Tales of the Gold Monkey: Part 1

I have watched the episodes many times and considered them excellent, shame they are getting old now and need replacing. Hopefully the series will be available on tape or preferably on DVD. Then people to young to see them at the original airing can see the show!!

I never forgot this TV show, I actually looked forward to it every week. So I recently ordered the 6 DVD set off eBay (with supposedly all the episodes 22 in it). Considering I was in my 30's when it came out, I'll see if it measures up to my memories? And maybe post another review after I watch it again 40 some years later. Currently 74 but I guess there's still some kid in me.

I remember being a kid, waiting for summer to be over to watch this show. Hey, the commerical made this show another Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the end, this was another cheap telivision rip off. Maybe, the build up was too much. I found the stories too long, and draged out. The action too tvish. The lead actor was no Harrison Ford. Maybe, if I watched this show as a adult I would like it better, but I only watch a couple of them, and half the movie. My friend Marco liked it, but I found the series to be a big disapointment. In the end, the show did not last that long either. 3 out of 10 Is it even on in reruns. I can not believe I even rememberd it. I guess it was because it was such a bad memory.

Unfortunately this show was cancelled way too early. I had a chance to ask Stephen Collins about it once and he said it had more to do with politics between the network and the executive producer than it did with ratings. Yes, it was obviously inspired by the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark but that doesn't make it bad. Where would Battlestar Galactica be without Star Wars or The Facts of Life without Cooley High? The point is this was a great family adventure show. A fun cast aided Jake Cutter, a cargo plane pilot, in his efforts to make a living in the South Seas in 1938 while avoiding the Japanese and Nazis in the pre-WWII era. A highlight has to be the one-eyed dog, Jack. Jake lost Jack's glass eye in a poker game - classic. This dog was part Lassie and part Clyde (Every Which Way But Loose) and he understood several languages. Sarah and Corky rounded out an ensemble of comic relief that made this show as entertaining as it was exciting. Even though this was in the mold of 1930's action serials this show was pure 80's - a harmless romp. My only hope is that the complete set (all 21 episodes) will become available on DVD so some day when I have kids I'll be able to show them what family television used to be all about. They may have buried this show in the television oblivion but they'll never take away that one year my whole family watched Gold Monkey every week. Awesome.

1982 was a good year for TV. Magnum, Fall Guy, and The Golden Monkey. The Golden Monkey was a well crafted hour.... something you just can't find on the tube nowadays other than syndicated re-runs. Magnum was tops but The Monkey was special and I was stumped when the next year came and it didn't. Perhaps I'm old school and like the simplicity of family view type shows. They just don't do the Magnums and Monkeys like they used to. Foolsihly lost in nostalgia is where I belong as my little children that used to watch these old shows are now watching what I used to. They also agree that the best stuff to watch is the old stuff. Now where's that cold beer and chili dog... Magnums on at 7:00 and maybe just maybe, The Golden Monkey will pop up.