Line #50 Series/TalesOfTheGoldMonkey


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TotGM.jpg]]
2
3	->''It had the romance of the 1930s, the bigger-than-life hero with the leather jacket, and the elements of intrigue of that time period. It was a lot of fun. That plane [the Goose] was a magic carpet and it could take you anywhere.''
4	-->-- Director '''Donald A. Baer''' on the show
5
6	Tropical islands, [[TwoFistedTales high-flying adventure]], political intrigue, "talking" dogs and [[AllMythsAreTrue legends come alive]]! This is the world of Tales of the Gold Monkey, a one-season adventure series that aired on Creator/{{ABC\|US}} in 1982. Set in the mythical South Pacific island of Bora Gora (in the equally mythical Marivellas archipelago) in {{The Thirties}}, it follows the adventures of Jake Cutter, pilot of a Grumman Goose flying boat named ''Cutter's Goose'', his one-eyed [[NonHumanSidekick canine sidekick]] Jack, and [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits his various allies and associates]] as they battle the villainous schemes of [[DragonLady Princess Koji]] and other ne'er-do-wells. Jake, a former Pan Am pilot and former member of the Flying Tigers American Volunteer Group, just wants to settle in to a quiet life as a legitimate pilot-for-hire. Needless to say, adventure tends to find him.
7
8	An early Creator/DonaldPBellisario production, it shares many of the traits common with his works, such as action/adventure, {{Camp}}, RuleOfCool, and a former military protagonist (Jake Cutter, former Flying Tigers AVG pilot) who narrates his own life through an inner voice. It ran for but a single season (Sept. 1982-July 1983) for a total of 21 episodes, counting the 2 hour pilot, but built up a large cult following that [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes kept circulating the tapes]] for decades before it finally made its way to DVD in 2009 (UK/Australia) and 2010 (US/Canada). While many assume the show was a Spiritual Successor of ''Franchise/IndianaJones'', Bellisario originally pitched the idea in the late 1970s and always claimed his inspiration to have been the 1939 film ''Film/OnlyAngelsHaveWings''.
9
10	While short-lived, ''Tales of the Gold Monkey'' was critically acclaimed (winning several Emmys) and had a notable influence on future shows, including the animated {{Spiritual Successor}} Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' and AffectionateParody ''WesternAnimation/ArcherDangerIsland.''
11
12	[[AC: The cast included:]]
13	* Creator/StephenCollins as ''Jake Cutter'', our AcePilot and main protagonist, pilot of Cutter's Goose
14	* Jeff [=MacKay=] as ''Corky'', Jake's [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] [[MrFixit mechanic]] and occasional co-pilot
15	* Caitlin O'Heaney as ''Sarah Stickney White'', an American spy undercover as a bar singer and Jake's quasi-{{Love Interest}}
16	* Creator/RoddyMcDowall (Creator/RonMoody in the Pilot) as ''Bon Chance Louie'', French magistrate and owner of the [[LocalHangout Monkey Bar]]
17	* Creator/JohnCalvinActor as ''Rev. Willie Tenboom'', a Dutch priest and German spy with more devotion [[DirtyOldMonk to his libido]] than to the Reich
18	* Marta [=DuBois=] as ''Princess Koji'', half-Japanese {{Dragon Lady}} and main antagonist
19	* John Fujioka as ''Todo'', Koji's samurai henchman
20	* Les Jankey as ''Gushie'', Louie's wheelchair-bound partner and {{The Bartender}}
21	* "Leo" as ''Jack'', Jake's impossibly intelligent one-eyed bull terrier
22
23	----
24	!!This show provides examples of:
25	* AcePilot: Jake, of the ''Plugger'' variety (rather necessary in an unarmed flying boat). He was also a literal Ace, having scored five confirmed kills against the Japanese while with the Flying Tigers.
