ADVENTURES IN PARADISE- Somewhere South Of Suva – 1959
Gardner McKay is a Korean War vet who stayed in the east after the war. He bought a schooner, the "Tiki", and now runs a small cargo and passenger service out of Tahiti. This action adventure series ran for a total of 91 episodes between 1959 and 1962.
Gardner McKay and his boat, THE TIKI, are tied up in Hawaii. McKay is flat broke, and if he does not get a cargo soon it will be the end of his business. McKay is approached by antique dealer, Albert Salmi. Salmi would like to hire the boat and crew for a job. The job, to make a search of some islands located south of the Philippines.
An aircraft flown by Alexis Smith had escaped Manila just before the Japanese took the place. Hidden on board was a huge uncut diamond worth a fortune. The aircraft never made it to Australia and disappeared into the Pacific. There are rumours of the bright red aircraft crashing in an island lagoon. The war stopped any search for Miss Smith and the aircraft.
McKay takes the cash advance and sets sail. He will contact Salmi by radio if he discovers anything of value. McKay and his mate, Oliver Kee, spend a couple of months hitting all the small islands south of the Philippines. They stumble across an island that is not on their charts.
A check with of the islanders about any crashed aircraft finds the natives most uncooperative. A look around the island soon finds that pilot Alexis Smith is very much alive. She had crash-landed in the lagoon and had been rescued by the natives and a local missionary. Smith had stayed on after the missionary had died. She is not interested in going back to so called civilization.
McKay radios Salmi about finding the island and the lagoon where the aircraft crashed. Salmi, also a pilot, has his own Catalina flying boat and is soon winging his way there. Smith is not impressed with this information and tells McKay why. Salmi and her father had run an import export business out of Manila before the war.
Smith had discovered that her father and Salmi had been using her aircraft to run heroin. She knows nothing about a diamond being hidden on board the plane. It is something that Salmi might have done though, she admits. McKay and Kee break out the scuba gear and go looking for the wreck. They are successful and soon find the wreck and the diamond.
Salmi now flies in and lands. Miss Smith's description of Salmi's criminal character is soon proved correct. He knifes Kee and grabs the stone, then returns to his flying boat. It takes a first-rate knockdown drag-out fistfight between McKay and Salmi to settle the matter. McKay, with some help from Miss Smith puts the kibosh on Salmi's plans. Salmi is soon trussed up like a Christmas turkey. Kee is quickly loaded on board the flying boat and Smith takes off for the nearest hospital.
The episode was directed by Gerald Mayer. Mayer was the nephew of MGM Studios big-wig, Louis B. Mayer. Gerald Mayer is best known as the director of the big screen film-noir, DIAL 1119 and THE SELLOUT.
(b/w)
Gardner McKay is a Korean War vet who stayed in the east after the war. He bought a schooner, the "Tiki", and now runs a small cargo and passenger service out of Tahiti. This action adventure series ran for a total of 91 episodes between 1959 and 1962.
Gardner McKay and his boat, THE TIKI, are tied up in Hawaii. McKay is flat broke, and if he does not get a cargo soon it will be the end of his business. McKay is approached by antique dealer, Albert Salmi. Salmi would like to hire the boat and crew for a job. The job, to make a search of some islands located south of the Philippines.
An aircraft flown by Alexis Smith had escaped Manila just before the Japanese took the place. Hidden on board was a huge uncut diamond worth a fortune. The aircraft never made it to Australia and disappeared into the Pacific. There are rumours of the bright red aircraft crashing in an island lagoon. The war stopped any search for Miss Smith and the aircraft.
McKay takes the cash advance and sets sail. He will contact Salmi by radio if he discovers anything of value. McKay and his mate, Oliver Kee, spend a couple of months hitting all the small islands south of the Philippines. They stumble across an island that is not on their charts.
A check with of the islanders about any crashed aircraft finds the natives most uncooperative. A look around the island soon finds that pilot Alexis Smith is very much alive. She had crash-landed in the lagoon and had been rescued by the natives and a local missionary. Smith had stayed on after the missionary had died. She is not interested in going back to so called civilization.
McKay radios Salmi about finding the island and the lagoon where the aircraft crashed. Salmi, also a pilot, has his own Catalina flying boat and is soon winging his way there. Smith is not impressed with this information and tells McKay why. Salmi and her father had run an import export business out of Manila before the war.
Smith had discovered that her father and Salmi had been using her aircraft to run heroin. She knows nothing about a diamond being hidden on board the plane. It is something that Salmi might have done though, she admits. McKay and Kee break out the scuba gear and go looking for the wreck. They are successful and soon find the wreck and the diamond.
Salmi now flies in and lands. Miss Smith's description of Salmi's criminal character is soon proved correct. He knifes Kee and grabs the stone, then returns to his flying boat. It takes a first-rate knockdown drag-out fistfight between McKay and Salmi to settle the matter. McKay, with some help from Miss Smith puts the kibosh on Salmi's plans. Salmi is soon trussed up like a Christmas turkey. Kee is quickly loaded on board the flying boat and Smith takes off for the nearest hospital.
The episode was directed by Gerald Mayer. Mayer was the nephew of MGM Studios big-wig, Louis B. Mayer. Gerald Mayer is best known as the director of the big screen film-noir, DIAL 1119 and THE SELLOUT.
(b/w)
