In hindsight, TV in the 1960s and 1970s wasn’t exactly a barren wasteland, but nature shows were few and far between, especially good ones like “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.”
Today Marlin Perkins probably seems hokey — I can’t judge, seeing his segments as I do with eyes colored in nostalgia — but the film holds up extremely well, especially if you factor out the whole “tell a story” approach they had to use back then.
Here, for example, we have a Canadian lynx interacting with its predator guild members: feliforms (the cougar) and a whole host of caniforms.
This is exactly the stuff of evolution that has shaped cats and other mammals down through time. Plus it’s fun to watch!
https://youtu.be/lj8LHd7ythw&rel=0
For the first time, I noticed how the lynx sort of paddle-walks with those long legs — another adaptation for snow.
Okay, the sound effects are totally phony. But that videography captures the cat’s true nature.
Meanwhile, in Zion Canyon…
https://youtu.be/qbNcFQ_cQuU&rel=0
Farther north, in this next segment, they follow a dispersing male on his perilous journey into maturity:
https://youtu.be/a4R318GMqeA&rel=0
Speaking of maturity, back in the day we had a meme of Marlin’s assistant Jim Fowler getting clobbered by various wildlife on camera.
https://youtu.be/sDJ7DuGY80U&rel=0
Not without reason.
Yes, everyone is cheering for the poor elk.
Still, we all loved Jim. And this is how he’s remembered today.
https://youtu.be/-txG2ng97MU&rel=0
Perhaps this is a re-post, but I like what the old elk-jumper says at the end. It wasn’t a cliche then, and it is still bottom-line truth today.
Flight To Wonder 