26	* AnachronismStew: Mostly averted (save for [[EightiesHair the hairstyles]] and other giveaways of its 1982 origins) but has a few notable anachronisms:
27	** Though set in 1938, it features Japanese Zeros (not developed until 1939 and not operational until 1940)
28	** Jake is a former member of the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers). While General Claire Chennault led several dozen American mercenary aviators in China in the mid-30s, they were individual contractors, not members of any organized group. The AVG didn't exist until 1941.
29	** Samurai in full O'Yoroi armor (possibly justified as ceremonial)
30	* AnimalAthleteLoophole: Jake is told he can't fly without a co-pilot, and attempts to claim that Jack is his co-pilot. See MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours, below.
31	** [[{{Pun}} Dog]] [[GodWasMyCopilot Was My Copilot?]]
32	* AppeaseTheVolcanoGod: The plot of "A Distant Shout of Thunder."
33	* ArtifactTitle: The monkey statue isn't relevant to the series past ThePilot.
34	* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: Todo's Samurai armor
35	* BackToBackBadasses: Jake and Corky go into this routine during a brawl in a Philippine bar.
36	* BadassPreacher: The one time Reverend Tenboom involves himself in a brawl, he shows himself to be very good at it.
37	* BarBrawl: a staple of the show, naturally, along with a RunningGag of Louie doing up the bill for damages as the fight takes place.
38	* TheBartender: Gushie and to a lesser degree Louie
39	* BigBad: Princess Koji
40	* BigDamnHeroes
41	* BizarreGamblingWinnings: Jake Cutter's dog Jack has a [[GlassEye false eye made of opal with an inset star sapphire]]. In the pilot episode Jake bets the eye in a poker game (apparently not the first time he's done so), and loses, with the result that for the rest of the series, Jack wears an eyepatch over the empty socket.
42	* BottleEpisode: ''Force of Habit''. Half the episode takes place in the Goose's cockpit, and it was written to be an episode that could be filmed in half the time of the normal episodes, because they were behind schedule.
43	* {{Camp}}: volcanoes, Bigfoot, native rituals, samurai, and a "talking" dog
44	* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Gandy Dancer from "Legends are Forever", convinced that [[Literature/LostHorizon James Hilton]] really ''did'' visit Shangri-Li and that Creator/HRiderHaggard really ''did'' find Literature/KingSolomonsMines. [[spoiler: The ending of the episode shows he [[TheCuckoolanderWasRight might not have been far off...]]]]
45	* ChasedByAngryNatives: African ones...in the South Pacific!
46	* ChivalrousPervert: Rev. Willy Tenboom will sleep with any and all of the attractive female population on the island, but when one of those girls is coerced into prostitution, he responds by tearing down the pimp's tent and brawling with his enforcers.
47	* ClockKing: Lord Hedriks from "God Save the Queen", whose watch is in perfect sync with the timer of the bomb he's planted. [[spoiler: So Jake [[GuileHero resets his watch.]]]]
48	* CoolPlane: Subverted by Cutter's Goose, a vintage Grumman Goose flying boat. She's temperamental, requires regular maintenance, and certainly isn't sleek and futuristic, even for the [[TheThirties time portrayed in the show]]. [[WhatAPieceOfJunk But she'll surprise you]]. ('''Note''': While totally a cool plane in the subjective sense, the [[CoolPlane trope itself]] doesn't really apply to the Goose. See the main entry.)
49	* CreatorCameo: Creator/DonaldPBellisario appears, along with his son, as a man and child being evacuated from Boragora when its volcano is erupting in the episode ''A Distant Shout of Thunder.''
50	* CrewOfOne: Averted; Jake relies on Corky and others for repairs, co-piloting, emergency damage control, etc.
51	* DeconstructedTrope: Gandy Dancer is one for the AdventurerArchaeologist; he's always on the search for a legendary treasure or location that he never finds, has all but abandoned his daughter, and [[spoiler: gets himself killed in search of King Solomon's treasure.]]
52	** DeconReconSwitch: [[spoiler: And it turns out the Watusi really did have the treasure all along.]]
