Tales of the Gold Monkey was on for only one season, but it was a good one. Maybe. The thing is, you give me a show set in the South Seas in the late '30s, a seedy bar, some slow-turning ceiling fans, spies, plenty of action, a one-eyed Jack Russell terrier wearing an eye patch, a hero who flies a Graumman Goose, a Dragon Lady clone, and several other choice ingredients -- well, I'm pretty much guaranteed to like it.The episode I remember best is the pilot, which is sort of the origin story sinced it explains where the title of the show came from. Jake Cutter (Stephen Collins) and others are looking for the mythical gold monkey. Jake's helped out by his pal Corky, an alcoholic mechanic, and Jack, the aforementioned one-eyed dog. Jack once had a false eye, a valuable opal that Jake lost in a poker game. (Jack is still resentful.) Roddy McDowell seems to be having a great time playing "Bon Chance" Louie, the owner of the Gold Monkey bar, and there really is a monkey sitting in the place. It's found at the end of the pilot episode, but as with the Maltese Falcon, it's not what it was thought to be.
The series wasn't shot on location, and some of the sets are a little cheesy, but it was a lot of fun. Most people must not have gotten the same kick from it that I did, since it lasted only one season.
