"This is Marlin Perkins here for Mutual of Omaha's...

[BikeWriter]

Poll question: "This is Marlin Perkins here for Mutual of Omaha's...

Wild Kingdom. My assistant, Jim Fowler is wrestling a 30 foot python. Jim, your plight reminds me we should always be prepared for life's problems with policies from Mutual of Omaha. Jim, Jim..."

[LSdemocrat]

1. What the hell is this in reference to?

[BikeWriter]

4. If you don't know you're probably too young to have seen the show.

It was pretty damned funny to watch Jim Fowler wrestle critters each week.

[SeattleGirl]

2. That show was "must see TV" for me.

I absolutely loved it.

[BikeWriter]

5. I loved it, too! I think they actually taught us a lot. ;-)

[Warchild]

3. yeppers....

..I watched it....actually, there wasn't a whole hell of a lot on Sunday afternoons that was appealing to children. Seeing Jim get the snot kicked outta him by a hipopotamus while Marlin held the rope was something to look at.

[BikeWriter]

10. LOL! Oh yeah, it was always a new animal every week...

Old Marlin never got excited, he just kept right on delivering the commercials! ;-)

[Robeson]

6. Ah yes, it was always fun watching his faithful sidekick get thrown...

...to the wolves...:rofl:

[KitchenWitch]

8. Yes, poor Jim!

He sure had the shit job out of the two of them.

[BikeWriter]

15. Yep, Jim was wrestling man eaters when

the Crocodile Hunter was only a gleam in his Daddy's eye! ;-)

[alphafemale]

7. Another possible answer

"I hope Wonderful World of Disney has a cartoon tonight...instead of another one of those damn commercials for Disneyland."

[BikeWriter]

12. "Woo hoo! I wanna see Annette!"

[texas1928]

9. Aw Saturday night tv when I was growing up.

Sunday was Lawrence Welk for my parents and Emergency for me.

[BikeWriter]

20. I thought a few folks might get a giggle out of it! ;-)

[Swede]

11. Pythons on a mutha fuckin' plane!

And Jim can't do a thing about it.

[calico1]

13. Sunday afternoon must see TV!

I hardly ever missed a show.

[GOPisEvil]

14. While I relax in camp, Jim will wrestle the mighty anaconda.

I loved that show!

[BikeWriter]

17. It was too damned cool, wasn't it?

[swag]

16. When I was 10, my friend Mike and I used to prank call all of the

toll-free numbers we could find.

Mike's favorite thing was to call the Mutual of Omaha 800 number and ask, "Is that monkey really Marlin's son?"

[Aristus]

18. I LOVED that show!

Absolutely loved it. I lived for "Wild Kingdom" on Sunday afternoons. Marlon Perkins was my hero. B-)

[BikeWriter]

23. He was certainly a pioneer in the field of ecology!

[Warchild]

19. I'm gonna tell you about Mutual Of Omaha...

..while Jim gets in position to take the giant Anaconda by surprise.

[Warchild]

21. While I'm holding the rope......

....Jim gets a firm grip on the Giant Anaconda we're gonna take back to the zoo in St. Louis

[Arugula Latte]

22. Oh, I miss Marlin and Jim (Mr. Khakis)

Ah, childhood memories ...

[BikeWriter]

24. I'm glad to have posted it. Here's some history on the show:

Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (also titled Wild Kingdom) was one of television's first wildlife/nature programs, and stands among the genre's most popular and longest-running examples. Wild Kingdom premiered in a Sunday afternoon timeslot on NBC in January 1963, and remained a Sunday afternoon staple until the start of the 1968-69 television season, when it was moved to Sunday evenings. NBC dropped Wild Kingdom from its regular series lineup altogether in April 1971 as part of the programming changes and cutbacks each of the three networks were making at that time in response to the newly-created Prime Time Access Rule. Interestingly, Wild Kingdom found its largest audience as a prime-access syndicated program, playing to an estimated 34 million people on 224 stations by 1974, and beating out the likes of The Lawrence Welk Show and Hee Haw to top the American Research Bureau ratings for syndicated series in October of that year.

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/wildkingdom/wildkingdom.htm

[yellowdogintexas]

25. Oh hell, I am old enough to remember when it was Zoo Parade

and they went around to the various big zoos to showcase the various species. Mostly Lincoln Park, St Louis, and maybe the Bronx Zoo. This was the
50's and i have slept since then.

[BikeWriter]

26. You're right, that's what it evolved from. It was a great show!

[trackfan]

27. The impala relies on his speed for protection;

you can rely on Mutual of Omaha!

[BikeWriter]

28. Ha ha ha ha! You nailed it, Pard!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. I'll betcha Mutual of Omaha

didn't insure Jim...

[BikeWriter]

30. Jim probably came under the sort of risk Lloyds of London would insure.

[Heidi]

31. Other:

"This is Marlin Perkins here for Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and I'll just sit here in the Jeep with a Margarita, while Jim wrestles that nursing lion cub away from its mother's bosom. Careful out there, Jim!"

[BikeWriter]

33. Poor Jim!

[northofdenali]

32. Thank heaven that Robb wrestle pythons -

pythons eat dingbats, you know.......

Mutual of (what was it?) Wild & Crazy Kingdom.................. Jim always got it. Always.

[BikeWriter]

34. Yep, Robb could handle them, too.

[BikeWriter]

35. threepeat.

[BikeWriter]

36. ...

[Orsino]

37. "While Jim's wrestling the crocodiles...

...I'll be making up a pitcher of margaritas." :rofl:

I loved that show, though.

[BikeWriter]

38. It was a classic, and Marlin never mussed a hair in his moustache!

[ScreamingMeemie]

39. I miss that show. I remember lining up on the carpet three abreast

with my brothers to watch. Thanks for the memory BW.

[BikeWriter]

42. You're welcome, Sweety. Yes'm, those were...

much happier and simpler times.

[supernova]

40. I loved that show!

:D I watched it every week. And I still have a fondness for nature documentaries because of it. Well, them and Jacque Cousteau. :-)

[BikeWriter]

44. Yep, Animal Planet is one of my favorites now. It has some good shows.

[underpants]

41. We only had 3 stations and thsi was on vs. LAwrence Welk

I think In Search of followed it Saturday night in the 7-8 hour.

Yeah we watched it.

[Blue-Jay]

43. "Watch out, Jim, those teeth are sharp!"

(as Jim's getting mauled by a bear...)

[BikeWriter]

50. LOL! Yep, Jim went through a set of khakis every show!

[Mizmoon]

45. that and "Wide World of Sports" every Sunday

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!

[Left Is Write]

47. Oooh, I watched that too!

[Left Is Write]

46. I liked it and watched it sometimes.

I still think of Marlon Perkins every time I get the life insurance bill from United of Omaha. :D

[LibertyLover]

48. While Jim

sneaks up on the near-sighted and extremely nasty rhino to take its temperature/swims in the piranha ladened stream with raw steaks tied around his waist/climbs into the eagle's nest to retrieve the homing device/walks into the pride of lions to determine how long it takes for them to notice him, let me talk to you a minute about insurance. Gods I loved that program - Marlin looking so very distinguished and Jim, bruised, battered, bloodied and sometimes bowed.

[bikebloke]

49. Jim

Jim was always grappling with crocs, being trampled by herds of the critter of the week or running from something with big teeth and claws. Luckily, Marlon was givng him support, safe in the studio library.

[MadHound]

51. Loved the show, and always felt bad for poor Jim

He did all the work while Marlin stayed at home and acted all Rico Suave. I sure hoped that they paid Jim more than they did Marlin, but somehow I doubt it.

[blindpig]

52. I once attended a big time zoo conference.

At the cocktail party zoo world high rollers would make jokes about Marlin. He did not get a lot of professional respect. But cheezy as it could be he did a great job awakening love for wildlife in many people, myself included.

The wrestling match with the anaconda was hysterical, it looked bogus when I was 11 years old. I mean come on, that snake was what, 9-10 feet long? Shit, I've got snakes that big in my basement. Be assured, I wouldn't if I had to go through that!

Thanks for the reminder, I now have a powerful urge to visit the Ruppinuni(sp?) River.

[theophilus]

53. Well, I have a firm grip on the anaconda. Now, Jim, come and help

me let it go. Marlin was great. He was a real trend setter in the zoo world as a younger man. I believe he "held court" at the St. Louis zoo for many, many years. I loved him and still love David Attenborough. He had a great new show about "fossil" amber on the other night.

[BikeWriter]

54. Oh, I saw the program about amber, too. It was fascinating!