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!

One of my first television memories - Born in 1956, my parents watched it faithfully, and I can still remember, as a young lad, being fascinated with faraway places such as shown on this show. The theme is still with me to this day. Perfect music. I wish I could now see the shows today, and see if they bring back more memories.

I was 14 years old when I 'fell in love' with Captain Troy. Then I became enamored with the whole idea of sailing on a schooner while classical music buoyed our spirits and encouraged us to participate in fantastic adventures on the South Seas. This early visual escapist series has always resided in my 'happy childhood memory bank.' While sailing, one did not have to worry about the mundane life issues such as bills, taxes, etc.

When I recently visited Hawaii, I managed to sail on a schooner for a couple of days and I fondly remembered this series. .

I know a lot of preservation work is occurring with old movies and TV series as technology improves. If a DVD box set ever comes available, I would be proud to own a set. With all the complications of today's world, a visit to a more innocent time would be happily welcomed.

I was only eleven when the series debuted, but immediately developed a major crush on "Adam Troy". Yes the music was great. I know I would recognize it if I heard it but couldn't begin to tell you how it goes. Many balmy summer nights as I tried to get to sleep, I would fantasize about living in Tahiti on a white beach with turquoise water lapping at my feet, learning to surf, sailing a catamaran, sailing to exotic locales with "Adam" etc etc. You get the picture. Gardner McKay's life story was unique. Not your typical Hollywood ego maniac hunk. He seems to have been much more interested in the world than in having the world interested in him. Was very sorry to hear of his death in Nov 2001.

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.