CONGRATULATIONS!!! You're Gold Monkiac* # to visit this site since February 11, 2001. Before that, we had over 119,100 visitors since March 21, 1996!
*Definition = a Tales of the Gold Monkey
fan (pretty clever, huh)
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! To commemorate the series' 20th anniversary, Goldmonkey.com is offering a special collector's set of the entire series, plus 2 rare bonus tapes. They're available at the Goldmonkey.com zShop at Amazon, along with a variety of books, videos and more. The set price is just $79.38 plus S&H.; Quantities are limited, but there's usually one set available. If not, there will be one soon. The set includes all 21 episodes. Ten episodes, including the pilot, were given to me by people who worked for the series and/or Universal. The remaining episodes are ABC broadcasts. All episodes are complete and unedited, except for a few missing opening and/or closing credits. The bonus tapes include a rough cut of "Last Chance Louie" which includes nearly 15 minutes of never broadcast footage, 30 minutes of outtakes from "God Save the Queen" and a 90+ minute home movie of the 15th Anniversary Gold Monkey Gathering held in September 1997 featuring behind-the-scenes Gold Monkey tales from Stephen Collins, Jeff MacKay, Caitlin O'Heaney, writer-producer Tom Greene, director Harvey Laidman and camera operator Bill Battersby. Also available is the complete pilot movie, all 93 minutes, for just $9.38 plus S&H.;
Current Gold Monkey Listings (as of 25-Sep-02):
TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY Collector's Set (Quantity: 1)
TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY Pilot Movie (Quantity: 2)
Tales of the Gold Monkey Storybook
Action, drama, comedy, romance...and a one-eyed, talking dog! Yes, folks, it's Tales of the Gold Monkey, that cult classic from that totally bitchin' period known as the early '80s. You remember the high-flying adventures of Jake Cutter, TV's best answer to Indiana Jones. You watched it. You liked it. Oh, yes you did! Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, would you? The odds are you're part of that generation that "came of age" (God, I hate that phrase) in the early '80s. You listened to Duran Duran and Men at Work, wore your collar up, moussed your hair and had a collection of buttons (you know, those stupid pins you put on your jacket, your purse, etc.). And you used to watch Gold Monkey 'cause it was wicked cool. Don't be ashamed. Be proud. Be strong. Just keep repeating "Yeah, I liked Tales of the Gold Monkey. You got a problem with that?!" Don't you feel better?
First, let me just say that this is a totally UNOFFICIAL home page. I have no affiliation with Belisarius Productions, Universal Studios or any another organization or individual who had anything whatsoever to do with the series (I hope that satisfies those legal types). I'm just a nostalgic, Gen Xer with an excellent memory and way too much time on my hands who has seen the need for this site, judging from the traffic on the Net about the show. Yep, the '80s are back and they're better than ever (Reagan's gone, for one thing).
So what's in this site? Well, all sorts of good stuff. There's a FACTS PAGE with series information, cast list, synopsis and "fun facts". And thanks to director, Harvey Laidman, we also have "official" facts, like the show "bible" and Jake's history. Also, I have my attempt (a very good one) at an EPISODE GUIDE complete with guest star, writer and director credits and my witty commentary. Plus, I've added the text to the original scripts to the episode guide. Just click on the episode title to read the entire script.
Plus there are bulletin boards for questions, comments and all-around chit-chat about the show and/or this web site. (It's all right. I can take constructive criticism.). You can now access the BULLETIN BOARD LISTING to check out our ever-growing number of "(Gold) Monkey Houses". And you can also "chat" with Gold Monkey cast and crew members on the boards. You can check out notes from Stephen Collins and Jeff MacKay starting on Bulletin Board #3. First appearing on Bulletin Board #4 are Harvey Laidman and writer/producer Tom Greene with all sorts of "neato stories" from behind the scenes. And Caitlin O'Heaney has popped in, starting on Bulletin Board #5. Questions are very much welcome.
But wait, there's more. We have a PICS PAGE with a long list of various shots to choose from. Plus, Jeff MacKay has kindly sent me some of his personal photographs from the making of the show. And also included on the Pics Page are WAV files, including the THEME SONG (661K). Thanks to Karen McLean for all her help with teaching me the magic of audio technology.
We now have online pratically the entire contents of the TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY ANNUAL, first published in London in 1982. The book includes articles, stories, cartoons and lots and lots of pictures. Thanks to Leanne Shawler for unearthing this little treasure from her recently arrived belongings from Australia and Lesley Pohl for her help in scanning and transcribing.
