Tropical Heat

Last updated

Tropical Heat
Tropical Heat TitleCard.JPG
Genre Action
Created bySam Egan
Starring
Opening theme"Any Way the Wind Blows"
ComposerFred Mollin
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes66 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
  • Harrell Goldstein
  • David Goldstein
  • Myron Nash
Production locations
Running timeapprox. 48 minutes
Original release
Network
  • CBS (United States)
  • IO International, SafriTel
ReleaseApril 8, 1991 (1991-04-08) 
October 18, 1993 (1993-10-18)
Related
Criss Cross

Tropical Heat (known as Sweating Bullets in the United States [1] ) is a Canadian action series produced in co-operation with Mexico and Israel that aired between April 8, 1991 to October 18, 1993.

Contents

The series ran for three seasons totaling 66 episodes. Season one was filmed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; due to tax breaks the production was eligible for under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Season two was filmed in Eilat, Israel. Season three was filmed in Pretoria, South Africa, with some sequences shot in Mauritius. [1] [2] In the United States, it aired as part of the CBS umbrella series Crimetime After Primetime .

Plot

The plot revolves around private investigator, Nick Slaughter, an ex-DEA agent, who after arriving in the fictional resort town of Key Mariah, Florida, and setting up a detective agency there, meets up with local tourist agent, beautiful Sylvie Girard, to solve a variety of different cases.

When the series was dubbed into the Spanish language for Spanish television, the series location was changed as being set in the Caribbean American Virgin Islands.

Cast

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 9April 8, 1991 (1991-04-08)June 3, 1991 (1991-06-03)
2 21September 9, 1991 (1991-09-09)June 1, 1992 (1992-06-01)
3 36September 14, 1992 (1992-09-14)October 18, 1993 (1993-10-18)

Popularity in Serbia

Nick Slaughter portrayed in Serbian comic "Strip protest", by Aleksa Gajic, released during the 1996-97 students' protests against Slobodan Milosevic's regime. Nick Slaughter in a Serbian comic from 1996.jpg
Nick Slaughter portrayed in Serbian comic "Strip protest", by Aleksa Gajić, released during the 1996–97 students' protests against Slobodan Milošević's regime.

The series was particularly popular in Serbia, where it gained cult status. In a tumultuous social environment – with a UN trade embargo imposed on the country and civil war raging nearby – Nick Slaughter's character became a tongue-in-cheek role model, particularly among urban youth, and eventually a symbol of opposition politics.

During the 1990s, the series was broadcast on four Serbian television stations – TV Politika (1992–93), NS+ (1993–94), RTS 3K (1994–95), and RTV Pink (1996–97) – and rerun numerous times. [3] Aside from its dry humor and exciting plot, the show was extremely well received because its idyllic tropical island atmosphere was an absolute contrast to mid-1990s Serbia. The reruns in the then-isolated country made the show immensely popular, turning it into a minor national cultural phenomenon.

Apparently, no one associated with the show was aware of its extraordinary popularity in Serbia until December 2008 when Canadian actor Rob Stewart who played Nick Slaughter in the series accidentally discovered it by stumbling upon a Facebook fan group named "Tropical Heat/Nick Slaughter" with some 17,000 (mostly Serbian) followers. After familiarizing himself with the cause and the circumstances of his Serbian fame, the mostly unemployed 48-year-old Stewart, along with a filmmaker friend Marc Vespi and his sister Liza, decided to attempt to make Slaughter Nick for President, a documentary about it. [4] To that end, they contacted the band Atheist Rap and it was soon arranged for Rob to appear on stage as their guest at the To Be Punk Festival in Novi Sad on June 6.

By late March 2009 the news was leaked to Serbian press and several media outlets carried items that Rob Stewart would be coming to Serbia in May or early June as guest of Atheist Rap in order to film a documentary on his character's popularity in the country during the 1990s. [5] [6] [7] Stewart and his partners contacted Srđa Popović, former activist of Otpor!, the Serbian student movement that played a significant role in eventually bringing down Milošević. On June 3, 2009, Stewart arrived in Belgrade to a hero's welcome with enormous media attention afforded to his visit. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] With Atheist Rap and Popović as their hosts and guides through Serbia, and in between the documentary shooting schedule, Stewart made the media rounds, appearing on talk shows (Piramida [14] and Fajront Republika [15] ), giving interviews, and making public appearances such as planting of the maple trees in Žarkovo with John Morrison, Canadian ambassador to Serbia.

Stewart believed that the popularity of the show was due to its portrayal of Nick Slaughter as a bumbling idiot. [16] Despite his flaws, Slaughter was however brave, honest and caring. Stewart noted that the Serbs have a very "self-deprecating" sense of humor, so Slaughter's bumbling idiot qualities appealed to them. [16] Stewart also noted during his visit to Serbia that he was told by countless people that they loved the character because of his indomitable qualities and his refusal to give up, which matches with the Serb self-image. [16]

As a result of their June 2009 stay in Belgrade and Novi Sad, a six-minute documentary promo was put together and entered in the Roma Fiction Fest in Rome, Italy on July 8, 2009 under the "work in progress" section. [17]

Movie sequel

Two episodes of the show were re-edited into a feature-length film, Criss Cross. IMDb states this received a release in 2001.

Home media

Tango Entertainment released the complete series on DVD on January 8, 2008 in a 9-disc set entitled Tropical Heat: Sweating Bullets Complete series. [18]

On March 16, 2021, Mill Creek Entertainment will release Tropical Heat- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atheist Rap</span> Serbian punk rock band

Atheist Rap is a Serbian punk rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1989, which has released six studio albums, one compilation album and one live DVD. Their music is often characterized as "fun punk" due to its cheerful music and vocals. Their lyrics are usually critical of society and politics and are often humorous accounts of everyday events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aca Lukas</span> Serbian singer (born 1968)

Aleksandar Vuksanović, better known by his stage name Aca Lukas, is a Serbian pop-folk singer and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exit (festival)</span> Summer music festival in Novi Sad, Serbia

Exit is a summer music festival which is held at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. Founded in 2000, it has twice won the Best Major Festival award at the European Festivals Awards, for 2013 and 2017. EXIT has also won the "Best European Festival" award at the UK Festival Awards in 2007. In March 2018 Regional Cooperation Council awarded EXIT Festival as Champion of Regional Cooperation for 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Čukarica</span> Municipality in Belgrade, Serbia

Čukarica is a municipality of the city of Belgrade, Serbia.

<i>Blic</i> Serbian newspaper

Blic is a daily middle-market tabloid newspaper in Serbia. Founded in 1996, Blic is owned by Ringier Axel Springer Media AG, a joint venture between Ringier media corporation from Switzerland and Axel Springer AG from Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radomir Antić</span> Serbian footballer and manager (1948–2020)

Radomir Antić was a Serbian professional football manager and player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ognjen Koroman</span> Serbian footballer and manager

Ognjen Koroman is a Serbian football manager and former professional player.

Crimetime After Primetime is the umbrella title for a group of late-night crime-investigation shows that debuted at various times on CBS during 1991 and 1992, running through late summer of 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Stewart (actor)</span> Canadian actor

Rob Stewart is a Canadian actor, known for the lead role of Nick Slaughter in the action-comedy television series Tropical Heat, and his recurring roles as Roan in Nikita and Khlyen in Killjoys.

Ana Nikolić is a Serbian singer and television personality. Born in Jagodina and raised in Paraćin, she rose to prominence by competing in the Beovizija 2003 music festival with the song "Januar". Nikolić has to date released five studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accession of Serbia to the European Union</span> Ongoing accession process of Serbia to the EU

Serbia applied to join the European Union (EU) in 2009 and has been a candidate for membership since 2012, along with nine other states. Serbia is the largest country in Southeast Europe seeking entry into the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OFK Žarkovo</span> Serbian football club

OFK Žarkovo is a football club based in Žarkovo, Belgrade, Serbia. They compete in the Belgrade Zone League, the fourth tier of the national league system.

<i>Tears for Sale</i> 2008 Serbian drama film

Tears for Sale, also known internationally as Charleston & Vendetta or also as Funeral Brides, is a 2008 Serbian drama film.

<i>Fajront Republika</i> Serbian TV series or program

Fajront Republika was a Serbian talk show / sketch show that aired weekly on 1Prva from December 2008 until June 2011.

<i>Žar Ptica</i> 2009 studio album by Aleksandra Radović

Žar Ptica is the third album from the Serbian singer Aleksandra Radović, released by City Records on 19 June 2009. The album was produced and arranged in Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia, in famous studios of Aleksandra Milutinović, Nikša Bratoš and Darko Dimitrov. She composed and wrote lyric for altogether 4 songs. Songs like "Bivši dragi", "Brod budala", "Ni zadnji, ni prvi" become popular in very short time. Album gained immediately success in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Macedonia and was top selling album for 3 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prva Srpska Televizija</span> Serbian national television network

Prva or Prva Srpska Televizija, is a Serbian commercial television network with national coverage.

Zorica Brunclik is a Serbian singer. Known for her signature hot pink colored hair, she is recognized as one of the most successful Serbian folk singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikola Milenković</span> Serbian footballer (born 1997)

Nikola Milenković is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Serbia national team.

The BFS Cup, commonly known as the Cup of Serbia, or the League Cup of Serbia, is the 2nd-tier national basketball cup of Serbia. It is run by the Basketball Federation of Serbia.

References

  1. 1 2 Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh (2003). "Sweating Bullets (Detective)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (Eighth ed.). New York City: Ballantine Books. p. 1158. ISBN   978-0-345-45542-0.
  2. "TROPICAL HEAT – Sweating Bullets". Members.tripod.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  3. "How a Canadian TV detective became a political hero in Serbia". Daily Herald. June 30, 2012.
  4. "Canada's Batman of the Balkans". The Globe and Mail. Canada. July 27, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  5. "Nik Sloter u Srbiji!". MTSmondo.com. March 29, 2009. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  6. "Nick Slaughter među Srbima". Popboks.com. March 30, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  7. "Nik Sloter u Srbiji". Blic.rs. March 29, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  8. "Sloter: Mislio sam da je sve šala". Blic.rs. March 4, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  9. "Nik Sloter: Promeniću sliku o Srbima". MTSMondo.com. June 3, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  10. "Sloteru Niče, Srbija ti kliče!". MTSMondo.com. June 3, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  11. ""Nik Sloter" stigao u Srbiju". B92.net. June 3, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  12. "Kajsijevača je jaka, pijem je polako". Blic.rs. June 6, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  13. "Slaughter: Zarkovo is in my heart". Blic.rs. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  14. PECEMK1 (June 25, 2009). "Piramida". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. balsaboskovic (July 3, 2009). "Fajront Republika". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 Belluz, Julia (July 24, 2009). "Meet Canada's Batman of the Balkans". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  17. inmexile. "Slaughter Nick For President – Quest for Serbia". Youtube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  18. "Tropical Heat: Sweating Bullets Complete Series: Rob Stewart, Various: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  19. "Tropical Heat - Complete Series". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 2, 2021.