Tales of the Gold Monkey

infobox television
show_name = Tales of the Gold Monkey


caption = Jake and Sarah in "Tales of the Gold Monkey"
format = Action/Adventure
runtime = 60 mins.
creator = Donald Bellisario
director = Virgil Vogel (4 episodes)
James Frawley (2 episodes)
Winrich Kolbe (2 episodes)
starring = Stephen Collins
Jeff MacKay
Caitlin O'Heaney
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 21
network = ABC
picture_format = Film
audio_format = Monaural
first_aired = September 22, 1982
last_aired = June 1, 1983
imdb_id = 0083488
tv_com_id = 4901|

"Tales of the Gold Monkey" is a 1982 television show broadcast by ABC. Most critics saw it as the network's attempt to capitalize on the fame of the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" the previous year, in the same vein as "Bring 'Em Back Alive" on CBS. In actuality, the premise of the show bears a much stronger resemblance to the 1939 film "Only Angels Have Wings". Creator Donald P. Bellisario tried to get the series commissioned since the late 1970s, but executives felt that audiences wouldn't be interested in an adventure series set in the 1930s. It was the success of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" that changed their minds. The series featured the romance of early aviation, exotic locales and cliff-hanging action.

Premise and major characters

Set in the South Pacific in 1938, the series is about an ex-Flying Tigers pilot named Jake Cutter (Stephen Collins). Now the operator of an air cargo delivery service based on the fictional South Seas island Bora Gora, he flies a red and white Grumman Goose called "Cutter's Goose". Jake's best friend is his mechanic Corky (Jeff MacKay), a good-hearted alcoholic whose memory is hazy as a result of the quantity of booze he consumes. However, a one-eyed Jack Russell terrier named Jack, who barks once for "no" and twice for "yes" (or the opposite if it suits him) would dispute just who Jake's best friend really is. Jack wears an eye patch, but used to have a false eye made of opal that Jake lost in a poker game -- and refuses to let Jake forget it.

Jake's love interest/U.S. Government spy contact is Sarah Stickney White (Caitlin O'Heaney). She sings in the Monkey Bar as a cover for her espionage activities. The Reverend Willie Tenboom (John Calvin), a phony man of the cloth who likes to "bless" the natives, is in actuality a Nazi spy named Willy, with interests in both sides.

"Bon Chance" Louie (played by Ron Moody in the pilot, Roddy McDowall in the series) is the owner of the Monkey Bar and the French magistrate for Bora Gora. Jake's nemesis is the Japanese princess Koji (Marta DuBois), a Dragon Lady type of character who has eyes for Jake. Koji's devoted bodyguard is Todo (John Fujioka), a fierce practitioner of Bushido and loyal to the princess. (Although Calvin, DuBois and Fujioka were billed on the opening credits of each episode, they actually only appeared on a semi-regular basis in a handful of episodes.)

The title is derived from the bar where the characters gather, which features a golden monkey statue.

History and context

Originally, the series was to be called "Tales of the Brass Monkey". [ [http://www.johnkennethmuir.com/JohnKennethMuirsRetroTVFile_GoldMonkey.html Retro TV File] ] There was a cocktail mix at the time called "Brass Monkey." They requested that the show change the title to prevent a confusing association. However, in several episodes it is revealed that the statue at the bar was indeed brass and not really gold. Unknown to the characters, the island where the statue was found does contain a massive structure apparently made of solid gold that does resemble a monkey, but they never learn the truth.

As with most of creator Donald P. Bellisario's projects, there are links to his other shows. The most notable is of the character Gandy Dancer (played by William Lucking) an ace pilot treasure hunter who appears in the episodes 'Legends Are Forever' and - in flashback form - in 'Honor Thy Brother'. Although Gandy dies in 'Legends Are Forever', Bellisario liked the character enough to adapt him to the present day. The third season episode 'Two Birds of a Feather' of Bellisario's hit "Magnum, P.I." sees Lucking playing the very similar character of Sam Houston Hunter, also an ace pilot. The episode, which noticeably has little appearance of Magnum or any other regular characters, acted as a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off series starring Lucking. However, the series was never picked up, although Bellisario stripped down the 'adventures of an ace pilot' concept and worked it into "Airwolf" (1984-1986). Jeff MacKay had recurring roles on "Magnum, PI", and later "JAG" (1998-2005). McDowall, MacKay, Calvin and the Goose all had guest appearances on the Bellisario series "Quantum Leap" (1989-1993).

Although generally well-received in both America and overseas (such as the United Kingdom, where it was broadcast on Monday evenings), the show was not renewed for another season, mostly due to the ratings not justifying the high cost of production.

This show is considered to be a strong inspiration for the Disney animated series "Talespin". There are also a number of parallels and character similarities with the 1994 point-and-click adventure game "Flight of the Amazon Queen", which may or may not have been influenced by the series.

There is a fictional recursion in "The Sultan of Swat" in which - while waiting for the Boeing 314 Pan Am Clipper - Jake is reading a book with a dustcover titled "Murder on the Footbridge"; which is apparently a key plot reference from the 1941 Alfred Hitchcock Movie "Suspicion".

Episode list

Chronology

Based on "facts" disclosed in the series, a chronology of events can be compiled.

;938: The Tse-Sing monks cast the gold monkey idol using a golden alloy that is heat resistant.: (Willie informs Princess Koji that the monks did this 1000 years ago.)

;1881: Todo is born.: (This is based on the age of the actor in 1983.)

;1884: Bon Chance Louis is born.: (This is based on the age of Roddy McDowall in 1982.)

;1903: Jake Cutter is born.: (The series bible has two different birth years, 1901 and 1903. 1903 would match the age of Stephen Collins in 1982.)

;1907: Corky is born.: (The Pilot script indicates that Corky is 31.)

;1910: Sarah Stickney-White is born.: (The Late Sarah White)

;1920: Jake Cutter enters Cornell University.

;1924: Jake Cutter graduates from Cornell University. He begins to play AA Baseball.

;1926: Jake Cutter joins the Army Air Corps.

;1927: The champagne house of Pom Peron has an excellent year. (Louis is upset at the loss of a case of Pom Peron in the pilot.)

;1931: Jake completes his military commitment and begins to barnstorm around the country.

;1933: Jake Cutter accepts a position as a Pan Am Clipper co-pilot.

;1935: Corky pulls Jake out of a burning Ford Tri-Motor in Guatemala. (The year is conjecture, based on the presumption that it occurred while Jake and Corky were in South America together. Jake speaks of this incident in the pilot.)

;1936: Jake and Corky fly gold out of Peru. Jake buys Jack an opal and sapphire false eye.

;1937: Jake resigns from Pan Am and joins the Flying Tigers.

: During his time with the Flying Tigers, Jake loses Jack's eye to a Chinese bandit. Jake flies all the way to Tibet to get it back. (Corky describes this incident as happening in "37" in the pilot.)

;1938: Jake Cutter flies charter flights out of Bora Gora.

;April 1938: Jake and Corky fly nuns to a leper colony. (Corky and Jake speak about this in the pilot.)

References

External links

* [http://www.tv.com/show/4901/summary.html "Tales of the Gold Monkey"] at TV.com
*imdb title|id=0083488|title=Tales of the Gold Monkey
* [http://www.goldmonkey.com Goldmonkey.com] , the unofficial web site
* [http://www.johnkennethmuir.com/JohnKennethMuirsRetroTVFile_GoldMonkey.html John Kenneth Muir's profile of the show]