Tales of the Gold Monkey Official Petition Site Our Mission is to convince Universal to Bring all 22 Episodes of Tales of the Gold Monkey to DVD
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Tales of the Gold Monkey
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The Nostalgia of Tales of the Gold Monkey In 1982, a miraculous TV show came appeared on the ABC network. It's called "Tales of the Gold Monkey." The first time I saw commercials for the premiere, the thing I thought to myself is that it reminded me of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Though I was young, I remembered precisely. I usually watched "The Incredible Hulk" at that time, but the premiere was on the same time slot. When it came time watch, my favorite show, "The Incredible Hulk," I decided to watch the 2 hour pilot of Tales of the Gold Monkey instead. I remember my older brother astounded that I decided to not see my favorite weekly show. Tales of the Gold Monkey stars Stephen Cohen as Jake Cutter he flies a plane in the south Pacific called Cutter's goose. He frequents a bar called the Monkey Bar run by Bon Chance" Louie (Ronny McDonwell). Masquering as a singer at the club is Sara Stickney White (Caitlin O'Heaney) who is really a spy. Most notably, the series was a major influence of the Disney cartoon show , Tailspin. The cartoon included a plane, called and similar character as the TV show. Donald P. Bellisario is the creator of Tales of the Gold Monkey and thought of the ideal for the series in the late 70's. He was not successful getting the series launched at first. However, after the sucess of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, ABC decided to develop the series. Raiders of the Lost Ark "Rip-off?" Though perceived as a "rip-off" of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the series actually was different. Jake Cutter was not a archeologist like Indian Jones, but he was a pilot who flew a cargo plane . However, it was logical to deduct the similarities since Jake Cutter wore a similar beige outfit as Indiana Jones. However, Jake wored a pilot hat instead of the fedora hat of Indiana., and he wore a brown military jacket probably from his days as a military pilot with The Flying Tigers. Like in Raiders, the show takes place in the 1930's, and there were numerous aspects influenced by the movie. One episode, Jake is in the jungle ensnared by booby traps. Jakes also had to deal with natives who cover their bodies in a grey coating, most likely compose of volcanic ash. Jake Cutter also had to battle Nazi's. Actor, Stephen Collins Today, Stephen Collins is most known for being the star of Dawson's Creek. However, when Tales of the Gold Monkey aired, he probably is most noted for being the third captain of the Starship Enterprise. The first was Captain Christopher Pike. Then it was Captain James T. Kirk. Stephen Collins played the third captain at the helm, Captain Willard Decker in Star Trek the Motion Picture
Actor, Stephen Collins Today, Stephen Collins is most known for being the star of Dawson's Creek. However, when Tales of the Gold Monkey aired, he probably is most noted for being the third captain of the Starship Enterprise. The first was Captain Christopher Pike. Then it was Captain James T. Kirk. Stephen Collins played the third captain at the helm, Captain Willard Decker in Star Trek the Motion Picture
Tales of the Gold Monkey DVD release rumor courtesy of www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Tales-Gold-Monkey-Rumors/8315
Back in the late '70s, Donald P. Bellisario attempted to get the networks to green-light a show called Tales of the Gold Monkey . Bellisario is the creator of such shows likeAirwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG, NCIS. The networks passed on the ideal, though, until their minds were changed in 1981 by the success of a movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark! The first "Indy Jones" film showed that there was viewership and a longing for adventure stories involving a jungle setting set in the 1930's, proving Bellisario was on the in right direction. ABC had the show on the air by September 1982, starring Stephen Collins in the starring role of Jake Cutter. Other cast members included Jeff MacKay as a bungling, chubby character named "Corky", Caitlin O'Heaney as a female spy named "Sarah", and Roddy McDowall as "Bon Chance Louis," the owner of the monkey bar. Roddy McDowall is an iconic actor having played the role of an ape in the Planet of the Apes movie. He took over this role for Ron Moody, who played the played the character in the two hour pilot.
