a first name- at least, not until the "Good Knight MacGyver" (Parts 1 and 2) episode aired.

It is very strange to see an old pic of MacGyver.It is a good promo shot thought. Hard to believe that Macyver came out og the 80's.When season 7 came around, it was almost as if the old Mac did not exist any more.

I'm pretty sure it was part of early press release kits. Perhaps this was used to pitch the show to ABC? I imagine this was used for pitching that original 90 minute pilot and by the time the 1 hour pilot we're used got aired, Paramount had made the decision to not give MacGyver a first name- at least, not until the "Good Knight MacGyver" (Parts 1 and 2) episode aired.

except the release says at the bottom ABC Sunday 8-9pm. Which means it had already been picked up and scheduled by the network.

I just went back and looked again and thought about it some more, and I would say this must have been passed out to magazines like TV Guide, in the same way magazines and web sites where given press kits to use in promoting the DVD release in 20005.

At any rate it's a nice find. And good to actually have confirmation that the first name was released in that press kit.

I know! I think by season 4 the "old" Mac was gone and "replaced" with an updated one. Its crazy how many changes the show went through in seven years. Mac's slightly different in every season. His clothes, hair, and even personality change ever so slightly in each season.

I had a friend named Stacey... he hated the name, so we called him Guy. *shrug*

Anyway, thanks for showing us the promo, MacGyver. It's cool.

Well, Stacey isn't totally uncommon as a boy's name- it's one of those ambigious names that could be either a boy or girl- like Jamie, only I don't think that one's quite as bad. But neither one are really great.
If anyone's ever read "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor, you might recall that Stacey is the name of the eldest son. But that's the only other male Stacey I can think of offhand. On the other hand, there's Stacey McGill of "The Baby-Sitters Club" by Ann M. Martin and Stacey whose mom has got it going on and numerous other girls, I'm sure.

And yeah, I forgot that the poster had the airing slots on it- so it seems like it would have been distributed to TV Guide and such... Hmm- I'll have to check into that more, because that makes me curious to know if possibly that 90 minute pilot for MacGyver ever did actually air and if he was originally actually referred to as Stacey in the show.

I remember, when the series was first airing, speculating that Mac didn't use his first name because it was something really lame and embarrasing. A couple of us batted around ideas for what it might turn out to be. I think the top vote went to "Marion" -- as in "Marion Robert Morrison".

Hmm- well, true I think of Marion Ravenwood from the Indiana Jones movies ("Raiders of the Lost Ark" and now "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" too! )
But as it happens, I've also known a man named Marion- that one may be more of a Southern male name, considering it's also the name of a SC county.

I recall from the Stallone movie 'Cobra', Sly's character liked to be called 'Cobra' for short, just like MacGyver preferred to be called 'Mac', because his real name was Marion Cobretti.

He said that he wished that his parents had given him a tougher, more masculine name... like 'Alice'!


I suppose if I was a broadcasting network, and I had a home-made hero that I needed to give a name to that was neither too butch or too feminine, Stacey is a good choice.


... but thank goodness they changed their minds!

MG, do you know who Marion Robert Morrison was?

Better known as John Wayne.

Well, you don't say, pilgrim! Cool.
How about this one? Do you know who Marion Gordon Robertson is?
(Hint- He ran for President of the USA in 1988).
Yep- Famous Christian televangelist Pat Robertson!
(By the way- I was just pointing out he's a famous male named Marion- don't take it as an endorsement for everything he does- but I do respect him as a Christian leader.)
As far as females, my favorite Marions will probably always be Marion Ravenwood (portrayed beautifully by Karen Allen in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") and of course, Mrs. C.!
Marion Cunningham (portrayed beautifully by Marion Ross on "Happy Days")

By the way, I can now confirm that in the 2nd. draft of the script for the "Pilot" episode at least, MacGyver is clearly identified as Stace MacGyver on the very first page (that is to say- he's identified to the reader within the script- not in actual dialogue in the episode).
But later down the line, Ed Ganter does in fact, introduce him as Stace MacGyver to Charlie Burke. And a Dr. Webster identifies him as "MacGyver, comma, Stace" in his readouts during a workout at a government testing center.
Though from what I can tell, MacGyver introduces himself to others as just "MacGyver". Ganter still calls him "Mac" or "MacGyver"- I can't see where anyone directly addresses him as "Stace" or "Stacey".
A few other quick things I noticed- the "cut scene" (MacGyver giving the part from the rocket to government officials) from the "Pilot" episode is included in this draft. And MacGyver offers Gantner a beer when he comes to his place- so this can either be taken to mean that MacGyver indulges in drinking beer or he just specifically keeps some handy for Gantner.
And he curses some in this draft as well (i.e. beyond what was already in the aired "Pilot" episode as we know it.)
MacGyver also seems to be big into watching baseball as he watches a game with Gantner early in the episode and watches another game with his "little brother" at the end, identified as an 11 year old boy named Anthony Francis Donnato.
Oh yes- and the big question people always wonder about- MacGyver still does indeed fire a rifle in the opening gambit- in fact, the script seems to indicate that he even fires twice, but doesn't hit anybody. In fact, the script specifically says that MacGyver fires at the soldiers to "keep them in the trees". And it definitely doesn't say that he actually hits anyone.
And then he hands the gun off to Captain Taylor saying, "Here, you do this."
Anyway, that's just a few quick observations I've noticed through glancing through the script for the 90 minute Pilot- interesting, but not terribly different from the "Pilot" episode that was aired.

interesting....