Would you have liked a story about the Wałbrzych Gold Train legend?

[Randy_Flagg]

Why the hell would Indiana Jones be working for the CIA in the late 40s/50s? Horrible, horrible idea. In Young Indy, he wasn't yet an academic, so your point is kind of moot.

Is it really so far fetched considering how involved he was in the first WW and how useful Indy's knowledge of language would be? (not to mention his penchant for getting out of difficult situations.)

Also, the OSS (precursor to the CIA) was known for recruiting people from all sorts of backgrounds:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/how-oss-tried-defeat-hitler-world-war-ii/593455/
>> Donovan loved misfits, and he staffed OSS with a bizarre array of talent. There were mafia contract killers and theology professors. There were bartenders, anthropologists, and pro wrestlers. There were orthodontists, ornithologists, and felons on leave from federal penitentiaries. Marlene Dietrich, Julia Child, John Steinbeck, John Wayne, Leo Tolstoy’s grandson, and a Ringling circus heir all pitched in as well.... Donovan once said, “I’d put Stalin on the OSS payroll if I thought it would help defeat Hitler.” <<

Sure, all this is before the late 40s/50s, but if you're watching Indy movies for 100% historical accuracy, surely this isn't the only thing that bothers you (you must have absolutely hated how the Thuggee were represented in TOD.)

 

[Lance Quazar]

Is it really so far fetched considering how involved he was in the first WW and how useful Indy's knowledge of language would be? (not to mention his penchant for getting out of difficult situations.)

Also, the OSS (precursor to the CIA) was known for recruiting people from all sorts of backgrounds:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/how-oss-tried-defeat-hitler-world-war-ii/593455/
>> Donovan loved misfits, and he staffed OSS with a bizarre array of talent. There were mafia contract killers and theology professors. There were bartenders, anthropologists, and pro wrestlers. There were orthodontists, ornithologists, and felons on leave from federal penitentiaries. Marlene Dietrich, Julia Child, John Steinbeck, John Wayne, Leo Tolstoy’s grandson, and a Ringling circus heir all pitched in as well.... Donovan once said, “I’d put Stalin on the OSS payroll if I thought it would help defeat Hitler.” <<

Sure, all this is before the late 40s/50s, but if you're watching Indy movies for 100% historical accuracy, surely this isn't the only thing that bothers you (you must have absolutely hated how the Thuggee were represented in TOD.)

It's "far fetched" because it's beyond Indy's interests as a character and what makes him unique. Anyone can be a spy, but Indy has specialized knowledge that be put to use doing what he does best.

The OSS is an entirely different matter, since it was during the war and everyone from every walk of life tried to pitch in as best they could, going beyond what they were doing during "normal" times. (And, because given what we know of the Indy-verse, it would be entirely likely he could still be using his specialized knowledge DURING the war, considering what his pre-war adventures were all about.)

Having Indy work for the CIA in the late 40s or 50s, though, just to "spy on the Rusians" is dumb, dumb, dumb.

 

[ThrowMeTheWhip]

It's "far fetched" because it's beyond Indy's interests as a character and what makes him unique. Anyone can be a spy, but Indy has specialized knowledge that be put to use doing what he does best.

The OSS is an entirely different matter, since it was during the war and everyone from every walk of life tried to pitch in as best they could, going beyond what they were doing during "normal" times. (And, because given what we know of the Indy-verse, it would be entirely likely he could still be using his specialized knowledge DURING the war, considering what his pre-war adventures were all about.)

Having Indy work for the CIA in the late 40s or 50s, though, just to "spy on the Rusians" is dumb, dumb, dumb.

…a whole lot of “in your opinion.”

An opinion that differs greatly from established canon where he DID specifically get recruited by the CIA in 1947.

 

[hatsie]

Wasn’t the Infernal Machine job almost exactly similar to the RotLA job? In both cases, he was ‘recruited’ by government agents, but specifically because of his academic expertise and not as a spy. The difference is also (implicitly) confirmed by this guy called Simon Turner, who points out that he himself is “just a spy” and Indy the “famous archeologist” hence establishing his scholarly merit and position.

Taking this into account, just ‘spying on the Russians’, with no particular reason other than denoting rather boring, unimaginative, and dichotomous Cold War circumstances, seems a bit out of character. They could’ve at least added some complexity to his activities in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Anyway, I guess we all care about the character in diverging ways.

 

[emtiem]

Wasn’t the Infernal Machine job almost exactly similar to the RotLA job? In both cases, he was ‘recruited’ by government agents, but specifically because of his academic expertise and not as a spy. The difference is also (implicitly) confirmed by this guy called Simon Turner, who points out that he himself is “just a spy” and Indy the “famous archeologist” hence establishing his scholarly merit and position.

Taking this into account, just ‘spying on the Russians’, with no particular reason other than denoting rather boring, unimaginative, and dichotomous Cold War circumstances, seems a bit out of character. They could’ve at least added some complexity to his activities in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

I don't think it is really; we've seen him fight the good fight (both in the films and the TV show) and he's clearly a very moral guy and also a pretty handy one who is willing to get his hands dirty. He's just been through the war, which he was obviously willing to fight in, and he knows his talents are needed and very useful to his country. His first love is obviously antiquities and academia, but that doesn't mean that he isn't willing to make a few sacrifices to help people and put that on the back burner for a while. And it's left very vague as to what exactly he and Mac were up to.

 

[Randy_Flagg]

I think what it really comes down to (for me) is that the gap from LC to KOTCS is so large that I feel like there's plenty of room for Indy to have gotten roped into pretty much anything, especially considering all the stuff we HAVE seen him get roped into (taking into account YIJ, the films, the games, etc.)
Indy being a spy isn't what I personally would have imagined him doing, but I can go along with it, especially since it didn't really have any great bearing on the plot. If the whole plot of KOTCS had just been Indy doing spy work, it might bother me, as that's not what I want to see in an Indy film. But as a piece of background info, it's fine.

To get back on topic, I agree with those who said a lost train filled with gold is a bit too small-scale and modern for an Indy film premise. It might make a fine premise for something like a Clive Cussler novel, but not an Indy film.

 

[Face_Melt]

Why the hell would Indiana Jones be working for the CIA in the late 40s/50s? Horrible, horrible idea. In Young Indy, he wasn't yet an academic, so your point is kind of moot.

What’s the issue? Technically he was working for the government in Raiders. They sent him on and financed his mission to get the Ark.

 

[hatsie]

Maybe it’s just that we assume Indy to be a rational and moral person, with ties to and friends in countries around the world, and thus not a big fan of US foreign policy throughout the Cold War. In that case, the CIA or the US government would probably be by far the worst employee during the ‘50s and ‘60s and into the ‘80s

 

[Lance Quazar]

What’s the issue? Technically he was working for the government in Raiders. They sent him on and financed his mission to get the Ark.

If you don't see the distinction, I can't help you.

 

[Face_Melt]

If you don't see the distinction, I can't help you.

Nice try.

 

[Lance Quazar]

Nice try.

Sure...