Bruce Campbell: Dashing trivia about the swashbuckling Jack of All Trades

Bruce Campbell has played some memorable characters over the years. Perhaps one that tends to get lost in the shuffle is Jack Stiles (a.k.a. the Daring Dragoon) from the short-lived series, Jack of All Trades. So, we are going to remedy that by looking at some dashing trivia about the show.

The Daring Dragoon

Bruce Campbell starred in a fun series called Jack of All Trades 18 years ago. This was a departure for the horror icon who was used to being steeped in blood and gore. Jack on the other hand, was an exercise in frivolity and a direct descendent of the screwball comedies of the 30’s.

The actor played Jack Stiles, a 19th century American spy and charming rogue who was assigned to Palau-Palau as the partner of British spy, Emilia Rothschild (Angela Marie Dotchin). Together the two were on a mission to prevent Napoleon from taking over the world.

Needless to say, Emilia was beautiful and the chemistry between the two characters was off the charts. She also happened to be a very intelligent inventor so in addition to the swordplay and the daring do, there was a steampunk element to the series for a little extra flavor.

Jack had an alter ego known as the Daring Dragoon. Very similar to Zorro, he had a cape and a mask and would appear when Stiles needed to get out of a jam.

For those of you that have never seen the series, I highly recommend it. You can purchase Jack of All Trades, the DVD collection on Amazon for $15.46.

If you were a regular viewer back in the day, you will remember that it was part of a one-hour double feature block called Back2Back Action with Cleopatra 2525. To get you in the mood for a binge marathon, let’s look at some dashing trivia about this Bruce Campbell show.

Dashing Trivia

Just like Brisco County, Jr., Jack had a faithful steed. His was aptly named Nutcracker. Why the unusual moniker? For obvious reasons, since Stiles would always mount his horse by jumping out of a window or some such stunt.

Jack’s alter ego, the Daring Dragoon was inspired by a doll! In a comedic bit that reminds me of Carol Burnett’s classic Gone with the Wind skit that revolved around Scarlett O’Hara’s dress (“I saw it in a window”), Stiles fashions his cape out of curtains while his mask is courtesy of Emilia’s lingerie, so to speak.

One of the episodes, X Marquis the Spot had quite a few gags revolving around S&M since the featured historical personage of the day was the legendary Marquis de Sade. Jack wore a collar around his neck because he was designated as Emilia’s pet. For those of you needing a visual:

Bruce Campbell – Pet – Courtesy of Renaissance Pictures

If the catchy theme song sounds familiar, there is a reason for that. It is based on the Marines’ Hymn and even mentions The Halls of Montezuma in the lyrics.

Check out the original song:

Now, here is Jack’s theme song:

The location for the show, Pulau-Pulau was actually patterned after the real east Indian island of Pulau. Which fans of Survivor will recognize as the location for season 10 of the series.

I was fortunate enough to find this old Entertainment Tonight spot with Bruce discussing Jack of All Trades and how to deal with the press in New Zealand. Check it out!

Jack of All Trades is a series that should have had a longer life span. Although Bruce is now selectively retired, it would be nice to see him show up in a light-hearted zany comedy some time. After all, he does have a flair for it!

Are you a fan of the Daring Dragoon? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. We want to hear from you.