Tales of the Gold Monkey
'Tales of the Gold Monkey' was a series from the early 1980's
featuring the exploits of a former Flying Tiger operating as a freelance
cargo pilot out of Bora Bora in 1938. The show piggybacked off the
success of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' with a lot of the same themes of
adventure.
This show provides an interesting twist to the mind-body-spirit analysis because the mind character only has a two-word vocabulary.
Jack is a one-eyed dog who barks twice to answer 'yes' and once to answer 'no.' He is an expert poker player and gives advice to Jake, his owner, any time the cards are on the table. When Jake ignores Jack's advice, he loses. When he takes Jack's advice, he wins. Jack also has a phenomenal memory and can hold a grudge better than any human. A running theme through the series is Jack being upset because Jake ignored his advice and lost his sapphire-centered glass eye in a game of cards.
In one episode, a young woman is killed in the Monkey Bar, the setting for the show. Only Jack saw the murderer, but was given a concussion for his trouble. The others had to wait until Jack recovered to solve the crime.
Jack can also think ahead of the other members of the cast. In another episode, Jake saw a nun he recognized as a girl he knew 'back home.' Jack barked 'no' when Jake mentioned it, seeming to indicate it wasn't the same girl. Jake ignored him and went up to kiss her, eliciting shocked indignation from the Monkey Bar patronage. As it turned out, it was the same girl, but Jack barked 'no' because he knew Jake was going to kiss her and was trying to stop him.
Having a pilot as a spirit character is common. There is something about the desire to soar among the clouds that brings out the spirit qualities in a person. A line from William Butler Yeats's 'An Irish Airman Foresees His Death' explains this phenomenon rather succinctly:
Amelia Earhart was depicted as a spirit character in 'Amelia,' Dennis Quaid played a spirit character pilot in 'Flight of the Phoenix,' Matthew Modine was a spirit character pilot in 'Memphis Belle,' etc.
Jake begins the series talking about how he'd always envisioned himself as a valiant knight, fighting for a noble cause and saving the distressed damsel. He volunteered to fly and fight with the Flying Tigers - the American Volunteer Group who fought with the Chinese against the Japanese prior to the US entry into WWII - and became an ace.
Jake has a code of honor by which he lives and protects his friends and his home with his life. Most of his adventures begin when someone has committed some wrong which he has the power to set right. He helps a nun recover some stolen medical supplies, helps clear a friend who's been framed for murder, and even helps his enemy when a group of her followers try to assassinate her, but only because she has damaging evidence against the woman he loves.
Jake also ends up with the girl, much to the chagrin of Sarah, the singer at the Monkey Bar, who loves him but refuses to admit it. Whenever Jake's escapades end up upsetting Sarah, though, he goes out of his way to set up a romantic dinner or similar gesture to let her know that he truly cares about her.
Corky is Jake's mechanic. He knows Jake's seaplane inside and out and keeps it in the air whenever possible. He wears a grungy set of coveralls and is uncomfortable in anything clean or formal.
Corky has a horrible memory, even for things that are vitally important. Usually, one of the other characters must finish his thoughts in order to make any sense of what he is trying to say. He would also be a heavy drinker if it weren't for Jake. Jake, as the spirit character, regulates what and when Corky drinks. When Jake is not around, like in one episode in which Corky thought Jake was dead, Corky slips into a drunken stupor.
That particular interaction reflects the goal of most religious and many philosophical desires - to have the spirit gain control over the flesh, or the body - to transcend the flesh. It is something that has a lot of resonance and should be considered when you write your own mind, body, and spirit characters.
This show provides an interesting twist to the mind-body-spirit analysis because the mind character only has a two-word vocabulary.
The Mind Character: Jack
Jack is a one-eyed dog who barks twice to answer 'yes' and once to answer 'no.' He is an expert poker player and gives advice to Jake, his owner, any time the cards are on the table. When Jake ignores Jack's advice, he loses. When he takes Jack's advice, he wins. Jack also has a phenomenal memory and can hold a grudge better than any human. A running theme through the series is Jack being upset because Jake ignored his advice and lost his sapphire-centered glass eye in a game of cards.
In one episode, a young woman is killed in the Monkey Bar, the setting for the show. Only Jack saw the murderer, but was given a concussion for his trouble. The others had to wait until Jack recovered to solve the crime.
Jack can also think ahead of the other members of the cast. In another episode, Jake saw a nun he recognized as a girl he knew 'back home.' Jack barked 'no' when Jake mentioned it, seeming to indicate it wasn't the same girl. Jake ignored him and went up to kiss her, eliciting shocked indignation from the Monkey Bar patronage. As it turned out, it was the same girl, but Jack barked 'no' because he knew Jake was going to kiss her and was trying to stop him.
The Spirit Character: Jake Cutter (Stephen Collins)
Having a pilot as a spirit character is common. There is something about the desire to soar among the clouds that brings out the spirit qualities in a person. A line from William Butler Yeats's 'An Irish Airman Foresees His Death' explains this phenomenon rather succinctly:
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight
Nor public men, nor cheering crowd
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds
Amelia Earhart was depicted as a spirit character in 'Amelia,' Dennis Quaid played a spirit character pilot in 'Flight of the Phoenix,' Matthew Modine was a spirit character pilot in 'Memphis Belle,' etc.
Jake begins the series talking about how he'd always envisioned himself as a valiant knight, fighting for a noble cause and saving the distressed damsel. He volunteered to fly and fight with the Flying Tigers - the American Volunteer Group who fought with the Chinese against the Japanese prior to the US entry into WWII - and became an ace.
Jake has a code of honor by which he lives and protects his friends and his home with his life. Most of his adventures begin when someone has committed some wrong which he has the power to set right. He helps a nun recover some stolen medical supplies, helps clear a friend who's been framed for murder, and even helps his enemy when a group of her followers try to assassinate her, but only because she has damaging evidence against the woman he loves.
Jake also ends up with the girl, much to the chagrin of Sarah, the singer at the Monkey Bar, who loves him but refuses to admit it. Whenever Jake's escapades end up upsetting Sarah, though, he goes out of his way to set up a romantic dinner or similar gesture to let her know that he truly cares about her.
The Body Character: Corky (Jeff MacKay)
Corky is Jake's mechanic. He knows Jake's seaplane inside and out and keeps it in the air whenever possible. He wears a grungy set of coveralls and is uncomfortable in anything clean or formal.
Corky has a horrible memory, even for things that are vitally important. Usually, one of the other characters must finish his thoughts in order to make any sense of what he is trying to say. He would also be a heavy drinker if it weren't for Jake. Jake, as the spirit character, regulates what and when Corky drinks. When Jake is not around, like in one episode in which Corky thought Jake was dead, Corky slips into a drunken stupor.
That particular interaction reflects the goal of most religious and many philosophical desires - to have the spirit gain control over the flesh, or the body - to transcend the flesh. It is something that has a lot of resonance and should be considered when you write your own mind, body, and spirit characters.
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