The Last Chance Detectives is a series of Christian television movies, and later a radio drama series created by Robert Vernon and produced by Focus on the Family[1] in the mid-1990s.
The production of each video episode cost approximately one million USD.[2]
The series focused on four preteen "sleuths"[3][4]
who solve mysteries in their fictional small town of Ambrosia, Arizona. When the radio shows were airing, Canyon Quest, a prequel book to the show, was released.
Plot
12-year-old Mike Fowler lives in the fictional small town of Ambrosia, Arizona with his apparently widowed mother and his paternal grandparents. The family runs the Last Chance Gas and Diner highway stop near the town's municipal limits, as well as the small hangar and airstrip nearby. The diner property is also home to Lady Liberty, a B-17 Bomber[5] flown by Mike's grandfather in World War II; it is in the plane that Mike and his three friends—Ben Jones, Winnona "Winnie" Whitefeather, and Spencer Williams – run their detective agency called the "Last Chance Detectives". Together, they solve mysteries and have adventures, while learning Christian morals.
Radio albums
The radio series included a brand new cast, and Jason Whittaker, from Adventures in Odyssey in the first album. Both made by Focus on the Family, the two series were partially joined for this series. Three albums were created:
The Last Chance Detectives: The Day Ambrosia Stood Still
The Last Chance Detectives: Mystery of the Lost Voices
The Last Chance Detectives: Last Flight of the Dragon Lady
Film series
Escape from Fire Lake's cover
The Last Chance Detectives television films were filmed at Kingman Airport in Kingman, Arizona. Focus on the Family Films paid $3,000 to lease the land to film it there.[6] There were three films created:
The Last Chance Detectives: Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa
The Last Chance Detectives: Legend of the Desert Bigfoot
The Last Chance Detectives: Escape from Fire Lake
Book series
Book #1: The Last Chance Detectives: Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa
Book #2: The Last Chance Detectives: Legend of the Desert Bigfoot
Book #3: The Last Chance Detectives: Escape from Fire Lake
Book #4: The Last Chance Detectives: Terror from Outer Space
Book #5: The Last Chance Detectives: Revenge of the Phantom Hot Rod
Book #6: The Last Chance Detectives: Quest for the King's Crown
Characters
Mike Fowler:[7] Mike's father and grandfather both served in the Air Force as pilots. Mike's family is the most examined in the series—when he was six (according to the opening of the first video episode, Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa), his father was listed by the airforce as "Missing in Action" after the aircraft he was flying exploded in midflight. While it appears that he has died in the video episodes, the radio episodes indicate that Mike's father may still be alive, and merely suffering from a case of amnesia sustained after ejecting from the plane. Mike is the leader of the group having formed the Last Chance Detectives as a way to hone his detective skills in the hope that one day he might find his dad. He is rarely seen without his leather flight jacket, pocket Bible and the compass his dad gave him the last time they were together. In the film series he was played by Ryan Calhoun. In the radio series, he was voiced by Adam Wylie.
Winnona "Winnie" Whitefeather: Eleven-year-old Winnie lives on the Navajo reservation with her family and helps out at her Grandmother's trading post. Winnie is a talented artist - especially when it comes to sketching. She knows the desert like the back of her hand and is an expert on Navajo traditions and folklore. She finds cases for the team to solve, and is often involved in conflict with Ben. In the film series, Winnie was played by Crystle Lightning. In the radio series, she was voiced by Mae Whitman.
Spence Martin: Spence is the group's technical expert who spends his time refurbishing electronic devices (most of which are found in the B-17) for use in solving cases. His father is a geologist working in the vicinity. Even though he is the youngest of the group, Spence serves as the voice of reason of the group and uses his genius and creativity to solve problems. In the film series Spence was played by David Netter. In the radio series, he was voiced by AJ Noel. He is the only black character in the show.
Ben Jones: Ben is somewhat lazy, overweight, and reads comic books when he's not playing video games. He comes up with wild conspiracy theories and speaks in a highly animated way. He's certainly not the bravest of the gang and often jumps at his own shadow. He's Mike's loyal best friend, but often clashes with Winnie. Ben's parents own the Wig-Wam Motor Motel where he sometimes is forced to help out. In the film series Ben was played by Davin Carey. In the radio series, he was voiced by Daryl Sabara.[1]
Airings
The Last Chance Detectives currently airs on JellyTelly and KDSO-LD the Dove TV.
^Ferguson, Tim W.; Lee, Josephine (1997-01-27). "Spiritual reality". Forbes. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-03. Last Chance Detectives, patterned after the Hardy Boys stories and produced for $1 million an episode with Focus on the Family
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