With the fifth and final installment of the Harrison Ford Indiana Jones franchise set to release at the end of the week, a time of reflection for many Indiana Jones-related media (books, video games, television series etc.) has come for many fans of the series. One of those topics being the 4th film installment Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull from 2008.



Despite mostly being disliked by hardcore fans upon release, some have since come to admire the few highlights the film did have 15 years later. Some even defend the character of Mutt Williams, aka Henry Jones III, played by Shia LaBeouf. The character was the son of the legendary Dr. Jones and Marion Ravenwood (The love interest from Raiders of the Lost Arc). But did you know that this wasn’t the first time Shia LaBeouf went searching for lost treasure?



Years prior, young Shia was the co-star of the Disney Channel series called Even Stevens, which ran from 2000 – 2003. In the series, LaBeouf played Louis Stevens, the youngest child of the household who would often get into mischief with his friends.  He would also get into confrontations with his older sister Ren (Played by: Christie Carlson Romano).



On May 31st, 2002 episode 50 (the 7th episode of Season 3) premiered on the Disney Channel. The episode was titled “Raiders of the Lost Sausage” and revolved around Louis and his friends discovering a hidden tunnel in his basement and trying to find the lost treasure of a local sausage baron who used to own the property that his house was built on.



Louis and his friends begin digging a hole in the basement resembling a mine. Eventually, Louis’ father, Steve (Played by: Tom Virtue), finds out and sees it as another one of Louis’ get-rich-quick schemes and tells him to stop. But eventually, after thinking it over, he feels bad and decides to help Louis find the treasure.



Eventually, the two break through and find a chamber resembling that of the opening to Raiders of the Lost Arc. The treasure itself is a solid gold sausage encrusted in various jewels at the center of the room.



They approach the sausage, but before they take it, Louis stops Steve and says there could be a trap. Using the “I saw a guy in a movie once” line, they try to use a rock as a counterweight. Upon the successful switch, the two dance around, only for Steve to accidentally knock the rock over, causing a cave-in.



Louis and Steve run for the exit, only for the floor to collapse, similar to The Last Crusade.  Louis is seemingly trapped, and he jumps but accidentally drops the sausage causing it to fall into the pit below. The two narrowly escape and find themselves back in their basement. Feeling bad, Steve tries to cheer Louis up by offering to make him an omelet as they walk back upstairs. 

While definitely a funny episode of the series itself, it is rather ironic that the actor who would eventually play the son of Indiana Jones did a parody six years prior. Imagine if they had made some kind of joke or reference involving Mutt and a giant sausage. That could have been interesting.



What do you think? Was Shia LaBeouf a good addition to the Indiana Jones franchise?

Do you think his parodying the series helped him in his role?

Would you risk your life for a solid gold sausage? Comment and let us know!