Maya (American TV series)
Maya is an American hour-long adventure television series that aired on NBC, Saturdays from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., from September 16, 1967 until February 10, 1968.[1] The series is a follow-up to the 1966 film of the same name, with Jay North and Sajid Khan reprising their roles. Set in the Indian jungle, the series centered on an American boy searching for his missing father, a big game hunter.[2]
| Maya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Adventure Drama |
| Starring | Jay North Sajid Khan Sudesh Issar |
| Theme music composer | Hans J. Salter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Frank King |
| Production locations | United States India |
| Running time | 60 mins |
| Production companies | King Brothers Productions MGM Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 16, 1967 – February 10, 1968 |
| Related | |
| Maya | |
Synopsis
The series starred teenage Jay North (famous for starring as Dennis the Menace as a child) as Terry Bowen, and Indian actor Sajid Khan (also prominent in his homeland from his child-acting background) as Raji, a native boy who joined up with the lead. Raji's elephant, Maya, gave the series its name. Maya was Terry and Raji's source of transportation, as well as providing help when flight or rescue was needed.[1]
In the first episode teenage Terry Bowen arrives in India to reunite with his father, who he soon learns is missing, presumed killed by a tiger. Facing deportation back to the United States, Terry escapes the authorities, and meets up by chance with orphaned runaway Raji and his pet elephant, Maya; and the two boys decide to team up to go in search of Terry's father, as Terry is hopeful his father is actually still alive. Over the course of the series the duo and the elephant continue their search while facing many side-plots, but never succeed in their quest in the episodes made during the series' short run.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Blood of the Tiger" | Marvin Chomsky | Stirling Silliphant | September 16, 1967 |
| 2 | "The Allapur Conspiracy" | Hollingsworth Morse | Mort R. Lewis | September 23, 1967 |
| 3 | "Tiger Boy" | Marvin Chomsky | Story by : Charles Ackerman & Edwin Blum Teleplay by : Edwin Blum | October 7, 1967 |
| 4 | "The Caper of the Golden Roe" | Marvin Chomsky | Stirling Silliphant | October 14, 1967 |
| 5 | "Twilight of Empire" | Hollingsworth Morse | Richard Collins | October 21, 1967 |
| 6 | "Will the Real Prince Please Get Lost?" | Marvin Chomsky | Peter Berneis | October 28, 1967 |
| 7 | "The Demon of Kalamemi" | Herbert Coleman | Edwin Blum | November 4, 1967 |
| 8 | "The Khandur Uprising" | Allen Baron | Story by : Rik Vollaerts Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts & Norman Katkov | November 18, 1967 |
| 9 | "A Bus for Ramabad" | Marvin Chomsky | Howard Merrill | November 25, 1967 |
| 10 | "The Root of Evil" | Allen Baron | Story by : William Copeland Teleplay by : Paul Franklin | December 2, 1967 |
| 11 | "Deadly Passage" | Hollingsworth Morse | Story by : Loren Dayle Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | December 9, 1967 |
| 12 | "Natira" | Herbert Coleman | Kay Lenard | December 23, 1967 |
| 13 | "Mirrcan's Magic Circus" | Hollingsworth Morse | Kay Lenard | January 6, 1968 |
| 14 | "The Son of Gammu Ghat" | Herbert Coleman | Rik Vollaerts & Maxwell Shane | January 13, 1968 |
| 15 | "The Treasure Temple" | Herbert Coleman | Lee Erwin | January 20, 1967 |
| 16 | "The Ransom of Raji" | Allen Baron | Story by : William Hersey & Richard David Teleplay by : Richard David & Maxwell Shane & Rik Vollaerts | January 27, 1968 |
| 17 | "The Witness" | Herbert Coleman | Story by : Lester Cole & Norman Katkov Teleplay by : Maxwell Shane & Norman Katkov | February 3, 1968 |
| 18 | "The Legend of Whitney Markham" | Herbert Coleman | Norman Katkov | February 10, 1968 |
Production
Filmed entirely on location, the series was produced by Frank King, who had also produced the 1966 feature film, Maya, which inspired the series and starred Jay North, Sajid Khan, and Clint Walker as Terry's estranged father, who is never seen in the TV series.[3] The series ended after 18 episodes. It featured guest appearances by several noted Indian character actors, such as Iftekhar, Prem Nath and I. S. Johar.
Japanese singer Rajie got her stage name from the character Raji.
DVD release
On August 19, 2014, Warner Bros. released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release.[4]
References
- Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946–present, Ballantine, 1979
- Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 330–331. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
- Maltin, Leonard – TV Movies 1981–82 Edition, New American Library, 1980
- The 1967 'Complete Series,' Spun Off From the Film, Comes to DVD Archived August 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine