Adventures in Paradise

My call to the producers and owners of the rights of the series: Why not transcript all the episodes in a beautiful DVD box set, before thousands of meters of film are waisted in some remote forgotten draw... Like many of the fans, many young viewers would be delighted to discover what their elders have watched with so much passion in their youth! They would then understand why some of their parents became either sailors, adventurers or travellers, and had their lives changed by watching Captain Troy and his schooner Tiki!

This series enjoyed enormous popularity here in Australia due to its South Pacific setting. In fact, several Australian actors cropped up in the cast during the life of the show.

"Adventures" became a favorite of mine in the 1970s when it was being re run in a late afternoon time slot. Of course, these days, we all know that the whole thing was filmed on a back lot at 20th Century Fox in smoggy old L.A but it looked convincing. Gardner McKay may not have been the most animated actor but he was ideal as the authoritative Captain Adam Troy, master of the romantic Edwardian schooner the 'Tiki' and it was always a pleasant hour of entertainment.

As others have already mentioned, the musical theme was so dreamy and evocative of the South seas. One of my most prized collectibles is a copy of the sheet music with a photo of Captain Troy on the cover standing at the wheel of the "Tiki" which, by the way, was moored in Sydney Harbour for several years as I understand.

My husband & I both grew up on this series and remember it fondly, though for different reasons. He liked the adventure tales (sometimes involving a certain sense of danger), while I was besotted with Adam Troy, the handsome, likable young captain, oozing with boyish charm and wonderfully portrayed by actor Gardner McKay. I haven't seen the program for decades so have no adult take on it, but expect based on my memories, that I would find it entertaining escapist fare. I was very surprised to discover recently that this series was created by James Mitchener, the famous author of Hawaii and other books.

The series revolves around the seafaring adventures of an American Korean War vet named Adam Troy, who captains the schooner, Tiki III, around the South Seas. Accompanied by his first mate, he drifts from one adventure to another, carrying both cargo and passengers around exotic locales. During his tropical travels, he encounters many old friends, enemies, and lost loves. Others have commented that Troy is too young to have had such a rich past, but that certainly didn't bother me at the time. Realism was definitely not a requirement.

Apart from the charm of the captain, the series with its exotic paradise travels appealed to some sense of wanderlust in me. Admittedly, I haven't managed to do much tropical traveling, but if I did...the ports of call from Adventures in Paradise would rank high on my list, especially French Polynesia. To this very day, whenever I hear the names of some of these South Pacific islands (especially Tahiti and its capital, Papeete), I recall Adam Troy and his romantic schooner sailing adventures.

Television in the late 1950s, for those of us who remember it, was largely black and white and a composite of live shows from New York, old films from the 1930s and 40s, and filmed series (usually made in Hollywood) designed for the new medium. Most of the filmed television series were centered around the folklore of 19th century western figures or contemporary big city detectives.

In 1959, 20th Century Fox decided to try something different. So, borrowing from the literary works of James Michener, they constructed a series centered around a modern day roving South Pacific sea captain. As luck would have it, a producer happened to spot 6' 5", 200 lb., 27 year old actor Gardner McKay sitting in the studio commissary reading--of all things--a book of poetry.

To help promote the new hour long series on ABC Television, Life Magazine writer Shana Alexander was called in to do a feature story. When she met the star, she changed the whole focus of her story to the new leading man, including a cover photo of McKay in a contemporary Apollo Belvedere pose.

Describing him as a likely candidate for the best looking man in America, she used a centerfold photo of McKay's face as a template for the handsome man, comparing him with former film star glamor boys Robert Taylor, Tyrone Power, Gregory Peck and Rock Hudson.

That magazine layout embarrassed McKay to the point that he once told an interviewer he never even FELT good looking. What was worse was that, despite the fact that he actually had been an experienced sailor, he was a very inhibited and inexperienced actor.

Critics mauled his lack of thespian-ism, but fans loved the guy (especially women). He was unassuming and likable despite his lack of theatrical talent. His acting abilities improved modestly (with much coaching), but 20th Century Fox did little to enhance the series (which was remarkably popular), failing to transfer the South Pacific setting to actual locations and ignoring the color process that had been recently introduced to t.v. audiences. McKay, however, continued to be personally popular--with both male fans of the series and admiring women.

He had done some minor roles in television and films before Paradise and did some after it, appearing on interview shows and doing theater in the round in addition to some primary roles and even one leading role in motion pictures. But the critics (justifiably) continued to ravage his efforts.

Fed up with the whole business, McKay turned down a personal film offer from Marilyn Monroe and left acting forever. He traveled the world, married and settled in Hawaii as a playwright and novelist, where he was very successful until his death in November of 2001 from prostate cancer.

But Adventures in Paradise lives on in the minds of everyone who was a fan. Gardner McKay was part of that fond memory. Perhaps the handsomest man to ever pass through Hollywood's portals, he was perfect as the gentle sea captain chasing a tropic paradise. And each week, he took us along for the trip. It was a great escape from the realities of everyday life and an unforgettable memory.

The music was haunting. I can almost, just almost, grasp it now. Yes, even though I was a lot older than the previous commentator, the pull of exotic places was a good part of the programme's attraction, the desire to be far away doing anything and being anyone than where and what I was. However, for some reason I saw nothing of the last season.

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE held itself out to be a product of James A. Mitchener before I knew who he was, although Mitchener was already famous as the author of HAWAII which was published in 1959. The title came from his early work, but I cannot recall if he had anything substantive to do with the programme, but probably not given the notes on this web site.

This might be a mix-up with another series, but I think the first time any television episode was set in South Viet Nam was an ADVENTURES IN PARADISE number. One does recall, however, the knock-about Captain Troy was all over and a part of me wanted to be there under palms leaning with the night wind.