Thunder in Paradise

Thunder in Paradise is a one-hour action-adventure TV series from the creators of Baywatch, which stars Hulk Hogan, Chris Lemmon, and Carol Alt. This first-run syndicated TV series originally premiered as a straight-to-video feature film in September 1993, then ran for one season in 1994, before being cancelled.^[1] The series was later rebroadcast on the TNT cable network.

Series 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 criminals and villains. However, they are forced to balance their dangerous undercover work with their responsibilities of raising widower Spencer'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

• 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"
• Sam J. Jones In Pilot
• Michael Andrews as The Beach Bartender

Recurring cast

• Kiki Shepard as Trelawny aka D. J. Moran
• Heidi Mark as Alison Wilson
• Jimmy Hart

Episodes

1. "Thunder in Paradise", Part One – March 25, 1994
2. "Thunder in Paradise", Part Two – March 25, 1994
3. "Tug of War" – April 1, 1994
4. "Sea Quentin" – April 8, 1994
5. "Strange Bru" – April 15, 1994
6. "Sealed with a Kismet", Part One – April 22, 1994
7. "Sealed with a Kismet", Part Two – April 29, 1994
8. "Changing of the Guard" – May 6, 1994
9. "Gettysburg Change of Address" – May 13, 1994
10. "Distant Shout of Thunder" – May 20, 1994
11. "Nature of the Beast" – May 27, 1994
12. "Identity Crisis" – July 8, 1994
13. "Queen of Hearts" – July 15, 1994
14. "Plunder in Paradise" – July 22, 1994
15. "Eye for an Eye" – August 26, 1994
16. "Endangered Species" – September 9, 1994
17. "Deadly Lessons", Part One – September 16, 1994
18. "Deadly Lessons", Part Two – September 23, 1994
19. "Blast Off" – November 6, 1994
20. "Dead Reckoning" – November 13, 1994
21. "The M.A.J.O.R. and the Minor", Part One – November 20, 1994
22. "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-i interactive game. In addition to the episode itself, additional footage was filmed for use at different stages in the game. This game-exclusive footage was shot at the same time as the episode itself.^[2] (Another video game based on Thunder in Paradise, this one from Software Toolworks, was announced for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis,^[2] but never released.)

DVD release

On September 26, 2006, Lionsgate 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. Pete Beach, Florida during April 1993. When the series was picked up for a full season, the production company then moved to Disney's Hollywood Studios near Orlando, where the primary filming location became the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa 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. Stetson University in DeLand, Florida was utilized for an episode.^[3]

References

External links

• Thunder in Paradise (series) at the Internet Movie Database
  • Thunder in Paradise at the Internet Movie Database
  • Thunder in Paradise II at the Internet Movie Database
  • Thunder in Paradise 3 at the Internet Movie Database
• Thunder in Paradise (vg) at the Internet Movie Database