This one? Any other TV shows or movies you recall about Africa?

Cal, I never heard of that one. It lookes like fun. Brian

Not sure that is real .

It appears to be a picture from a TV show called The Rifleman. The older star was Chuck Connors. I think the kid Johnny something or another .

Chuck Connors played in both Major League Baseball and the NBA.

Cal, thanks for sharing. That looks like an interesting series to find and watch.

I didn't know he played in the NBA. Must have been quite an athlete.

Chuck played 2 years for the Celtics. At 6’5” or so he was tall for the 1940’s.

Cal, most folks who might remember that show are now taking dirt naps :-)

Like much TV of that era, it seems pretty forgettable to me.

Hatari 1962 with the Duke...

Biebs that's funny...

I remember the series and the movie well. They were both childhood favorites.

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
Biebs that's funny...

No it’s not. I remember both shows. I’m a young 73!

There are some WILD CARGO shows posted on youtube. Great show for the time considering the difficulty in filming.



WILD CARGO
This syndicated documentary show featured films of wild animals, expeditions to Africa and South America, and other hunting trips by adventurer Arthur Jones.


As hard as it often is to dig up information on obscure network shows, it’s harder still to find out anything about many syndicated programs. Because they may not have aired in the entire country, there may not have been much media coverage, making it difficult to research them. I ran into this problem with a show called Wild Cargo. It isn’t listed in The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (at least not in the eighth edition) and its entry in Total Television is all of two lines:

Half-hour documentary series on capturing wild animals for zoos. Arthur Jones was the host.

According to Total Television, it was released in 1963. The same information is included in The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1976. That wasn’t much to work with. It turns out that Arthur Jones, the man who hosted Wild Cargo, later went on to invent the Nautilus line of exercise equipment in 1970. In the late 1950s, however, he was appearing on television shows like I Search for Adventure and Bold Journey, presenting films of his successful expeditions to Africa and South America.

For example, on June 6th, 1957, he was on I Search for Adventure (a syndicated documentary series; this particular episode was shown in Los Angeles) with a film that showed him “capturing giant African reptiles for shipment to the United States” [1]. On September 22nd, 1958, he appeared on ABC’s Bold Journey with film of “an expedition into the African Congo jungle to capture the great apes of the region” [2]. Another episode of I Search for Adventure, shown in Los Angeles on March 26th, 1959, he showed “how he captured 25 alligators and crocodiles by wrestling with them” [3].

Although Total Television and The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1979 indicated otherwise, Wild Cargo debuted in syndication in New York City on Wednesday, February 15th, 1961. It was broadcast by WPIX from 10:30-11PM. In its television listings, The New York Times simply wrote “Film series on big-game hunting” [4].

In the opening credits, a man named Mel Levitt (I’m not sure of the spelling) appears to be the host, not Arthur Jones. Episode descriptions in The New York Times included “Hunting cheetah and elephants with pistol in Africa,” “Hunting the beaded lizard and the boa in Mexico,” “Rattlesnake round-up” and “Hunting the javalina and the kinkajou in Mexico.” If the television listings in The New York Times are accurate, a total of 29 episodes were shown before the series went into repeats in August of 1961; a handful of additional new episodes may have been shown in June of 1962 before WPIX dropped the show.

In Chicago, Wild Cargo premiered on WGN on Tuesday, January 16th, 1962, airing from 8:30-9PM (local time). Television listings in The Chicago Tribune indicate there were a total of 34 episodes; repeats began in November of 1962 and continued through August of 1964. Episode descriptions in that paper were more in-depth. A choice selection:

A documentary film hunting the Asiatic buffalo and a filmed look at the primitive Australian aborigine native dance

Natives making rope for use in capturing elephants, setting up elephant traps, killing of tigers during the night, and an attempt to capture a man-killing leopard.

A native hunter uses an ancient muzzle loading musket to hunt his prey. Various scenes of antelope, zebra and giraffe.

An attempt to locate native game poachers is highlighted by a look at various methods of killing animals by the poachers.

Hunting the Louisiana swamps for alligators, jungle rats, giant snapping turtles and black widow spiders. Shooting jungle rats with a bow and arrow for food for alligators in captivity, collecting alligator eggs, and catching water snakes.

Arthur Jones and Peter Hankin attempt to drive out and remove all types of animals serving as hosts to the deadly tsetse fly, a carrier of the sleeping sickness.

Wild Cargo also aired in Los Angeles, beginning Monday, May 28th, 1962 on KCOP. Several articles in The Chicago Tribune stated that the show was broadcast in color. The Paley Center for media has two episodes of Wild Cargo in its collection.

Arthur Jones died on August 28, 2007. He was 80.

Kathi, Interesting. Thanks, I must check it out. Brian

Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom spent a lot of time in Africa as I recall.

Ivan Tors the producer of Cowboy in Africa son was my PH in Namibia. Steve Tors is a PH for Jan Oelofse Hunting Safaris. Ivan was friends with Jan and Steve moved there years ago. Great PH.

quote:

Originally posted by delloro:
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom spent a lot of time in Africa as I recall.

Now that was a great show! I can still hum that theme song and see Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler in my mind's eye.

As I recall, Marlin always managed to foist the most dangerous assignments on Jim.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:

quote:

Originally posted by delloro:
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom spent a lot of time in Africa as I recall.

Now that was a great show! I can still hum that theme song and see Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler in my mind's eye.

As I recall, Marlin always managed to foist the most dangerous assignments on Jim.

Marlin was a smart guy…

Saw the Africa Texas Style movie, didn't know there was a TV show.

I don't think Chuck Conners was in the movie.

quote:

Originally posted by delloro:
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom spent a lot of time in Africa as I recall.

Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom was by far my favorite show as a kid. Every Sunday evening I was watching Wild Kindom.

Another old fart that grew up
with these old shows.

They seemed nearly real back then.

Hell, what about Gene Autry's Flying A Ranch??

Anyone besides me know where it is yet?

East of Pueblo CO, hwy 50, just west of Fowler
Then south on 62nd lane, and back east a bit.

Last I was there hunting antelope and shooting prairie dogs Mike Majors owned it. One big short grass pasture of 20,000 acres. One fence down the middle to keep cows and horses apart.

Place that adjoins on the South is 40,000 and not a fence on it.

The Flying A Bunkhouse is a mile away on 62nd Lane. That's the tallest barn I've ever seen. Bet it's a 100' tall.

George

quote:

Originally posted by K Evans:

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:

quote:

Originally posted by delloro:
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom spent a lot of time in Africa as I recall.

Now that was a great show! I can still hum that theme song and see Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler in my mind's eye.

As I recall, Marlin always managed to foist the most dangerous assignments on Jim.

Marlin was a smart guy…

I am not sure how smart ole Marlin was. When I think of this show I remember an episode when Marlin was wrestling an anaconda in a pond. Jim had to "rescue" him at one point. It was my favorite show as a kid but Marlin did push the macho stuff at time!