Harrison Ford has always said he prefers playing Indiana Jones over Han Solo. He’s enjoyed revisiting the character four times after the original Raiders of the Lost Ark. Actually, it’s five times! Four years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which featured Sean Connery, and fifteen years before the less-loved Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ford returned as the character in an episode of the TV show The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. The series lasted two seasons and included 28 episodes, though four of those weren’t shown when they were first made.
After the show was canceled, fans still got some closure thanks to four TV movies. But Harrison Ford’s final portrayal of adult Indiana Jones wasn’t in those movies—it was in a longer, special episode called Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues from the show’s second season.
What Is Mystery of the Blues About & How Did Ford Fit In?
Most episodes of Young Indiana Jones were around 45 minutes long. However, even before the TV movies, some episodes ran for about 90 minutes. The first episode, Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal, was one of these longer installments, as were Young Indiana Jones and the Scandal of 1920 (which featured Anne Heche) and Young Indiana Jones and the Phantom Train of Doom. The latter was co-written by Frank Darabont and starred Paul Freeman, who played René Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark, though in a different part.
“Mystery of the Blues” was the second longer-format episode, and like most others, it primarily featured Sean Patrick Flanery as the younger version of the main character. Ford appeared at the beginning and end to frame the story. The episode also starred Jeffrey Wright (known from The Batman), Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), and Keith David (The Thing).
This episode features Indy and his companion, Greycloud, fleeing from armed pursuers across the snowy landscapes of Wyoming. After crashing their truck, they seek refuge in an abandoned cabin. There, Greycloud reveals the men are after a sacred peace pipe belonging to his tribe – the same one Indy just recovered. While taking shelter, Indy shares a story of his own, and even plays a soprano saxophone.
The film flashes back to 1920, and we find young Indy at the University of Chicago, balancing his studies with a job as a waiter at Colosimo’s Restaurant. Honestly, it’s a great setup – he gets to soak up the music of the incredible Sidney Bechet, a saxophonist and clarinetist who actually plays in the restaurant. There’s a fun little scene where Eliot Ness – yes, that Eliot Ness – causes a bit of a ruckus. But it turns out Ness played sax in the army, and Bechet, impressed, gives him a soprano saxophone as a gift. It’s a charming moment that adds some nice color to the story.
As Indy and his friend bond through performing in less-than-ideal venues, they both experience the racism common during that era. Ultimately, Indy achieves his lifelong goal of playing music on stage with incredibly talented musicians.
The latter part of the episode shifts focus from Indy’s bond with Bechet to a murder investigation. Indy joins forces with Eliot Ness and a young Ernest Hemingway to discover the victim was killed by Al Brown – actually the notorious Al Capone. The saxophone still features, as the investigation begins with Bechet explaining the distinction between jazz and blues. Fittingly, with the case closed by a crooked police chief destroying the evidence, Bechet points out that Indy is now uniquely positioned to understand the blues.
The episode ends with Indy and Greycloud still inside the cabin. Their chasers arrive and grab the peace pipe, but Indy quickly creates a distraction by making a loud noise. This causes snow to fall from the trees, trapping his pursuers and giving Indy the chance to retrieve the peace pipe and return it to Greycloud.
While Ford’s role is limited to one setting in this episode, it’s a more enjoyable experience than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Even the somewhat over-the-top moment with the shaking snow is less silly overall. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles always cleverly played with historical events and figures, and The Mystery of the Blues is a great example of how well it could do that.
Do you remember watching The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles when you were a kid? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-03-13 22:44