During my childhood, if I could sit still long enough to watch TV, it was usually on Sunday night after a long weekend of activities. Sunday nights were special to me because of two shows. The Wonderful World of Disney and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. The movies on Disney were good, Old Yeller and the other classics. My real interest was the amazing animal films that they had every week. Back then there was no HD or video. Everything was shot on film. I was amazed at the patience that it must have taken to see the animals in the wild and catch them being natural. With the Disney films, there was always some cute story line that went along with the action. Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, on the other hand, was different. It had two main stars Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler. The films were just as spectacular but had more danger involved. Marlin was the host, and I bet he never got within one hundred yards of any of the animals. I think he spent most of his time in the villages with a cool drink and the local women. Jim, on the other hand, was always out in the field wrestling an alligator or chasing cheetahs. Marlin would do the voice-over, and one of his catchphrases was “Watch out, Jim!” Still makes me laugh today
