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Tales of the Gold Monkey
Jake and Sarah in Tales of the Gold Monkey
Genre	Action / Adventure
Creator(s)	Donald Bellisario
Starring	Stephen Collins Jeff MacKay Caitlin O'Heaney
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	21
Production
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	September 22, 1982 – June 1, 1983
Links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Tales of the Gold Monkey was a 1982 television show broadcast by ABC. Most critics saw it as the network's attempt to capitalize on the fame of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark the previous year, as similar shows like Bring 'Em Back Alive on CBS. In actuality, the premise of the show bears a much stronger resemblance to the 1939 film Only Angels Have Wings. The series featured the romance of early aviation, exotic locales and cliff-hanging action.

Set in the south Pacific in 1938, it features an ex-Flying Tigers operator of an air cargo delivery service named Jake Cutter (played by Stephen Collins) who flies a red and white Grumman Goose called Cutter's Goose. Jake's best friend is his mechanic Corky. However, a one-eyed Jack Russell terrier named Jack, who barks once for "no" and twice for "yes" (or the opposite if it suits him) would dispute this.

Jake's love interest/U.S. Government spy contact is Sara Stickney White. She sings in the Monkey Bar as a cover for her espionage activities. The Reverend Tenboom, a phoney man of the cloth who likes to "bless" the natives, is in actuality a Nazi Spy named Willy.

Roddy McDowell played "Bon Chance" Louis (Ron Moody in the Pilot). He is the owner of the Monkey Bar and the French Magistrate for the setting of the series, Bora Gora island. Jake's nemesis is the Japanese Princess Koji, A Dragon Lady type of character who has eyes for Jake. Koji's devoted bodyguard is Todo, a fierce practitioner of Bushido.

The title is derived from the bar where the characters gather, which features a golden monkey statue. Originally, the series was to be called "Tales of the Brass Monkey". There was a cocktail mix at the time called "Brass Monkey." They requested that the show change the title to prevent a confusing association. However, in several episodes it is revealed that the statue at the bar was indeed brass and not really gold.

1. Tales of the Gold Monkey (Pilot part 1) 9/22/1982
2. Tales of the Gold Monkey (Pilot Part 2) 9/22/1982
3. Shanghaied 9/29/1982
4. Black Pearl 10/13/1982
5. Legends Are Forever 10/20/1982
6. Escape From Death Island 10/27/1982
7. Trunk From the Past 11/3/1982
8. Once a Tiger... 11/17/1982
9. Honor Thy Brother 11/24/1982
10. The Lady and the Tiger 12/8/1982
11. The Late Sarah White 12/22/1982
12. The Sultan of Swat 1/5/1983
13. Ape Boy 1/12/1983
14. God Save the Queen 1/19/1983
15. High Stakes Lady 1/26/1983
16. Force of Habit 2/2/1983
17. Cooked Goose 3/4/1983
18. Last Chance Louie 3/11/1983
19. Naka Jima Kill 3/18/1983
20. Boragora or Bust 3/25/1983
21. A Distant Shout of Thunder 4/8/1983
22. Mourning Becomes Matuka 6/1/1983

Based on "facts" disclosed in the series, a chronology of events can be compiled.

938

The Tse-Sing monks cast the gold monkey idol using a golden alloy that is heat resistant.

(Willie informs Princess Koji that the monks did this 1000 years ago.)

1881

Todo is born.

(This is based on the age of the actor in 1983.)

1884

Bon Chance Louis is born.

(This is based on the age of Roddy McDowell in 1982.)

1903

Jake Cutter is born.

(The series bible has two different birth years, 1901 and 1903. 1903 would match the age of Steven Collins in 1982.)

1907

Corky is born.

(The Pilot script indicates that Corky is 31.)

1910

Sara Stickney-White is born.

(The Late Sara White)

1920

Jake Cutter enters Cornell University.

1924

Jake Cutter graduates from Cornell University. He begins to play AA Baseball.

1926

Jake Cutter joins the Army Air Corps.

1927

The champagne house of Pom Peron has an excellent year. (Louis is upset at the loss of a case of Pom Peron in the pilot.)

1931

Jake completes his military commitment and begins to barnstorm around the country.

1933

Jake Cutter accepts a position as a Pan Am Clipper co-pilot.

1935

Corky pulls Jake out of a burning Ford Tri-Motor in Guatemala. (The year is conjecture, based on the presumption that it occurred while Jake and Corky were in South America together. Jake speaks of this incident in the pilot.)

1936

Jake and Corky fly gold out of Peru. Jake buys Jack an opal and sapphire false eye.

1937

Jake resigns from Pan Am and joins the Flying Tigers.

During his time with the Flying Tigers, Jake loses Jack's eye to a Chinese bandit. Jake flies all the way to Tibet to get it back. (Corky describes this incident as happening in "'37" in the pilot.)

1938

Jake Cutter flies charter flights out of Bora Gora.

April 1938

Jake and Corky fly nuns to a leper colony. (Corky and Jake speak about this in the pilot.)

• Tales of the Gold Monkey at TV.com
• Tales of the Gold Monkey at the Internet Movie Database
• Goldmonkey.com, the unofficial web site