The Influence of Tales of the Gold Monkey By Steven Jared Courtesy of Raider dot net. If not for the internet I would probably think back twenty-some years and wonder if it was just a dream…
Tales of the Gold Monkey was a lavishly conceived television series with high production value putting in the world of the South Pacific. Sadly, the series was canceled after one season but thanks to the dedication of fans, a couple clicks on Google and it all comes back. It was not a dream. It was all real. But due to the change of mondern taste in televison, and as so much time has gone by, it now seems a very rare bird, its breed extinct from studio backlots and writer’s conference rooms forever.
Pulp authors, serial stars and classic adventure films of the 30’ and 40’s, combined with an open cash box for anything Indiana Jones-ish, gave Tales of the Gold Monkey its foundation and chance in the competitive world of prime time television. The year was 1982 and it lasted one season only. And yet, evidence of the concept’s strength could be found in the way it threaded references throughout to such classics as Tarzan, Lost Horizon, King Solomon’s Mines, Casablanca and Only Angels Have Wings. All the while tributes were called out to these giants of adventure, Gold Monkey never lost a lasting identity of its own. References to the show today call it a cult classic and in 1997 there was a fifteenth year anniversary celebration, which reunited cast members and allowed fans to reminisce.
Public tastes and the industry’s fervent desire to follow them are not all that have changed. The demand for sensitivity when writing and casting bad guys has dramatically altered the look of Hollywood product over the years. It is unfortunate Hollywood has decided that the majority of the population can not distinguish between national and moral identity because fear of offending a few – and offense has rarely been meant – has trumped the limitless boundaries of storytelling for the masses. Tales of the Gold Monkey could not possibly exist in today’s television world of homogenized cultures. Casablanca, possibly the greatest movie ever made, would face harsh criticism if released today for its stereotypes. Painfully aware of that, Hollywood simply would not produce it.
Tales of the Gold Monkey did more than pay homage to Hollywood’s classic adventures. In drawing inspiration from the sentiments expressed in those stories it replicated the values of those times. 1930’s America needed heroes with amazing courage to face the world’s darkest days. Popular pulp hero, Doc Savage, swashbuckled through story after story of high adventure with exotic enemies, faithful sidekicks and unusual locales. Jake Cutter, like Doc Savage and Rick Blaine and Indiana Jones and so many others, was a hero advocating self-sacrifice and bonding with other cultures to achieve a greater good. Perhaps these values are the secret strength to Gold Monkey’s lasting legacy. (Stephen Jared)
News Regarding Indiana Jones : Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I'm interested in seeing what everybody else thinks about this. Last summer, I ran into a guy on the TrekToday.com message board, (JacksonKirk), who claimed to have seen the Indy 4 treatment, which was shipped to his company as he works in film advertisement. The document in question was in "treatment" format, but was supposedly a detailed summery of the script. This was in July of 2007, and so far, everything he said has been confirmed by spoilers, toy pictures, on-set videos, the trailer, ETC. Apparently, this guy has given out spoilers about other films that have since been released, and has been proven correct in the past. He has pretty secretive about it, but here's the info I and others were able to glean from him. I've only updated the character's names, as he wouldn't reveal them at the time:
"The adventure begins in 1957. The Cold War is in full swing. We are reintroduced to Dr. Henry Jones Jr, AKA Indiana Jones, (Harrison Ford) as he’s being pursued by Soviets in the Midwest American desert with his friend and sometimes competitor, the unscrupulous Archaeologist, Mac (Ray Winstone). Indy and Mac stumble across a facsimile of a town filled with manikins, and realize they are on a bombing range; they manage to survive a nuclear blast, and escape the scene. Later, Jones returns to his life as a Professor of Archaeology at Barnett College/Yale. He makes his way to class, attempting to teach despite the turmoil of an “Anti-Red,” rally on the campus outside. After his class, Jones is approached by a young “greaser,” a rebel who arrives on a large motorcycle. The young man introduces himself as “Mutt Williams,” (Shia LaBeouf), and much to Jones’ surprise, reveals that Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), is his mother. Mutt states that his mother has recently disappeared while looking for the Lost City of Gold, a mythical kingdom related to the 13 crystal skulls, mysterious artifacts of unknown origin. Also missing is an old friend of both Indy’s and Marion’s, Professor Harold Oxley, (John Hurt), an expert in both the Lost City and the Crystal Skulls, who apparently found the city several years ago but also went slightly insane. Jones agrees to help Mutt find his mother; however their meeting is interrupted by Soviet Agents, leading to a chase through the bustling college campus as Indy and Mutt are pursued on their motorcycle by several dark Soviet sedans. The pair slip away, and head off to find Marion. Indy confers with a friend of his, a fellow professor at the college, (Jim Broadbent). Afterwards, the pair heads to Connecticut, then New Mexico (where they visit Area 51), and Mexico City as they head for South America. Unfortunately, Indy and Mutt are being followed by a large contingent of Soviet soldiers, lead by the devious Agent Irina Spalko, (Cate Blanchett), and her officers, (Pavel Lychnikoff, Igor Jijikine). It seems the Soviets want the 13 Crystal Skulls because these artifacts are “psychic amplifiers,” allowing the Russians to controls others completely, (thereby allowing for the dominance of the Soviet Union). Eventually, Indy and Mutt make it South America/Peru, and seek assistance from Mac and Harold Oxley in their search for Marion. At one point, they find that Spalko and the Soviets have captured Marion, and try to use her to blackmail Jones into helping them find the skulls. Later, Indy is captured by Spalko and interrogated, while the Soviet soldiers dance around a bonfire in celebration of capturing the skull. Indy has to deal with giant ants, but escapes, resulting in a sword duel between Mutt and Spalko through the jungle. Now, the race is on for Indy and his friends to find the Lost City of Gold before the Soviets in the jungles of Peru. There are a number of large confrontations between Indy and the Soviets, including a chase on a river involving crocodiles (and possibly piranhas), where Indy and Marion steal an amphibious truck; finally, Indy and his friends are chased by a number of Soviet trucks and “tree-mulchers,” large vehicles with saws on the front to clear trees from their path, which Indy and Mutt have to hide from until Indy gets his hands on a bazooka. Towards the end of the second act, Indy, Mutt and Marion are captured by Agent Spalko’s Soviets, and left over a hill of flesh-easting ants/quicksand, where it is revealed that Mutt is in fact Indiana Jones’s son from a tryst he had with Marion shortly after “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Indy, Mutt, and Marion escape and finally reach the Lost City of Gold, AKA the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The Russians also reach the city, and enter a massive pyramid called the lost Temple of Akator. Indy and Mutt have to solve the mysteries of the Temple. Once they enter, the characters find that the pyramid is populated not with mummies, but with hibernating “aliens,” who were the original creators of the skulls. The presence of the Crystal Skulls causes the aliens to awaken, and the pyramid turns out to be an ancient spaceship. The spaceship/pyramid lifts off from the ground, entering a portal in the sky and returning to another dimension. Indy and his friends just manage to escape, while Agent Spalko and her Soviet forces suffer a gristly fate. The film ends with the marriage of Indy and Marion. After the ceremony, the happy pair rides off into the sunset, while Indy’s fedora falls off his head and lands at Mutt’s feet. Mutt picks up the hat and looks at it with wonder, implying that Mutt will continue Indy’s adventures. There may be plans to spin-off Mutt Williams into his own series of films. Alternatively, there may be a new television series featuring Mutt and his sister, as the Jones siblings go on multi-episode searches for assorted artifacts around the world." I was very incredulous over this at the time, but it seems pretty similar to what has been revealed since, so I just thought I'd share it here... |