TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY
I know why you're here! I knew you were coming! I didn't bake a cake though, but I did prepare something even better than that: a new Odd Review! Why is that better? Cuz you can have your Odd Review and read it, too, duh!
So, as if you didn't know, this your buddy, Oddcube, saying hi and welcome to the column! This is where I get to talk about whatever I feel like under the clever guise of a review column, which is reinforced by a phony-boloney rating which is randomly determined by rolling dice. And I've got a true treat this time, team, a terrific trophy of television's times-gone-by called "Tales of the Gold Monkey"!
"Tales of the Gold Monkey" aired its one-and-only season on ABC in 1982. The show was created by some guy named Donald P. Bellisario, who created some other obscure shows with names like "Magnum, P.I.", "Airwolf", "Quantum Leap", "JAG", and "NCIS". In fact, "Gold Monkey" was apparently the very first series that he got a "Created By" credit for.
So, the scuttlebutt from several online sources is that Bellisario created "Gold Monkey", inspired by such classic movies as "Only Angels Have Wings" and "To Have and Have Not" and that he began trying to sell it to the networks since the late 70's. He was repeatedly turned down, as them dumb ol' TV execs thought no one would be interested in way cool adventure series set in the 1930's. And then it happened:
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was released in theaters, and was a smash hit!
Then all of a sudden, all three networks (yeah, there were only three back then, how did people survive?!) were scrambling to find something similar that they could air. The good news here is that some guy at ABC remembered "Tales of the Gold Monkey", which came complete with a tropical island and a hero in a leather jacket! ...The bad news is that they really wanted it to be more of an action-oriented adventure and less the character-driven drama Bellisario originally intended. The resulting series is somewhere in between, and way cool!
"Tales of the Gold Monkey" takes place in the South Seas in 1938. More specifically, on the fictional island of Boragora, part of the French Mandate which covers the southern half of the volcanic Marivella Island chain. The northern half of the Marivellas compose the Japanese Mandate. The show focuses on the adventures of Jake Cutter, a former Flying Tiger who is now a pilot-for-hire who transports passengers and cargo with his Grumman Goose (that's an airplane, if ya don't know). Jake is played by Stephen Collins, whom you may remember from "Brewster's Millions" starring Richard Pryor and John Candy (he's the guy Richard Pryor gets to slug at the end), or from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (he's the guy who merges with V'Ger at the end of the movie...in case ya fell asleep and missed that part, which is TOTALLY understandable!), or as a priest in the TV series "Seventh Heaven".
Of course, a good hero needs good sidekicks, and Jake has several characters to back him up. His best, or at least most loyal, friend is Corky, the best (and only) mechanic within a thousand miles. Corky is amiable, optimistic, a little naïve, a little dense, and has a poor memory as a result of how much he drinks. Corky is played by Jeff MacKay, who also played recurring roles on "Magnum P.I.", "JAG", "Battlestar Gallactica" (the original one), "Black Sheep Squadron", and "The Greatest American Hero". And on top of all that, I found out that Jeff MacKay was Robert Redford's cousin!
Jake Cutter never went very far without his faithful friend, Jack, who was a one-eyed Jack Russell Terrier. Jack was smarter than the average dog; in fact, he was often smarter than the average human. He could hold a conversation with you by barking once for "no" and twice for "yes"...or is it the other way around? To be honest, I think he switched it around every once in a while, just to confound people. Jack had a glass eye made of opal with a star sapphire center, but Jake lost in a poker game in the pilot and Jack holds a king-sized grudge against him until he tracks it down and gets it back which, of course, Jake tries to do through the entire run of the show. In the meantime, Jack wears an eye patch and is very cool, even though he's kinda contrary.
Next up, we have Sarah Stickney-White, who turns out to be an American secret agent...even though she sounds British...who has been assigned to eavesdrop and relay any information that may be useful to the U.S. in the upcoming war. As her cover, she was the singer in Boragora's central meeting spot, The Monkey Bar. In addition to all of that, she was Jake Cutter's romantic interest throughout the series, cuz you need that sort of tension in a series. Sarah is played by Caitlin O'Heaney who was on "One Life To Live" for a while, and was in the Woody Allen films "Zelig" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo", and for a while she had her own perfume, called "Caitlin".
