Daktari facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daktari |
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Clarence and Judy
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| Genre | Children's drama Adventure |
| Created by | Art Arthur Ivan Tors |
| Written by | William Clark Meyer Dolinsky Lawrence L. Goldman Alf Harris John Hogan Jack Jacobs Robert Lees Robert Lewin D.D. Oldland S.S. Schweitzer Stanley H. Silverman Malvin Wald |
| Directed by | Paul Landres Andrew Marton Otto Lang |
| Starring | Marshall Thompson Cheryl Miller Hari Rhodes Yale Summers Hedley Mattingly |
| Theme music composer | Shelly Manne Henry Vars |
| Composer(s) | Herbert Doerfel Shelly Manne Henry Vars |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 89 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ivan Tors |
| Producer(s) | Leonard B. Kaufman |
| Cinematography | William A. Fraker Fred Mandl Paul Ivano Richard Moore |
| Editor(s) | George Hively |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Ivan Tors Productions Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television |
| Distributor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television (1969-1970) Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Metrocolor |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | January 11, 1966 – January 15, 1969 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion |
Daktari is an exciting American TV show that aired from 1966 to 1969. The word "Daktari" means "doctor" in Swahili. The series was made by Ivan Tors Films and MGM Television. It stars Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian who cares for animals.
The show is set in East Africa at the Wameru Study Center for Animal Behavior. It's all about adventure and helping wildlife.
Contents
Meet the Animal Doctor and His Team
The show follows Dr. Tracy, his daughter Paula (Cheryl Miller), and their dedicated staff. They work hard to protect animals from dangers like poachers. Poachers are people who illegally hunt animals. They also help local officials manage wildlife.
Dr. Tracy had two very special animal friends. One was a lion named Clarence, who was famous for being cross-eyed. The other was a clever chimpanzee named Judy. Both Clarence and Judy were very popular characters on the show.
How the Show Started
Daktari was inspired by a 1965 movie called Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion. Marshall Thompson and Cheryl Miller also starred in that movie. The idea for the show came from producer Ivan Tors. He was inspired by the real-life work of Dr. Antonie Marinus Harthoorn and his wife Sue. They ran an animal orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya.
Dr. Harthoorn was known as "Daktari" by the local Swahili people. He helped invent a special gun to safely capture animals. He also worked tirelessly to protect animal rights.
About Clarence the Lion
Clarence the lion was a big star, but he didn't do all his own stunts. Another lion named Leo sometimes filled in for him. Leo was used for scenes that involved trucks, because Clarence was scared of them. Leo even had makeup applied to look just like Clarence!
Another lion, also named Leo, was used for roaring scenes. This lion was not as friendly and was only used when humans were not close by.
In the final season of the show, a young actress named Erin Moran joined the cast. She played Jenny Jones, a seven-year-old orphan. Jenny became part of the Tracy family.
Main Characters
Here are the main actors and characters from Daktari:
- Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy: The kind veterinarian who leads the animal center.
- Cheryl Miller as Paula Tracy: Dr. Tracy's adventurous daughter.
- Hedley Mattingly as District Officer Hedley: A local official who works with the team.
- Hari Rhodes as Mike Makula: A skilled member of the animal center staff.
- Yale Summers as Jack Dane (1966–1968): Another helpful staff member.
- Ross Hagen as Bart Jason (1968–1969): He joined the team later in the series.
- Erin Moran as Jenny Jones (1968–1969): The young orphan who joins the Tracy household.
- Judy the Chimp as Judy: The smart and playful chimpanzee.
Clarence the Lion passed away on July 14, 1969, at the age of 7. This was about six months after the show stopped airing on CBS.
Guest Stars
Many famous actors appeared on Daktari as guest stars. Some of them include Louis Gossett Jr., Sterling Holloway, and Paul Winfield.
Bruno the Bear also made an appearance. He later became famous for playing the main bear in another Ivan Tors series called Gentle Ben.
Episodes Guide
The Daktari series had four seasons. The first season aired in early 1966. The next three seasons started in September of 1966, 1967, and 1968. You can find a full list of all the episodes. List of Daktari episodes
Show Popularity
Daktari was a very popular show when it first aired in the US on CBS. In its first season (1965–66), it was the 14th most-watched show. The next year (1966–67), it became even more popular, reaching the 7th spot! It was tied with other famous shows like Bewitched and The Beverly Hillbillies.
The show was also broadcast in other countries. People in the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany watched it. It was even shown in France, where it was dubbed into French.
Watch Daktari at Home
If you want to watch Daktari today, you can! Warner Bros. has released all four seasons of the show on DVD. These DVDs are available in Region 1.
See also
In Spanish: Daktari para niños
