As a child growing up in the '80s, I have fond memories of television series that were not so recognizable to most. You know, those shows that lasted maybe one or two seasons but failed to gather a large enough viewership for the networks to keep it going. As a car and airplane follower, I loved the TV shows like Airwolf and Knight Rider. There were shows like Battlestar Galactica that piqued the imagination of traveling among the stars and galaxies.
One of those lesser remembered TV series was one called "Tales of the Gold Monkey" and it was one of my all time favorites. According to Wikipedia, the series aired from September 22, 1982 until June 1, 1983. The series was about Jake Cutter, a former US Flying Tigers pilot, with his airplane mechanic friend Corky and a spitfire of a Jack Russell terrier named Jack. The trio make a living shuttling passengers and cargo around the remote islands of the south Pacific. The series also includes a US secret agent Sarah Stickney White, a Nazi spy who masquerades as a reverend, and a Frenchman who owns the hotel/bar that is the heartbeat of the island Bora Gora.
Every week I would tune in to catch the latest adventure that Jake and crew would find. One of the appeals to me during that time period was the fact that the show centered around an airplane. During pre-teen years, I was very fascinated with airplanes, how they worked, what they were capable of, etc. Every week these characters would hop into this cool sea-plane and travel all over the south Pacific. It made my imagination go wild!
Occasionally I would look for the series and see if it was available on DVD, but for so long I never did find it. After so many years, I gave up on looking for it, as it was obvious that there just wasn't enough demand for them to master and market a DVD set of the series. Fast forward to 2020, as I was walking through our local Walmart, I was looking in the bargain DVD rack for an obscure 80s movie that I might need for my collection. That was when I spotted the familiar artwork of my beloved and long lost TV series!
As a 10/11 year old boy, I remember having a school boy crush on the lead actress of the series, Caitlin O'Heaney. As I rewatch the series, I can better appreciate her character. She is a intelligent and strong woman who tries to do the right thing and make sure to keep her country informed of what is happening with the Germans and Japanese.
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