Pulp TV Shows

[Vanguard00]

Steve Long was asking about Tales of the Gold Monkey and linked to the site. From there I took a look at the shows they offered on DVD. Among them was "Legend", starring Richard Dean Anderson and John DeLancie. It looks like they had some good guest stars, as well.

Also, "Bring 'Em Back Alive", with Bruce Boxleitner. Here's a brief description:

Operating out of the Raffles Hotel bar in Singapore, Frank donned pith helmet and ventured forth every week to deal with the baddies of Southeast Asia, ranging from smugglers and warlords to spies and strutting Nazis.

So, has anyone seen these shows? If so, would you recommend them? Any other similarly "forgotten" shows that might be good?

[tkdguy]

How about the Bearcats? I was too young to have any detailed memories about the show, but I remember enjoying it. And my parents did too.

From what I read recently doing a search on the show, it's a bit early for the pulp era (it's set in the turn of the 20th century), but it sounds like it had a pulp feel to it.

[Steve Long]

From the in-the-works PH filmography, I'll offer:

Carnivale
Heat Of The Sun (a series on the PBS show Mystery)
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

[ldorn]

"Bring 'em Back Alive" was a fictionalized account of the life of Frank Buck. The show's title was based on his motto and reputation of bringing in alive the most ferocious and dangerous of animals.

Some good WWII based shows would be Combat, Twelve O'clock High, and the Rat Patrol (from the 1960's), also the Black Sheep Squadron.

[FenrisUlf]

What about the old B&W 'The Untouchables'?

[st barbara]

To "tkd guy" I remember "Bearcats" ! It had an Australian actor in it, Rod Taylor ! Many T V shows could be easily adapted to a Pulp game; including Taylor's earlier show "Hong Kong" !

[st barbara]

To "Steve Long" I don't know "Heat Of The Sun" Could you provide us with a brief synopsis please ?

[SKJAM!]

"Talespin", the Disney TV cartoon, is set in an alternate history version of the 1930s South Seas. It has strong elements of aviation pulp, though it is aimed at children so elides some of the more unpleasant themes and tropes of pulp.

For pulp SF, there's "Star Trek." The original series was very much in the style of the pulp SF of the late '30s to 1940s, with a veneer of 1960s social consciousness.

[Steve Long]

I don't know "Heat Of The Sun" Could you provide us with a brief synopsis please ?

It's a three-episode story arc from the PBS series Mystery. The main character is a Scotland Yard detective who, for the sin of gunning down a British peer who was apparently guilty of some horrendous crime but beyond the touch of the law, is exiled to 1930s Kenya as the local police inspector. Each episode is an hour long and a self-contained mystery story.

[st barbara]

Sounds as if it could make a good backgrounf for a Pulp adventure !

[Lamrok]

When Jonny Quest was created, the intent was to bring pulp adventures to TV, but in a more modern context. Almost all episodes of this series (now avalable on DVD) make excellent ready-made adventures for a pulp game. They're even designed as challenges for a group of globe-trotting adventurers (rather than an intrepid solo adventurer.)

Scooby Do was heavily influenced by the pulp Weird Menace genre. Most of the episodes of this show provide most of the stuff you would need to run a nice self-contained four hour mystery-adventure, complete with clues, red herrings, and some backround material on characters and settings. Some years are better than others, but most shows have plenty of content of just about the right difficulty to a good group of role-players (in my games, I call this the "Scooby Do rule - for maximum fun, mysteries should be about as hard as the ones on Scooby do.)

[Dr. Anomaly]

When Jonny Quest was created, the intent was to bring pulp adventures to TV, but in a more modern context.

Ah, I loved that cartoon. Imagine...a cartoon in which when someone is shot with a rifle, or blown up...they die! But just too much for the weak stomachs of the children of America, I guess, because it only lasted one season. (Yeah, I know it was the parents that didn't like it. I'm bein' sarcastic here!)

I spent a lot of time collecting the episodes off the 'net, but as soon as the DVD set became available...well, to quote Igor, "It must be mine!!!! $$$" -- and it was!

[Baphomet Jones]

I absolutely loved Johnny Quest. A new series was released at some point in the 90's, though i never saw it, and dont know how true it is to the original.

[Dr. Anomaly]

A new series was released at some point in the 90's, though i never saw it, and dont know how true it is to the original.

To quote Choo-Choo Bear: "Meh."

[Lamrok]

Ah, I loved that cartoon. Imagine...a cartoon in which when someone is shot with a rifle, or blown up...they die! But just too much for the weak stomachs of the children of America, I guess, because it only lasted one season. (Yeah, I know it was the parents that didn't like it. I'm bein' sarcastic here!)

Jonny Quest was originally a prime-time show, aimed at parents as well as kids. I don't think it was faulted all that much for violence - westerns in the early 60's were plenty violent. I think it failed because people weren't ready for an animated show at prime-time. Of course, "failed" is a relative term. It did run for 26 episodes, and never really had a chance to go downhill.