53	* TheDragon: Todo
54	* DragonLady: Princess Koji
55	* DreamSequence
56	* DoubleMeaningTitle and PunBasedTitle: Evoked in some episodes, ex: "Force of Habit", "Last Chance Louie", and "Cooked Goose"
57	** The original name for the series, "Tales of the ''Brass'' Monkey" applies as well...
58	* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: Todo
59	* ExpandedUniverse: a short-lived series of comics, among others.
60	* ExpansionPackPast: Bon Chance Louie; for a single season show it's amazing how fast his Mysterious Past grew!
61	* {{Expy}}: [[OneSceneWonder One episode wonder]] Gandy Dancer was revised for ''Series/MagnumPI'' as pilot and treasure hunter Sam Hunter, even played by the same actor.
62	* EyepatchOfPower: on Jack (the dog)! Turns out the dog has a GlassEye, but Jake lost it gambling. In one episode he gets it back, only to lose it again when he needs to pay for something.
63	* FemmeFatale: Koji, obviously!
64	* ForTheEvulz: [[spoiler:The real murderer in " The Sultan of Swat" seems to have killed the native girl just to see if he could get away with it.]]
65	* FuroScene: Princess Koji always seemed to be having a hot bath [[VillainessesWantHeroes whenever Jake Cutter stopped by for a chat]]. Except for the time when she insisted that Jake and his friends have the hot tub, and then [[FemmeFatale threatened to empty a bowl of piranhas into it]].
66	* TheGambler: in "High Stakes Lady". She's also a FemmeFatale.
67	* GilliganCut: in "Legends Are Forever" Jake says, "Ok...we'll go. But..we're..NOT...taking...the...Goose!" Cut to the Goose in mid air.
68	* GoodGuyBar: The Monkey Bar
69	* GreaterScopeVillain: Par for the course for the [[TheThirties time period]], UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Axis Powers.]]
70	* HeroicDog: Jack, of course!
71	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Jake and Corky.
72	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In "Trunk from the Past" [[spoiler: Anubis worshiping villain Ted Harrison gets himself sealed in the very same TempleOfDoom he opened to sacrifice Jake and Corky]].
73	* IfItSwimsItFlies: Justified with Cutter's Goose...it ''is'' a flying boat, after all!
74	* IntellectualAnimal and TalkingAnimal: Jack (barks once for "no", twice for "yes")
75	** He's even multilingual: "Speaks" Japanese ("The Lady and the Tiger") and Spanish ("The Late Sarah White")!
76	** Possibly also a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot. To quote Jeff [=MacKay=] in a ''Cinescape'' interview, "That dog had more brains than any of us."
77	* IntercourseWithYou: Rev. Tenboom has his hands full giving "blessings" to the native women.
78	* JungleOpera
79	* KickTheDog: ThoseWackyNazis, naturally
80	* KnightInShiningArmor: Jake's childhood ambition. He admits it was largely for the [[DamselInDistress Damsels in Distress]].
81	* KnightOfCerebus: Colonel Villier and the other [[spoiler: prisoners turned]] sadistic guards in "Escape from Death Island", making for an unusually [[DarkerAndEdgier dark and somewhat grim]] episode.
82	* LetThemDieHappy: [[spoiler: Jake lies to Gandy about seeing Solomon's treasure in the Watusi cave.]]
83	* LocalHangout: The Monkey Bar; also at various times the GoodGuyBar, BadGuyBar, and/or WretchedHive. (Seeing as it's the only bar on the island they all have to share.)
84	* LoveableRogue: Jake
85	* LoveAtFirstPunch: Jake's introduction to Sarah is her hitting him with a champagne bottle
86	* MoralGuardians: the reason the name was changed from "Tales of the Brass Monkey", since a Brass Monkey was an alcoholic cocktail.
87	** Certain "cold weather effects" to "brass monkeys" may have been another factor.
88	* MrFixit: Corky
89	* MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours: When Jake wants to leave Sarah behind on a mission, Louie, as the magistrate, refuses to let him take off. Jake insists that he can't do that, Louie points out that he can't fly without a co-pilot. Jake claims that Jack is his co-pilot, because there AintNoRule that co-pilot can't be a dog. Louie responds that there ''is'' a rule that pilots need to have two eyes.
