Mikes Film Talk

Tuning into the new offering from CBS called Tracker I found it felt a little familiar. It may just be me but the show’s main character feels like a pale version of Travis McGee. The “tanned beachcomber” who is also a “rewardist.” Although Trav, all 6’4″ of him, found things lost, or stolen, for half of their salvageable value. As Travis himself explains, half is better than nothing.

Colton Shaw gets paid the quoted price on delivery.

I am not calling out Jeffery Deaver, for imitating John D MacDonald’s hero, far from it. I have not read The Never Game and have no idea what was changed for the series. Deaver’s “tracker” for money just makes me think of McGee. Perhaps a tad wistfully, as I miss the war veteran turned Maritime Salvage Consultant.

MacDonald was the man responsible for giving us the tales of McGee. His tall tanned hero, “with spit coloured eyes” had a total of 21 adventures, for lack of a better term, and I have read and reread all of these over the years. So consequently any hero who “tracks” things for monetary recompense makes me think instantly of McGee.

A horse of a different colour

Not wanting to seem too far out there, I would point out that each hero has does have a “special” living accommodation. Travis McGee lived on the Busted Flush, a houseboat won in a poker game, hence the catchy name. Colter Shaw lives in an “old school” (The publicity machine’s term not mine.) Airstream trailer. A sort of landlocked Busted Flush, if you will.

Colter does not drive anything nearly as unusual as McGee’s Miss Agnes, a Rolls Royce pickup truck amalgamation painted an unusual shade of blue. The name is taken from a fourth grade teacher Trav remembers with the same colour hair. Shaw drives a pickup truck, all the better to tow that trailer. Shaw also seems to track down people.

At least that is what the first episode of Tracker focuses on. Travis also tracked down missing folks, but his activities were varied to say the least.

McGee chases down missing items for money. All this goes toward his early retirement. Retirement he takes when not working on those special cases. He lives in Ft Lauderdale in boatslip F-18. His best friend is an economist named Meyer. The two men are physical and mental opposites. Meyer does help out his best friend repeatedly in various endeavours.

Colter, by contrast, has no close best buddy. His only outside connection are the married ladies who act as his handler. His Airstream trailer has no cute name and he does not drive any sort of “odd” hybrid vehicle.

Both men are, apparently, irresistible to the ladies. Although Travis McGee is attracted to the broken ones.

Deadly dealings

In terms of death? McGee’s trials and tribulations involve a generous amount of death and violence. Nothing over the top, but it is there. So far, in episode one of Colton Shaw’s adventures only two dead bodies turn up. *More like one really as the second one was in the past.*

Tracker does seem fairly interesting. To be honest though, it also feels a little like the film Pavement but without a serial killer theme. Regardless of the tenuous connections I have made here, the show was entertaining.

At least Deaver’s character got a television series. MacDonald’s vision of McGee was made into a film, with Rod Taylor as the beachbum and one made for TV movie with Sam Elliot in the lead role.

Although the perfect McGee could have been the late actor Darren McGavin. He provided the voice and narration of MacDonald’s audio versions of the book. If I close my eyes I can just hear him now.

Tracker may well seem like a pale version of Travis McGee, all landlocked and with his own handlers. But this new guy is not saving for his early retirement and his “best” friend is a techno wiz. He also, in terms of deadly dealings, has a lower body count.

Paramount + is streaming this new show right now. Check it out and see what you think.