I enjoyed many episodes of `Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom' over the years -- a fascinating and educational experience! Each week Marlin Perkins and Jim or Stan would lead us on an adventure in an exotic part of the globe to learn about or save wild animals.
What really made this show a winner is Marlin Perkins. His enthusiasm kept you glued to the set. Marlin was one of those rare individuals -- one who achieved a career doing what he really loved. He was no young buck any more, nor very big but he took on every physical challenge that came up. Once Marlin and Jim captured a huge boa constrictor who came very close to crushing Marlin. Once they picked up the giant viper, he pulled the two men around, successfully getting them into a river. The two men kept wrestling the powerful snake who managed to wrap himself three coils around Marlin. Fortunately Jim was able to pull a black cloth bag over the boa's head, who then thought it was night and went to sleep. If I'm ever in boa country I'll bring a heavy black sack.
Many times they tagged animals with radio transmitters to track their migration habits. Sometimes they would capture an animal who had wandered into a populated area and take him or her to a wildlife refuge. That really brought home the need for `civilization' to protect endangered species from extinction. Other times they just photographed animals in their natural habitat. They never killed or injured an animal.
The only time I took exception to their activities was when they captured a baby hippo for a zoo. They drove a huge road grader into a pond between the mother and they young hippo. The road grader managed to block the angry, powerful mother while a team of men hustled the little hippo out of the water and into a truck. I'm not a member of PETA, but the cries of the baby and mother really tugged on your heartstrings. Perhaps they should have waited till the baby was big enough to go out on his own.
One thing I'll never forget was how Marlin always segued from the show to the commercials, something like, `Just as this mother ocelot protects her cubs, you can protect your family with Mutual of Omaha.' Corny -- but effective. Johnny Carson once did a parody of the show, sponsored by `Shifty of Encino.'
Overall, a wonderful program, worth watching. I'd like to see `Wild Kingdom' come back on syndication. The Discovery Channel has some excellent nature shows today, using more advanced technology and a larger knowledge base, but I've never seen any actor draw you into a show like Marlin Perkins.
