On March 4, 1992, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (later rebranded as The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones) aired on ABC. Created and executive produced by George Lucas, the series ran until July 1993. The show focused on two time periods in Indy’s life – his childhood from around 10 years of age – and his later teens, when he enlisted in the Belgian army in World War I.
The pilot focused on a plot point that tied these two ages together, with the first half taking place in Egypt, 1908, with Corey Carrier playing a precocious Henry Jones, Jr. The second half introduced Sean Patrick Flanery in Indy’s trademark fedora, and while I wasn’t quite enraptured by watching kid Indy run around Egypt, my teenaged self was glued to the screen watching Flanery and his adventures in Mexico. That almost made up for the show lacking the traditional Raiders March by maestro John Williams. However, the new theme music quickly became a favorite, and I bought all four soundtracks featuring original music from the show.
The original episodes that aired on TV were bookmarked by an elderly and curmudgeonly Indy sporting an eyepatch and reliving his glory days to anyone willing to listen. The episodes were later spliced into “movies” that combined two episodes, and the bookends were removed.
The DVD boxed sets (available on Amazon) put the episodes in chronological order and include documentaries related to each episode. The show is available to purchase for streaming through Amazon, and, starting May 31, will be available on Disney+.
My goal is to take you with me as I relive the adventures of young Indiana Jones, and hopefully we’ll each learn something new along the way.
My First Adventure (Part 1)
Henry Walton Jones Jr. is born on July 1, 1899, in Princeton, New Jersey, to Anna and Henry Jones, Sr. They gift him a puppy malamute named Indiana, who quickly becomes his best friend. They embark upon many an adventure together, from hot air balloons to skipping school. Young Indy is no different from his adult character in always finding a way to get into trouble.
But soon things change. Henry Sr. (Lloyd Owen), a medieval studies professor, accepts a position to lecture all across the world, and he plans on taking his wife and son with him. Indy bids farewell to his friends and his dog, and they land in London, where Henry Sr. convinces his previous tutor, Helen Seymour, (Margaret Tyzack) to take on his wild son as her student, promising her that she will finally get to see the wonders of the world.
During their ocean voyage to Egypt, Indy amuses himself by describing how mummies are prepared for burial, down to how their brains are removed through their nostrils. Everyone, including the ship’s captain ( played by Oliver Ford Davies) leaves the table a little green in the gills, but Sr. and Jr. remain, though Jr. no longer has an appetite himself.
Once they reach Egypt, Miss Seymour takes Indy to visit the great pyramids, including the one built by King Cheops (Pharoah Khufu) in the Fourth Dynasty, known as the Great Pyramid of Giza and the only Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still intact. But she refuses to pay the guide what he asks, and they are left stranded without camels. Fortunately, a savior in the form of T.E. “Ned” Lawrence (Joseph Bennett), more famously known as Lawrence of Arabia, arrives to discover his former teacher (how many students did Miss Seymour have?!) and her new pupil are in dire straits. Lawrence had been in Syria looking at crusader castles and stopped in Egypt on his way home.
They build a fire and settle in for the chill desert evening. Lawrence tells Henry about opening up tombs and being the first to see what’s inside. Indy says, “I’d like to be an archaeologist! And get rich.” Fortune and glory, huh? Indy started desiring these at a young age! But Lawrence’s reply is, “Archaeology doesn’t steal from the past; it opens it, so that everyone may learn of its treasures.” Which also fits Indy—always wanting to place the treasures in a museum. Primarily Brody’s.
Lawrence’s friend is working on a dig with archaeologist Howard Carter (Pip Torrens) and invites Indy and Miss Seymour along. When they arrive back in town after their pyramid adventure, Indy asks his father if he may go. When his father answers in the affirmative, Indy gives a “Whoopee!” reminding me of a young Anakin Skywalker. Then, his father hands him a diary (much like the grail diary the elder Jones keeps in The Last Crusade) and tells him to write of his adventures.
On their way to the dig, Lawrence advises Indy to learn the language wherever he goes. Thus begins Indy’s linguistic studies. (Too bad he didn’t include Hovito!)
As they approach the dig, in the background you can hear the diggers singing the same song heard at the Tanis dig in Raiders of the Lost Ark. They are introduced to Lawrence’s friend Rasheed Salaam, and they learn that a new tomb has been discovered, but it’s not a pharoah. (That would come later, when Carter and his team would discover King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922.)
To protect the tomb from grave robbers, Rasheed volunteers to stand guard, but he’s discovered dead the next day, and they realize a priceless headpiece was stolen. It was in the form of a jackal, with eyes of fire.
Demetrios, a Greek demolitions expert, is revealed to be the murderer, but he manages to flee capture. It would be another eight years or so before he crosses paths with Indy again.
Thoughts
This was a great introduction to the series, deftly laying the foundation for the globe-trotting, multilingual adventurer that we know so well. I think many agree, however, that the show may have benefited from sticking to Sean Patrick Flanery’s version of Indy instead of jockeying back and forth between little boy and teenager.
However, the two time periods allows for greater flexibility in placing young Indy in the midst of historically significant moments in the early twentieth century.
And it’s unfortunate the bookend segments are lost to old VHS tapes and YouTube. They provided some nice framing for each story, but also added issues for canon/continuity, such as the never-explained eyepatch.
Next episode: Tangier 1908
Related DVD Documentaries
- Archaeology – Unearthing Our Past
- Howard Carter and the Tomb of Tutankhamen
- Colonel Lawrence’s War – T.E. Lawrence and Arabia
History
Howard Carter (1874–1939) would go on to discover King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in history.
Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888–1935), known for his actions against the Ottoman Empire during WWI, was an archaeologist and army officer. He was also a prolific writer.
Fun Facts
Indy’s middle name, Walton, is the same as George Lucas’s, and Lucas is also a Jr.
George Lucas had a dog named Indiana. (and so do I!)
This episode originally aired with Mexico, 1916, and connected the two stories through the jackal headpiece.
The original bookend featuring George Hall as “Old Indy” had him regaling students at a museum with his stories.
The ship’s captain is played by Oliver Ford Davies, better known as Sio Bibble in The Phantom Menace. He’s this guy: “A communications disruption can only mean one thing: invasion.”
Lloyd Owen (Henry Jones Sr.) recently portrayed Elendil in The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.
The actor Joseph Bennet (T.E. Lawrence) passed away in the year 2015 at the age of 47.
Actor Pip Torrens (Howard Carter) also appeared as Colonel Kaplan in The Force Awakens and War Horse, as well as series Versailles, The Crown, and The Nevers.
Vic Tablian (Demetrios), was also the Peruvian guide Barranca and the “Monkey Man” in Raiders of the Lost Ark.