Also, we used to hold regular IRC chats, but these chats have now been relegated to "special" status. For more information and to read all the logs to all the really cool chats you missed, check out our IRC CHAT LOG AND SCHEDULE.
And thanks to Len Warne, we have a scholarly GEOGRAPHICAL MODEL, detailing the geography of the Marivellas.
You asked for it. You got it! We had a GATHERING to celebrate the show's 15th anniversary in September 1997. What?! You weren't there? Well, you missed one helluva time. But fear not. We have pictures, audio files and stories to share. Check it out!
Remember that this site is a work in progress. If anybody has contributions (trivia, pictures, etc.), please e-mail me at gmonkey@goldmonkey.com. Not only will I use almost anything you send me, but I'll even give you credit. That's just the kind of generous person that I am.
WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN - REDUX
We did it before and we can do it again. We convinced TV Land once before to run Gold Monkey. Now we have to convince them to return it to the weekend line-up with ALL the episodes. TV Land omitted 9 of the 21 episodes, including the 2 hour pilot movie. There are two ways to accomplish our mission:
The Easy Way - Go to www.nick-at-nite.com/postmaster/, read through the FAQ and then send the folks at TV Land an e-mail. It's not highly effective (You'll probably get a form e-mail response), but it's quick.
The Effective Way - A well-written letter sent to the right VIP is worth more than a dozen e-mails. Send your letters to:
Larry W. Jones, General Manager
and/or
Diane Robina, Sr. Vice President, Programming
TV Land
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
So what should our letters say? Basically, the letters should look and sound professional. (For Pete's sake, type 'em. You got a computer in front of you; use it.) Describe yourself (age, sex, marital status, profession and relative income [optional]). Tell them that you really enjoyed watching Tales of the Gold Monkey on TV Land and would like the series to continue airing, including the nine episodes that they never aired.
INTERNATIONAL MONKIACS: I'm sorry that TV Land is only available in the U.S. But if anybody has any suggestions for channels in other countries, please let me know and I'll post the information here.
Wherever you are, don't forget to show your support by posting your comments to my bulletin board. It's fun; it's informative; and it keeps you off the streets. What more could you want? And please, if you think just because you don't live in the U.S. that your opinions don't matter, you couldn't be more wrong. It's important that we show that this series has an international following. Maybe we could start getting this show on in your country. Or if it's still running in your country, please remind us of what it's like to actually be able to watch Gold Monkey.
Thanks, Dudes!!
Patricia Annino
P.S. I'm sure there will be a few of you super fanatics out there who object to my less than reverent tone. The only way I can answer you folks is to quote William Shatner from a November, 1986 skit on Saturday Night Live. "GET A LIFE, will ya, people! I mean, for crying out loud, it's just a TV show." Of course, he was referring to Star Trek, but the principle's the same.
Totally Awesome! site of the day for May 01, 1996. The 80s Server
OTHER COOL LINKS
So you
want to know all out Stephen Collins' career, eh? Well, get the
details from the man himself at http://www.stephencollins.com/.
John "The Gneech" Robey - the man, the myth, the legend. Get inside the mind of this mad genius by reading his home page. Learn about his unrequited love for the Grumman Goose. And prepare to be astounded by his creation, Astounding Adventures Quarterly.
Take a trip to the Pacific Northwest by checking out Seattle Seaplanes, the current home of Cutter's Goose.
Jeff "CRASH" Goldin - yet another Goose aficionado.
Rae's Personal Potpourri - Rae was kind enough to put a link to this site on her page, so I felt I should return the favor.
Check out Duane Rowland's Grumman Goose Image Gallery
You can peruse the Musgrave Foundation's Tribute to Roddy McDowall
And you can check out the home pages of two of our favorite Monkiacs, Karen McLean and Leanne Shawler.
Also, stop by and join Karen's fantastic Official Stephen Collins Appreciation Society.
Harvey Laidman is a man of many talents. He not only directs TV series, but he's created his own web site, OutaDaLoop.
Read all about Stephen Collins' latest TV series, 7th Heaven.
Links to Other Don Bellisario Related Series
If you love Tales of the Gold Monkey (and who doesn't), then you may want to check out these sites for shows that Mr. B. has had a hand in.
*Bellisario stepped down as Airwolf executive producer in 1985.
This WWW page is owned and operated by Patricia Annino gmonkey@goldmonkey.com