Thunder in Paradise

infobox television
show_name = Thunder In Paradise


caption =
format = Action/Adventure
runtime = 1 hour per episode
creator = Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann
starring = Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea
Chris Lemmon
Carol Alt
Ashley Gorrell
Patrick Macnee
country = United States
network = Syndicated
first_aired = March 25, 1994
last_aired = November 27, 1994
num_episodes = 22

imdb_id = 0108958|

Thunder in Paradise was a one-hour action-adventure TV series from the creators of "Baywatch," which stars Hulk Hogan [ [http://www.wrestlecrap.com/oldinductions.html Thunder in Paradise: Hogan once again hits TV screens, this time piloting Knightboat, the crime solving boat.] ] , Chris Lemmon and Carol Alt. This first-run syndicated TV series originally premiered as a straight-to-video feature in September 1993, then ran for one season in 1994 before being canceled. The series was later rebroadcast on the TNT cable network.

eries concept

"Thunder in Paradise" follows the adventures of two ex-Navy SEALS, Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer and Martin "Bru" Brubaker, who work as mercenaries out of their tropical resort headquarters along Florida's Gulf Coast. Using their futuristic, high-tech boat, nicknamed "Thunder," they travel around the world fighting various and sundry criminals and villains. However, they are forced to balance their dangerous undercover work with their responsibilities of raising widower Spence's young daughter Jessica, who lives with them.

Former model Kelly LaRue, who owns and manages the "Scuttlebutt Bar N' Grill" on the beach in front of the resort, looks after Jessica whenever Spence and Bru go on their missions. Kelly also serves as a romantic foil for Bru, who consistently fails miserably in his pursuit of her. Edward Whitaker, Jessica's uncle, owns the beach resort and makes semi-regular appearances in the series, primarily for comic relief.

Characters

Main cast

*Terry "Hulk" Hogan as Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer
*Chris Lemmon as Martin "Bru" Brubaker
*Carol Alt as Kelly LaRue
*Ashley Gorrell as Jessica Whitaker Spencer (Episodes 4-22)
*Patrick Macnee as Edward Whitaker
*Felicity Waterman as Megan Whitaker Spencer (Episodes 1-3)
*Robin Weisman as Jessica Whitaker Spencer (Episodes 1-3)
*Russ Wheeler as the voice of "Thunder"

Recurring cast

*Kiki Shepard as Trelawny "aka" D. J. Moran
*Heidi Mark as Alison Wilson

Episodes

#"Thunder in Paradise," Part One - March 25, 1994
#"Thunder in Paradise," Part Two - March 25, 1994
#"Tug of War" - April 1, 1994
#"Sea Quentin" - April 8, 1994
#"Strange Bru" - April 15, 1994
#"Sealed with a Kismet," Part One - April 22, 1994
#"Sealed with a Kismet," Part Two - April 29, 1994
#"Changing of the Guard" - May 6, 1994
#"Gettysburg Change of Address" - May 13, 1994
#"Distant Sound of Thunder" - May 20, 1994
#"Nature of the Beast" - May 27, 1994
#"Identity Crisis" - July 8, 1994
#"Queen of Hearts" - July 15, 1994
#"Plunder in Paradise" - July 22, 1994
#"Eye for an Eye" - August 26, 1994
#"Endangered Species" - September 9, 1994
#"Deadly Lessons," Part One - September 16, 1994
#"Deadly Lessons," Part Two - September 23, 1994
#"Blast Off" - November 6, 1994
#"Dead Reckoning" - November 13, 1994
#"The M.A.J.O.R. and the Minor," Part One - November 20, 1994
#"The M.A.J.O.R. and the Minor," Part Two - November 27, 1994

*The pilot movie was originally released on home video the week of September 27, 1993. It was not broadcast on television until the beginning of Season 1, after which it was split into two episodes for reruns and later syndication.
*The two-part episode "Sealed with a Kismet" was combined and released to home video as the feature "Thunder in Paradise II."
*The two-part episode "Deadly Lessons" was combined and released to home video as the feature "Thunder in Paradise 3."
*The two-part episode "The M.A.J.O.R. and the Minor" was used as the basis for the "Thunder in Paradise" CD-Interactive game. [http://www.mobygames.com/game/thunder-in-paradise-interactive/] In addition to the episode itself, additional footage was filmed for use at different stages in the game. Although video game tie-ins have been created for numerous TV series such as "" and "," this is the only time in TV history that an actual aired episode was written and structured to serve as the basis for a video game.

DVD release

On September 26, 2006, Lions Gate released a 3-disc "Thunder in Paradise Collection" that contained "Thunder in Paradise" ("Thunder In Paradise" Parts 1 & 2), "Thunder in Paradise II" ("Sealed with a Kismet" Parts 1 & 2), and "Thunder in Paradise 3" ("Deadly Lessons" Part 1 & 2).

Filming locations

The "Thunder in Paradise" pilot movie was filmed in and around the historic Don Cesar Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida during April 1993. When the series was picked up for a full season, the production company then moved to Disney-MGM Studios near Orlando, where the primary filming location became the Grand Floridian Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. Other filming locations at Walt Disney World included Disney's Old Key West Resort, Fort Wilderness Campground, and EPCOT, used heavily due to the wide variety of futuristic and architectural styles available at that theme park. The destruction of the school featured in the two-part episode "Deadly Lessons" was an actual controlled demolition of a school building in Central Florida that the production company agreed to perform in exchange for filming rights.

References

External links

*imdb title | id=0395284 | title=Thunder in Paradise
*imdb title | id=0354109 | title=Thunder in Paradise II
*imdb title | id=0108958 | title=Thunder in Paradise (series)
*imdb title | id=0364064 | title=Thunder in Paradise 3
*imdb title | id=0183890 | title=Thunder in Paradise (vg)