I just spent some time tonight with a fellow that was one of my earliest inspirations for my interest in Africa. I'm curious how many of you used to watch at 7pm on Sunday nights--right before Walt Disney--Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom? Remember Jim Fowler, the guy that Marlin always sent in to wrestle the crocodiles and such? Jim lives about 15 minutes from me and he hosted a fund raiser for our zoo tonight at his farm. I hadn't been out there since I was in high school. He has herds of eland, zebra, and ostrich running around out there now, just as he did back in the '70's.
Jim had a friend of his showing all the things he could do with his falcon as it swooped in and grabbed a piece of meat. Jim uses two canes to get around now, but he's still sharp as a tack and regularly makes speeches in New York. He has one coming up at the Waldorf Astoria with a couple of astronauts. He's going to bring some strange looking African creatures and somehow tie in space travel with the bizarre things we see on safaris.
It was great to visit with him tonight as it seems much of what fascinates me about things we chat about on this forum started with him.

Loved that show as a kid...watched it every weekend

quote:

Originally posted by CaneCorso:
Loved that show as a kid...watched it every weekend

+ONE....me too...it has inspired me truly

quote:

Originally posted by CaneCorso:
Loved that show as a kid...watched it every weekend

I loved watching that show too, seems I remember Marlin Perkins always saying something like "Jim will now attempt to ride this dangerous Cape Buffalo, while I watch from down stream through these high powered glasses!"

I vividly recall Jim Fowler wrestling a monstrous green anaconda, armpit-deep in some dark South American swamp, and as he falls over for the umpteenth time with several monstrous scaly coils wrapping around his chest and arms, Marlin Perkins' cheerful voice-over: "Well, Jim's really in trouble now..."

Good times!

My favorite show as a kid, hell I still watch it.

it was THE only show
maybe you would catch jack cousto.
following mutual of omaha's wild kingdom
came Lawrence Welk,
grandparents used to dance in the front room...

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:
it was THE only show
maybe you would catch jack cousto.
following mutual of omaha's wild kingdom
came Lawrence Welk,
grandparents used to dance in the front room...

Lawrence Welk, yep I was thinking that as I remembered Wild Kingdom. I watched at the Grandparent's house, too.

Good times! (Of course as a kid I didn't realize it like I do now)

Guess it kind of shows my age, but I watched it also.

Youtube is full of the old Wild Kingdom videos. Here's a great one on the Okavango Delta. As a contrast, here's one on Jim Fowler that was made about 3 months ago out at Jim's farm where we were last night.
Great stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by jwm:
I vividly recall Jim Fowler wrestling a monstrous green anaconda, armpit-deep in some dark South American swamp, and as he falls over for the umpteenth time with several monstrous scaly coils wrapping around his chest and arms, Marlin Perkins' cheerful voice-over: "Well, Jim's really in trouble now..."

...while watching through high powered glasses.

I was 3 or 4 when Wild Kingdom was on TV. I still remember obsessing about when is it going to be on again. Probably drove my parents nuts. Loved it.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
I was 3 or 4 when Wild Kingdom was on TV. I still remember obsessing about when is it going to be on again. Probably drove my parents nuts. Loved it.

You may have had a crush on Jim?

For me it was Curt Gowdy and "The American Sportsman"

Sadly, Fred Bear's polar bear hunt did in that show. But I remember being a kid and my dad watching that show religiously.

Actually, my inspiration for Africa came as a kid in about 3rd grade. I remember an African diorama that we built, complete with plastic toy African animals.

Yep, between Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and Daktari, it was just a matter of time.

I seem to remember him jumping out of a helicopter on to a moose and thinking that this guy was the toughest guy in the world.

Anybody think Steve Irwin was their inspiration to hunt crocodiles?

Before someone jumps on my case, I am not comparing Steve Irwin to Jim Fowler!

RB,

wash your mouth out with soap!!

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by RBHunt:
Anybody think Steve Irwin was their inspiration to hunt crocodiles?

Before someone jumps on my case, I am not comparing Steve Irwin to Jim Fowler!

He was the inspiration for my stingray skin boots ! HEEEEYYYYYOOOOO ! ! !

quote:

Originally posted by wetdog2084:
I seem to remember him jumping out of a helicopter on to a moose and thinking that this guy was the toughest guy in the world.

In the Okavango video above as Jim is backing off an upset elephant bull at a water hole by throwing a little stick at it, I started thinking the same thing! That said, you can't help but wonder if a double rifle was somewhere in the background....

Just a note about Irwin, in his early shows he used his dog quite a lot to rough up and capture pigs and I seem to remember him mentioning that Oz was overtaken with ferals and don't feel sorry for ferals, etc. He later took the peta route.