History Series / TalesOfTheGoldMonkey

An early [[Creator/DonaldPBellisario Belisarius 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 the inspiration to be the 1939 film ''Film/OnlyAngelsHaveWings''.

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 ABC 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.

* RareVehicles: [=A6M=] Zero fighters are pretty common [[AnachronismStew for a fighter not even in prototype phase yet]]

* John Calvin as ''Rev. Willie Tenboom'', a Dutch priest and German spy with more devotion [[DirtyOldMonk to his libido]] than to the Reich

* TheAlcoholic: Corky
* AllMythsAreTrue
* AnachronismStew: mostly averted (save for [[EightiesHair the hairstyles]] and other giveaways of its 1982 origins) but has a few notable anachronisms:

* Stephen Collins as ''Jake Cutter'', our AcePilot and main protagonist, pilot of Cutter's Goose

* Roddy [=McDowall=] (Ron Moody in the Pilot) as ''Bon Chance Louie'', French magistrate and owner of the [[LocalHangout Monkey Bar]]

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 ''WesternAnimation/ArcherDangerIsland.''

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''.

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Koji

* AnimalAthleteLoophole: Jake is told he can't fly without a co-pilot, and attempts to claim that Jack is his co-pilot, using [[AnimalAthleteLoophole Ain't No Rule]]. See MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours, below.

* AnimalAthleteLoophole: Jake is told he can't fly without a co-pilot, and attempts to claim that Jack is his co-pilot, using [[AnimalAthleteLoophole Ain't No Rule]]. While there ''isn't'' a rule saying a dog can't be a co-pilot, there ''is'' a rule saying that your co-pilot has to have two working eyes, regardless of species.

** Jake is a former member of the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers), which didn't exist until 1941.

* 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.

An early [[DonaldPBellisario Belisarius 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 the inspiration to be the 1939 film ''Film/OnlyAngelsHaveWings''.

* CreatorCameo: 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.''

* DonaldPBellisario

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Only Angels Have Wings'' (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.