The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
"Before the world discovered Indiana, Indiana discovered the world."
Genre	Adventure
Created by	George Lucas
Based on	Characters by George Lucas Philip Kaufman
Developed by	George Lucas
Starring	Sean Patrick Flanery Corey Carrier George Hall Ronny Coutteure
Narrated by	George Hall
Theme music composer	Laurence Rosenthal
Composer(s)	Laurence Rosenthal Joel McNeely
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	28 (plus 4 TV films) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	George Lucas
Producer(s)	Rick McCallum
Cinematography	David Tattersall
Camera setup	Single-camera setup
Running time	approx. 45 min. per episode
Production company(s)	Amblin Television Lucasfilm Paramount Television
Distributor	Paramount Domestic Television
Release
Original network	ABC The Family Channel
Picture format	16 mm film (1.33:1 aspect ratio)
Audio format	Dolby Stereo
Original release	March 4, 1992 (1992-03-04) – July 24, 1993 (1993-07-24)

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American TV show that aired on ABC from 1992 to 1993. It was filmed in many places around the world. The parts with "Old Indy" were filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. This show was made by Amblin Television and Lucasfilm, with Paramount Television.

The series shows the early life of the famous character Indiana Jones. Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier play Indy at different ages. George Hall plays an older version of Indy in most episodes. Even Harrison Ford, who plays the adult Indiana Jones in the movies, appeared in one episode! The show was created by George Lucas, who also made the Indiana Jones movies.

The show had a very big budget but not many people watched it. Because of this, it was canceled in 1993. However, four TV movies were made from 1994 to 1996 to continue the story. In 1999, the series was re-edited into 22 TV films. These were called The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.

What is The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles?

Map of countries Indiana Jones visits in the series

This TV show was made to teach kids and teenagers about history. It highlights famous people and important events. Most episodes start with a 93-year-old Indiana Jones (played by George Hall) in 1993 New York City. He meets people who make him remember his past adventures.

These stories show him as a young boy (8 to 10 years old, played by Corey Carrier) or as a teenager (16 to 21 years old, played by Sean Patrick Flanery). When he is young, Indy travels the world with his family. As a teenager, he joins the Belgian army. He uses a fake name and fights in Verdun and Africa. Later, he becomes a spy. In one episode, a 50-year-old Indy (played by Harrison Ford) shares his memories.

The show was planned to switch between young Indy and teenage Indy. But later, most episodes focused on the teenage Indy. The older Indy parts showed that he has a daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The 2008 movie Kingdom of the Crystal Skull later introduced Mutt Williams as his son.

Young Indy meets many famous historical figures. These include Leo Tolstoy, Howard Carter, Charles de Gaulle, and John Ford. He visits places like Egypt, Austria-Hungary, India, China, and all over Europe. For example, in "Curse of the Jackal," Indy is involved with T. E. Lawrence and Pancho Villa. He also meets Edgar Degas, Giacomo Puccini, George Patton, Pablo Picasso, Eliot Ness, Al Capone, Manfred von Richthofen, Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, Winston Churchill, and a young Ho Chi Minh. He even competes with a young Ernest Hemingway for a girl's attention. He is helped by Albert Schweitzer when he is sick. He also goes on a safari with Theodore Roosevelt.

The show also gave background stories for the Indiana Jones movies. It showed his relationship with his father, which was first seen in Last Crusade. His search for the "Eye of the Peacock" diamond, seen in Temple of Doom, was a repeating part of several stories. The show also covered his actions during World War I and his first solo adventures. In the 2008 movie Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy talks about his adventures with Pancho Villa.

Who Played Young Indy?

Left to right:Corey Carrier, Sean Patrick Flanery, Harrison Ford, and George Hall portrayed Dr. Henry 'Indiana' Jones, Jr. in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles .

Guest Stars

Many famous people from history were shown in the series. These include Theodore Roosevelt, T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Al Capone, and Pablo Picasso.

Many well-known actors also appeared in the show. Some of them are Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Craig, Christopher Lee, Elizabeth Hurley, and Paul Freeman.

How the Show Was Made

Writing the Stories

George Lucas wrote a long timeline for Indiana Jones's life. He planned about 70 episodes, starting in 1905 and going up to the movies. Each plan included the place, date, and historical people Indy would meet. About 31 of these stories were filmed.

Lucas also thought about making an episode where Indy looked for a crystal skull. This idea later became the 2008 movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Choosing the Actors

Some actors from the Indiana Jones movies or George Lucas's Star Wars films also appeared in this show. Harrison Ford played Indy at age 50 in one episode. Paul Freeman, who played Rene Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark, played Frederick Selous in a few episodes. Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in Star Wars, played a French spy in one episode.

Filming the Adventures

Many famous filmmakers helped direct episodes, like Frank Darabont and Joe Johnston. George Lucas also helped with the stories.

The show was filmed in many real places around the world. To save money, it was shot on 16mm film instead of the more expensive 35mm film. Each episode cost about $1.5 million to make. Filming for a "Young Indy" episode usually took about three weeks. The parts with old Indy were called "bookends" and took about a day to film. These were mostly shot in Wilmington, North Carolina.

The series was filmed in three main parts. The first part was from 1991 to 1992, making 16 episodes. The second part was from 1992 to 1993, making 12 episodes. The last part was from 1994 to 1995, making four TV movies. In 1996, more filming was done to re-edit the whole series into 22 longer films.

Music from the Show

The main music for the series was created by Laurence Rosenthal. He wrote most of the music for the show. Joel McNeely also wrote music for many episodes. He won an Emmy award in 1993 for the episode "Scandal of 1920."

When Did It Air?

List of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episodes The first episode, Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal, aired on ABC in March 1992. This pilot was later split into two episodes. Only 16 of the planned 20 episodes aired before ABC canceled the show in 1993. The Family Channel later made four two-hour TV movies that aired from 1994 to 1996.

Watching at Home

The series was later re-edited into 22 "Chapter" TV films for its 1999 VHS release. New scenes were filmed in 1996 to help the stories flow better and be in the correct order. For example, "Tangiers, 1908" was combined with "Egypt, 1908" to make "My First Adventure." The series was also renamed The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.

The parts with the 93-year-old Indy were removed from these re-edited versions. However, the scene with Harrison Ford as a 50-year-old Indy was kept.

DVDs

In 2002, the show's producer, Rick McCallum, said that DVDs of the series were being made. These DVDs were released to go along with the fourth Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which came out in 2008.

For the DVDs, Lucasfilm made the picture quality better and improved the sound. They also added many bonus features.

Extra Historical Documentaries Ninety-four short historical documentaries were made for the DVD release. Each documentary is about a real historical topic connected to the episode it goes with. The History Channel aired these documentaries on TV.

Historical overview lectures

• Vol. 1 - Historical Lecture: "The Promise of Progress"
• Vol. 2 - Historical Lecture: "War and Revolution"
• Vol. 3 - Historical Lecture: "New Gods for Old"[37]

Other Products

Music from the series was released on CD. The show also led to books and spin-off novels. There were also video games like The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for NES and Instruments of Chaos starring Young Indiana Jones for Sega Mega Drive. You could also find trading cards and other products related to the show.

See also

In Spanish: Las aventuras del joven Indiana Jones para niños