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This
section deals with the story of Monkey, and how this great TV series
came into being. Enjoy. The
story of Monkey | Book details | TV
show/History | Dubbing | Lyrics The
story of Monkey! is very loosely based on a 16th century Chinese book,
Journey To The West by Wu Ch'eng-en, which is a collection of stories
about the real-life journey of Hsuan Tsangof, a 7th-century monk. In
Wu Ch'eng-en's stories, the Monk, Tripitaka, embarks on the pilgrimage
from China to India accompanied and protected by Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy,
each a symbol of different types of human nature. Their task is collect
Buddhist scriptures from India, and return them to China for translation.
In the book the pilgrimage to India is completed, though the same can
not be said of the TV series: however if the series had continued to
further seasons, who knows? The
book was first translated into Japanese almost 250 years ago, and a
Japanese picture book of the story was first produced in 1806. Journey
To The West was translated into English by Arthur Waley and renamed
Monkey. The book is still in print, and is still popular. The
book, Monkey - the translation of Journey to the West by
Arthur Waley is available to buy through this link (readers' reviews
are also available). Orders for this book are fielded through
Amazon, so secure ordering is assured and deliveries can be arranged
to all countries. Click
here to go to the appropriate page at Amazon.com,
or use the picture of the book to the right. ISBN:
0-14-044111-5 New
version now in print! As
the reviews at Amazon.com
will testify, the book remains extremely popular and hence this
new edition has been published. Click
here to go to the appropriate page at Amazon.com,
or use the picture of the book to the right. ISBN:
0-80-213086-0 Monkey!
(or erm.... Monkey, to call it by it's Japanese name) was commissioned
by Japan's Nihon Television (NTV) in 1978 to coincide with the station's
25th anniversary. The correct name for the programme is "Monkey"
rather than "Monkey Magic" - however the latter has stuck
with the show thanks to the repetition of "Monkey Magic" in
the title theme, and the fact that the show was a favourite with kids
when it was first run in the UK. The
show's tacky special effects and the barely theatrical-standard costumes
sported by the lead cast belie the fact that at ¥100 million, Monkey!
was amongst the most expensive commissions put into production in the
station's then quarter-century history. Much
of the expenditure connected with the show can be attributed to the
locations: much of the first series was filmed outside Japan in inner
Mongolia and Northwest China. Given
that in 1978 Japan had only recently restored its diplomatic relations
with China, to produce a less-than highbrow entertainment show strongly
linked to the Buddhist faith was certainly a bold move, and one without
precedent. The
show's arrival in Japan was keenly awaited by audiences, especially
when NTV announced details of the cast. Masaaki Sakai (Monkey), Shiro
Kishibe (Sandy), Toshiyuki Nishida (Pigsy - series one) and Masako Natsume
(Tripitaka) were all well known to the Japanese public through their
prior work in entertainment. As with popular UK series of the time such
as Dr. Who, the villains in each episode were often played by popular
guest actors. The
first series finished it's debut run in Japan in the Autumn of 1978.
Monkey proved so popular that NTV put together a 2 hour highlights show
and ran it the following week to satisfy demand from viewers. A new
series was put into production and aired the following year.
The
series was dubbed into English by a team at World Wide Sound in London,
led by the BBC scriptwriter David Weir who penned the English language
version. The
dubbing displays a charming disregard for lip-sync (think a cross between
a Jackie Chan film and Orville), and the English script
was full of jokes and witty double-entendres. There are some sparkling
moments scripted between the action in Monkey, including perls of wisdom
such as "Even a starving camel is still bigger than a horse"
and "It's better to travel alone than with a fool. But what
may two fools do?" (PS: You may have noticed that a quote from the
narrator appears at the foot of all pages in this Magic guide) The
narration on the dubbed shows was performed by Frank Duncan. Duncan
himself was an accomplished actor whose career spanned three decades,
from an appearance in the 1963 film The Mouse on the Moon (as
a news anchor) to more frequent TV work, including roles in shows such
as Dempsey & Makepeace (1985), Juliet Bravo (1980)
and Lovejoy (1986). Frank
Duncan in 'Luna' (Thames Television).
Despite
our meticulous scouring, we have only been able to trace one picture
of Frank Duncan. Here he is seen in the role of "Gramps" in
the off-beat and less-remembered 80s ITV series 'Luna' which was produced
by Thames TV and introduced the public to the better-known Patsy Kensit. Sadly,
Frank Duncan died in France in 1995. He will surely be remembered for
his many roles, including the Monkey narration. Miriam
Margoyles was responsible for Tripikata's voice and those of many other
female characters. Margoyles is now working on stage and has previously
had supporting roles in British and American films, including 'The Apple'
(1980). Her performance in the film 'The age of innocence' earned her
a BAFTA for best supporting actress. She lives in Oxford, UK.
Lyrics "What
were the lyrics to the song Monkey Magic?". To settle all those
pub-quiz arguments, here are the lyrics in full. Enjoy. Born
from an egg on a mountain top, Funkiest
Monkey that ever popped, He
knew every magic trick under the sun, Tease
the Gods and everyone can have some fun. Monkey
magic, Monkey magic, Monkey
magic, Monkey magic, Monkey
magic, Monkey magic ooh! What
a cocky, saucey Monkey this one is. All
the Gods were angry and they punished him. Until
he was saved by a kindly priest, And
that was the start of their pilgrimage quest. Monkey
magic, Monkey magic, Monkey
magic, Monkey magic, Monkey
magic, Monkey magic, Monkey
magic, Monkey magic ooh! Very
good, now, shall we hear that sung properly? Pop in to our downloads
page and download the theme tune. "Where
do we come from? Where do we go? Only the sage knows. And the sage knows
such questions are profitless. Daily, the clever man learns something.
Daily, the wise man gives up some certainty. Perhaps." Site
content by Monkeymania. Monkey
© NTV Networks (Japan)
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