The most mysterious of Jake's companions is "Bon Chance" Louie. Louie is the French Magistrate in charge of Boragora and also the proprietor of the Monkey Bar. Louie is a likable scoundrel and rogue who occasionally drops little hints about various experiences in his exotic and apparently infamous life. In the pilot, Louie was played by Ron Moody, who has apparently been in tons of things, but I only know him from Mel Brooks' "The Twelve Chairs". Also apparently, he and somebody didn't get along, because in the ongoing series, Louie was played by Roddy McDowall. ...I don't have to tell you who Roddy McDowall is, do I? I mean, he's Roddy McDowall! Everybody knows and likes him, right? He was in, like, EVERYTHING it seems like.
Of course, a hero also needs some opposition, and there were some members of the regular cast to help in that capacity, too. For starters, there was the Reverend Willie Tenboom, who was actually a Nazi spy assigned to Boragora. Of course, he wasn't much of a spy; he was actually quite content to be stationed out on that tropical paradise mostly away from weighty worries like war and politics. He was set up as a Reverend, and his favorite pastime was giving private--ahem--"blessings" to the local native girls. He certainly didn't seem very devoted to the Nazi cause, and in fact was rather fond of the show's heroes. As such a reluctant opponent, he wasn't really played up as a villain, but more as focal point for occasional comedy. Willie was played by John Calvin, who seems to be in one episode of just about everything, and a couple of small movie roles, but "Gold Monkey" seems to be the largest part in his repertoire.
A more affective villainess was the Princess Koji, a half-Irish/half-Japanese princess who governed the Japanese Mandate in the Maravellas. She was sort of a classic Dragon Lady type of character, very clever and cunning, and (of course) intrigued and enamored of our stalwart hero, Jake Cutter. Princess Koji was played by Marta DuBois, who was also Thomas Magnum's wife on "Magnum P.I." and John Larroquette's love interest on the "McBride" series of mystery movies.
Princess Koji had several people at her beck and call, but her best servant is Todo. Todo was some sort of samurai-guy who was fanatically loyal to the Princess. He has a quick temper, unfaltering determination, and a samarai sword--and he's ready to use them all! Todo is played by John Fujioka, who you might remember from "Pearl Harbor", or "Mortal Kombat", but I remember him from "The Private Eyes".
Anyway, "Tales of the Gold Monkey" is an adventure show, and there's plenty of adventure everywhere! There are claim jumpers, guys trying to blow up members of Royal Families, kidnappers, slavers, killer apes, tigers, and curses from ancient island gods! From start to finish, it's just plain cool!
Now, some of these plot elements were part of Bellisario's vision of what the series should be, but some of the more exotic things like ape-men and natives were apparently added at the insistence of the network. Remember, they wanted it to be more Indiana Jones. Well, remember also that this is the first series that Bellisario got "Created By" credit for, and since his name was on it, he was very insistent about how it turned out, too. The short version here is that arguments ensued, and the series was not picked up beyond the first season, much to the surprise of rival networks and the disappointment of their growing fanbase.
Despite stubborn, short-sighted network execs, the show retains a loyal cult following. I guess I'm part of it, cuz I totally dig it the most. And what's not to like? There's adventure, excitement, romance, intrigue, and exotic scenery! So if you like Indiana Jones, or Allan Quatermaine, or Jungle Jim, or the movie "Firewalker", or the Disney show "Talespin" (which itself was supposedly inspired by "Tales of the Gold Monkey"), then you will like this show! ...Yeah, I know, I can't just say that. Some people just have to have the numbers, so it must be time to assign a rating to this thing!
Now I have a highly scientific rating system: a pair of D&D percentage dice! It's very simple. They're just two ten-sided dice, one die represents the tens place while the other is the ones place. So when I roll them, I get a random number anywhere from 01 (even worse than Brussels sprouts!) to double-0, which actually means 100 (even better than all-you-can-eat mint chocolate chip ice cream!). So, I just give 'em a totally unbiased roll like this...
I know why you're here! I knew you were coming! I didn't bake a cake though, but I did prepare something even better than that: a new Odd Review! Why is that better? Cuz you can have your Odd Review and read it, too, duh!
So, as if you didn't know, this your buddy, Oddcube, saying hi and welcome to the column! This is where I get to talk about whatever I feel like under the clever guise of a review column, which is reinforced by a phony-boloney rating which is randomly determined by rolling dice. And I've got a true treat this time, team, a terrific trophy of television's times-gone-by called "Tales of the Gold Monkey"!
