Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes? — Indiana Jones

On the beaches of Hawaii in the summer of 1977, George Lucas and "director for hire" Steven Spielberg decided to make an adventure movie that hearkened back to the old, cheaply made adventure serials of the 1930s. George Lucas had a story idea for an adventurous archaeologist named Indiana Jones, and Raiders of the Lost Ark was born.

Indiana Jones has become an iconic figure in film history, right up there with Luke Skywalker, E.T., the shark from Jaws and Rick Blaine from Casablanca. Perhaps the genius was in making him both an adventurer and a scientist — a stud and a thinker — a winning combination. By being equal parts wits and brawn, Indy broke the mold of the traditional action hero. While John Wayne spent countless films tromping the west and being the strong hero, bookish intelligence was never his thing. Indiana Jones' obvious intelligence gave the character an extra dimension and believability. By making Indy the prominent archaeologist, Dr. Jones, Lucas made the audience believe that Indy was smart enough to get out of any situation.

The tremendous success of the Indiana Jones films is due in no small measure to Harrison Ford's underplayed performance as Indiana Jones. Ford doesn't force anything; he lets the action come to him. In the way the old time stars like Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart often seemed like they were playing parts that were simply an extension of themselves, Ford seems comfortable in Indy's skin, as though he was always meant to wear Indiana Jones' leather jacket and handle his bullwhip. With history in the rear view mirror, it's hard to hard to believe Tom Selleck was originally offered the role. Thankfully, he was tied up with a little show called Magnum P.I.

The tagline of the movie poster said it all: "The Return of the Great Adventure." Raiders of the Lost Ark had action, romance, and comedy wrapped up in a tidy package. In a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman with a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, Indiana Jones is a mysterious, driven, fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy. Indiana Jones is approached by the United States government about retrieving one of the greatest treasures in history, the Ark of the Covenant. The government is afraid that the Nazis, who are feverishly searching for it themselves, will find the treasure before the United States can recover it.

Jones sets out on a mission to borrow an amulet, important in the discovery of the Ark from his ex-lover Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). As it turns out, the Nazis are looking for the amulet as well, and Indy arrives just in time. Marion and Indiana are forced to work together if they are to gave any hope of recovering the Ark.