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
GenreAdventure
Drama
StarringJay North
Sajid Khan
Sudesh Issar
Theme music composerHans J. Salter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes18
Production
ProducerFrank King
Production locationsUnited States
India
Running time60 mins
Production companiesKing Brothers Productions
MGM Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 16, 1967 (1967-09-16) 
February 10, 1968 (1968-02-10)
Related
Maya

Synopsis

Jay North and Sajid Khan.

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 ChomskyStirling SilliphantSeptember 16, 1967 (1967-09-16)
2"The Allapur Conspiracy"Hollingsworth MorseMort R. LewisSeptember 23, 1967 (1967-09-23)
3"Tiger Boy"Marvin ChomskyStory by: Charles Ackerman & Edwin Blum
Teleplay by: Edwin Blum
October 7, 1967 (1967-10-07)
4"The Caper of the Golden Roe"Marvin ChomskyStirling SilliphantOctober 14, 1967 (1967-10-14)
5"Twilight of Empire"Hollingsworth MorseRichard CollinsOctober 21, 1967 (1967-10-21)
6"Will the Real Prince Please Get Lost?"Marvin ChomskyPeter BerneisOctober 28, 1967 (1967-10-28)
7"The Demon of Kalamemi"Herbert ColemanEdwin BlumNovember 4, 1967 (1967-11-04)
8"The Khandur Uprising"Allen BaronStory by: Rik Vollaerts
Teleplay by: Rik Vollaerts & Norman Katkov
November 18, 1967 (1967-11-18)
9"A Bus for Ramabad"Marvin ChomskyHoward MerrillNovember 25, 1967 (1967-11-25)
10"The Root of Evil"Allen BaronStory by: William Copeland
Teleplay by: Paul Franklin
December 2, 1967 (1967-12-02)
11"Deadly Passage"Hollingsworth MorseStory by: Loren Dayle
Teleplay by: Rik Vollaerts
December 9, 1967 (1967-12-09)
12"Natira"Herbert ColemanKay LenardDecember 23, 1967 (1967-12-23)
13"Mirrcan's Magic Circus"Hollingsworth MorseKay LenardJanuary 6, 1968 (1968-01-06)
14"The Son of Gammu Ghat"Herbert ColemanRik Vollaerts & Maxwell ShaneJanuary 13, 1968 (1968-01-13)
15"The Treasure Temple"Herbert ColemanLee ErwinJanuary 20, 1967 (1967-01-20)
16"The Ransom of Raji"Allen BaronStory by: William Hersey & Richard David
Teleplay by: Richard David & Maxwell Shane & Rik Vollaerts
January 27, 1968 (1968-01-27)
17"The Witness"Herbert ColemanStory by: Lester Cole & Norman Katkov
Teleplay by: Maxwell Shane & Norman Katkov
February 3, 1968 (1968-02-03)
18"The Legend of Whitney Markham"Herbert ColemanNorman KatkovFebruary 10, 1968 (1968-02-10)

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

  1. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946–present, Ballantine, 1979
  2. 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.
  3. Maltin, Leonard – TV Movies 1981–82 Edition, New American Library, 1980
  4. The 1967 'Complete Series,' Spun Off From the Film, Comes to DVD Archived August 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
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