"Tales of the Gold Monkey" aired its one-and-only season on ABC in 1982. The show was created by some guy named Donald P. Bellisario, who created some other obscure shows with names like "Magnum, P.I.", "Airwolf", "Quantum Leap", "JAG", and "NCIS". In fact, "Gold Monkey" was apparently the very first series that he got a "Created By" credit for.
So, the scuttlebutt from several online sources is that Bellisario created "Gold Monkey", inspired by such classic movies as "Only Angels Have Wings" and "To Have and Have Not" and that he began trying to sell it to the networks since the late 70's. He was repeatedly turned down, as them dumb ol' TV execs thought no one would be interested in way cool adventure series set in the 1930's. And then it happened:
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was released in theaters, and was a smash hit!
Then all of a sudden, all three networks (yeah, there were only three back then, how did people survive?!) were scrambling to find something similar that they could air. The good news here is that some guy at ABC remembered "Tales of the Gold Monkey", which came complete with a tropical island and a hero in a leather jacket! ...The bad news is that they really wanted it to be more of an action-oriented adventure and less the character-driven drama Bellisario originally intended. The resulting series is somewhere in between, and way cool!
"Tales of the Gold Monkey" takes place in the South Seas in 1938. More specifically, on the fictional island of Boragora, part of the French Mandate which covers the southern half of the volcanic Marivella Island chain. The northern half of the Marivellas compose the Japanese Mandate. The show focuses on the adventures of Jake Cutter, a former Flying Tiger who is now a pilot-for-hire who transports passengers and cargo with his Grumman Goose (that's an airplane, if ya don't know). Jake is played by Stephen Collins, whom you may remember from "Brewster's Millions" starring Richard Pryor and John Candy (he's the guy Richard Pryor gets to slug at the end), or from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (he's the guy who merges with V'Ger at the end of the movie...in case ya fell asleep and missed that part, which is TOTALLY understandable!), or as a priest in the TV series "Seventh Heaven".
Of course, a good hero needs good sidekicks, and Jake has several characters to back him up. His best, or at least most loyal, friend is Corky, the best (and only) mechanic within a thousand miles. Corky is amiable, optimistic, a little naïve, a little dense, and has a poor memory as a result of how much he drinks. Corky is played by Jeff MacKay, who also played recurring roles on "Magnum P.I.", "JAG", "Battlestar Gallactica" (the original one), "Black Sheep Squadron", and "The Greatest American Hero". And on top of all that, I found out that Jeff MacKay was Robert Redford's cousin!
Jake Cutter never went very far without his faithful friend, Jack, who was a one-eyed Jack Russell Terrier. Jack was smarter than the average dog; in fact, he was often smarter than the average human. He could hold a conversation with you by barking once for "no" and twice for "yes"...or is it the other way around? To be honest, I think he switched it around every once in a while, just to confound people. Jack had a glass eye made of opal with a star sapphire center, but Jake lost in a poker game in the pilot and Jack holds a king-sized grudge against him until he tracks it down and gets it back which, of course, Jake tries to do through the entire run of the show. In the meantime, Jack wears an eye patch and is very cool, even though he's kinda contrary.
Next up, we have Sarah Stickney-White, who turns out to be an American secret agent...even though she sounds British...who has been assigned to eavesdrop and relay any information that may be useful to the U.S. in the upcoming war. As her cover, she was the singer in Boragora's central meeting spot, The Monkey Bar. In addition to all of that, she was Jake Cutter's romantic interest throughout the series, cuz you need that sort of tension in a series. Sarah is played by Caitlin O'Heaney who was on "One Life To Live" for a while, and was in the Woody Allen films "Zelig" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo", and for a while she had her own perfume, called "Caitlin".
The most mysterious of Jake's companions is "Bon Chance" Louie. Louie is the French Magistrate in charge of Boragora and also the proprietor of the Monkey Bar. Louie is a likable scoundrel and rogue who occasionally drops little hints about various experiences in his exotic and apparently infamous life. In the pilot, Louie was played by Ron Moody, who has apparently been in tons of things, but I only know him from Mel Brooks' "The Twelve Chairs". Also apparently, he and somebody didn't get along, because in the ongoing series, Louie was played by Roddy McDowall. ...I don't have to tell you who Roddy McDowall is, do I? I mean, he's Roddy McDowall! Everybody knows and likes him, right? He was in, like, EVERYTHING it seems like.
Of course, a hero also needs some opposition, and there were some members of the regular cast to help in that capacity, too. For starters, there was the Reverend Willie Tenboom, who was actually a Nazi spy assigned to Boragora. Of course, he wasn't much of a spy; he was actually quite content to be stationed out on that tropical paradise mostly away from weighty worries like war and politics. He was set up as a Reverend, and his favorite pastime was giving private--ahem--"blessings" to the local native girls. He certainly didn't seem very devoted to the Nazi cause, and in fact was rather fond of the show's heroes. As such a reluctant opponent, he wasn't really played up as a villain, but more as focal point for occasional comedy. Willie was played by John Calvin, who seems to be in one episode of just about everything, and a couple of small movie roles, but "Gold Monkey" seems to be the largest part in his repertoire.
A more affective villainess was the Princess Koji, a half-Irish/half-Japanese princess who governed the Japanese Mandate in the Maravellas. She was sort of a classic Dragon Lady type of character, very clever and cunning, and (of course) intrigued and enamored of our stalwart hero, Jake Cutter. Princess Koji was played by Marta DuBois, who was also Thomas Magnum's wife on "Magnum P.I." and John Larroquette's love interest on the "McBride" series of mystery movies.
Princess Koji had several people at her beck and call, but her best servant is Todo. Todo was some sort of samurai-guy who was fanatically loyal to the Princess. He has a quick temper, unfaltering determination, and a samarai sword--and he's ready to use them all! Todo is played by John Fujioka, who you might remember from "Pearl Harbor", or "Mortal Kombat", but I remember him from "The Private Eyes".
Anyway, "Tales of the Gold Monkey" is an adventure show, and there's plenty of adventure everywhere! There are claim jumpers, guys trying to blow up members of Royal Families, kidnappers, slavers, killer apes, tigers, and curses from ancient island gods! From start to finish, it's just plain cool!
Now, some of these plot elements were part of Bellisario's vision of what the series should be, but some of the more exotic things like ape-men and natives were apparently added at the insistence of the network. Remember, they wanted it to be more Indiana Jones. Well, remember also that this is the first series that Bellisario got "Created By" credit for, and since his name was on it, he was very insistent about how it turned out, too. The short version here is that arguments ensued, and the series was not picked up beyond the first season, much to the surprise of rival networks and the disappointment of their growing fanbase.
Despite stubborn, short-sighted network execs, the show retains a loyal cult following. I guess I'm part of it, cuz I totally dig it the most. And what's not to like? There's adventure, excitement, romance, intrigue, and exotic scenery! So if you like Indiana Jones, or Allan Quatermaine, or Jungle Jim, or the movie "Firewalker", or the Disney show "Talespin" (which itself was supposedly inspired by "Tales of the Gold Monkey"), then you will like this show! ...Yeah, I know, I can't just say that. Some people just have to have the numbers, so it must be time to assign a rating to this thing!
Now I have a highly scientific rating system: a pair of D&D percentage dice! It's very simple. They're just two ten-sided dice, one die represents the tens place while the other is the ones place. So when I roll them, I get a random number anywhere from 01 (even worse than Brussels sprouts!) to double-0, which actually means 100 (even better than all-you-can-eat mint chocolate chip ice cream!). So, I just give 'em a totally unbiased roll like this...
...and roll a 95! There see? I told ya it was good stuff! But hey, you don't have to take my word for it! ...I don't know why you wouldn't take my word for it. You really ought to. I mean, have I ever lied to you as far as you know? No, of course not! ...But that doesn't matter, cuz ya don't have to take my word on it. You know why? Cuz you could watch it for yourself and form your own opinions! You could even post them if ya want. This is the internet, we allow that here and people do it all the time! Even (and especially) idiots who are clearly unqualified to share their opinions! You know, like me! ....Wait, that's not right...*shrug* Oh well, nevermind.
Speaking of my unqualified opinions, I guess that wraps up my opinions for now! So I'll see ya next time when you come back to satisfy your burning curiosity about my next subject! Don't deny it, you know you'll be back! And I certainly hope ya will, cuz I need all the readers I can get! See ya next time, folk!
-----Your Buddy, Oddcube
Buy books. Mention this post when ordering any book from a Cyberwizard Productions imprint, and receive 10% off your next order.
Speaking of my unqualified opinions, I guess that wraps up my opinions for now! So I'll see ya next time when you come back to satisfy your burning curiosity about my next subject! Don't deny it, you know you'll be back! And I certainly hope ya will, cuz I need all the readers I can get! See ya next time, folk!
-----Your Buddy, Oddcube
Buy books. Mention this post when ordering any book from a Cyberwizard Productions imprint, and receive 10% off your next order.