90	* MysteriousPast: Bon Chance Louie
91	* NobleDemon: Koji, who will go out of her way to help Jake out.
92	* NonHumanSidekick: Jack (a one-eyed Jack Russell terrier)
93	* NonIndicativeName: The gold monkey at the bar is actually a brass monkey. [[spoiler:The ''real'' gold monkey is still out there, though.]]
94	* NoSeatBelts: In "Boragora or Bust" Jake tells Jack he'll get the dog a seat belt...eventually.
95	* NubileSavage: One takes a liking to Corky in "Shanghaied."
96	* PassThePopcorn: Louie and his patrons tend to take bets on the outcome of bar brawls.
97	* PenalColony: In "Escape from Death Island". Subverted in that [[spoiler:the inmates run the colony. The gang that seized control is pretending to be the commandant and guards to any visitors, while still treating the other inmates like crap, until the supply boat comes so that they can steal it, and get away.]]
98	* PlotDrivenBreakdown: of Cutter's Goose, as required
99	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Jack in the reimagined second half of the season credit sequence.
100	* PunchClockVillain: Rev. Tenboom
101	* QuicksandSucks
102	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits
103	* ReligionOfEvil: The cult of [[EverybodyHatesHades Anubis]] worshipers from "Trunk from the Past."
104	* RuleOfCool: pretty much runs on it
105	* ShootTheDog: "Narrowly averted" literal example in "Escape from Death Island". Admittedly more of a KickTheDog case, but yeah...
106	* SinisterMinister: Reverend Tenboom, sinner, womanizer, and German spy!'
107	* SlidingScaleOfRealisticVersusFantastic: Fairly true to the time period with the occasional appearances of [[AttackOfTheMonsterAppendage swamp monsters]] ("Once a Tiger"), [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghosts]] ("Trunk from the Past"), [[ManiacMonkeys killer monkeys]] (the {{Pilot}}), and, of course, [[IntellectualAnimal Jack]].
108	* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Film/OnlyAngelsHaveWings'' (1939) and other depression-era adventure and noir films (despite assumptions to the contrary, it was not a Spiritual Successor of ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', having been originally pitched and rejected in 1979...though the idea was finally accepted following the success of Raiders.
109	** Influenced its own Spiritual Successor in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin''.
110	* StockFootage:
111	** No, they didn't [[spoiler:destroy their expensive main set]] in the dramatic conclusion of "The Distant Sound of Thunder", that was footage from the 1961 Spencer Tracy/Frank Sinatra film ''The Devil at 4 O'Clock'', whose bar plans were copied when building the Monkey Bar!
112	** Some very conspicuous stock footage shows up whenever they showed the Pan Am clipper in flight -- suddenly the show's in black and white.
113	*** In one episode, footage that is supposed to be of the China Clipper in flight shows a plane with the distinctive humped tailfin of the Boeing B-17.
114	** The aerial combat footage from flashbacks to Jake's service with the AVG is from the pilot episode of ''Series/BlackSheepSquadron''.
115	* StupidJetpackHitler: in "Black Pearl" ThoseWackyNazis make an atomic bomb, in 1938!
116	* {{Thememobile}}: Cutter's Goose
117	* TheThirties: 1938, to be specific.
118	* ThoseWackyNazis: "monocle guy" Fritz in the pilot and the scientists building an atomic bomb in "Black Pearl."
119	** While Reverend Tenboom ''is'' German, he is ''not'' a Nazi.
120	* TropicalIslandAdventure: The main setting of the series, being set in a fictional archipelago in the South Pacific.
121	* TwoFistedTales and/or DieselPunk
122	* UnresolvedSexualTension: Jake and Sarah, Jake and Koji...well, Jake and about any unrelated female
123	* WhatAPieceOfJunk: Cutter's Goose
124

Context Series / TalesOfTheGoldMonkey