Daktari had a world wide following and there are still legions of fans around the world. One German fan, Matthias Schurig, took the time to write to Ralph Helfer to find out what happened to Africa USA after the series ended. As many of you know, a devastating flood destroyed Africa USA (see previous post) but thankfully, the story doesn’t end there.
Mr. Helfer told Matthias the following in a letter:
“I owned a three hundred acre ranch in an area called Solvang in Southern California. That is where we shot Daktari. I sold the ranch. The new owners took down the Daktari house and built their own. The flood came after we had finished shooting the series.”
The new owner is actress and animal activist Tippi Hendren and she has developed the Shambala Game Preserve. Here are the details:
“Shambala is maintained by the Roar Foundation, founded by actress Tippi Hedren in 1983 as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization . Shambala cares for endangered exotic big cats such as African lions, Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers, leopards, servals, mountain lions, bobcats, plus a lynx, and a Florida panther.
The site was originally that of Africa, U.S.A.
The first Africa U.S.A. in California was created in 1962 as a 600-acre affection training compound by Ralph and Toni Helfer. It was located in Soledad Canyon near Los Angeles.
Ivan Tors first discovered Clarence, the cross-eyed lion, at Africa, U.S.A. and it inspired him to create the film Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965) and the spin-off television series Daktari, which was partly shot on location there. Judy, the chimp and other star of the show, was also owned by Ralph Helfer.
A few other shows such as Cowboy in Africa, Gentle Ben, as well as an episode of Star Trek “Shore Leave” were also shot there. Helfer was providing both the location and the animals.
In January 1969, Africa U.S.A. was struck by a powerful storm over Soledad Canyon, which dropped large amounts of rainfall. The resulting severe flooding and mudslides in the canyons destroyed the compound, but only 9 of Helfer’s 1,500 animals had drowned.
In 1987 the property was purchased and restored by actress Tippi Hedren and is now called Shambala Preserve.”
I came across your wonderful Daktari retrospective website while looking for information on Africa USA. I run a website called startrekhistory.com, which delves into the production of the original series which ran from 1966 to 69. Part of the website is dedicated to location photography and one of the episodes, Shore Leave, was shot at Africa USA.
Best regards, Curt McAloney
He sent me this picture:
Many of the scenes were filmed around the pond which figures prominently in many Daktari episodes (I just saw it on Season 1’s “The Elephant Thieves.”) Others are filmed at the rock quarry in Soledad Canyon.
You can find out more about Africa USA (including the exact address) on Wikipedia. Using the address (8237 Soledad Canyon Road) I was able to find a listing on Realtor.com in 2012 with many new pictures. You can see it here.
I happen to be a Trekkie so I watched “Shore Leave” again the other night; it was cool knowing now where it was shot. There is some very interesting trivia on the episode on Wikipedia – in particular, this tidbit:
Production
Gene Roddenberry had been running flat out for two years without a break, first producing The Lieutenant, then selling Star Trek to NBC, and finally getting the series into production. Just after “Shore Leave” was approved for preproduction, his wife and doctor insisted that he take a vacation.
The script turned in by renowned science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon had emphasized the importance of fantasy as a component of relaxation, and the network was concerned that the script might be too surreal. Roddenberry assured the network that the script would be rewritten and the fantasy would be de-emphasized before he went on vacation. Unfortunately, this was not made clear to incoming operational producer Gene L. Coon, who did the rewrite and emphasized the fantasy aspect even more. Roddenberry returned the day before shooting was due to begin and realized that he had a problem.[1] Sturgeon particularly objected to McCoy’s bringing back two women to the ship, believing it undermined the emotional tension between McCoy and Tonia.[2]
The show was filmed in Africa USA, the same wildlife reserve where Daktari was filmed. Roddenberry set up shop under a tree with his typewriter, frantically rewriting and trying to stay ahead of the production crew. As a result, much of the dialogue is ad-libbed.[3]
Even with Roddenberry’s rewriting, many of Coon’s and Sturgeon’s fantasy aspects remained, from an encounter with a samurai, to meeting a tiger (though the idea of Kirk wrestling the tiger was deleted, initially to the annoyance, but later to the relief, of William Shatner), and a scene using an elephant was cut before filming. (Gregg Peters, newly promoted to the rank of Assistant Director, had been detailed to take care of the elephant. During the shoot, the cast and crew teased him about the pachyderm, asking when it would be used. And for many years thereafter, when Peters attended Star Trek conventions, the fans would greet him with a chorus of, “Say, Gregg, when do you get to use your elephant?”) [4]
Because of Roddenberry having to rewrite the script on the fly, the episode took seven days to film instead of the usual six.[5]
More on Star Trek
If you too are a Trekkie, you will enjoy Curt McAloney’s website startrekhistory.com plus his two books:
UPDATE: One of our readers, Susan, got a chance to go to the show. She graciously shared her pictures with us:
She described her meeting with Cheryl:
She is beautiful inside and out. She took all the time to talk to us very sweet. We got the v.i.p package and that includes a 8×10 professional picture. She was very gracious and took that picture of us: me, my daughter and granddaughter. My daughter ask if she could take a cell picture of me and her, she said yes, I was in front of her table and she was behind her table and she said, “We are going do this right” and she came way around the tables and took a picture next to me and my granddaughter. How nice was that. She was also very gracious in signed a pictures for my granddaughter and me. She is extremely nice and very pretty.
Thank you Susan! We are all very envious! 🙂
The Hollywood Show is the largest autograph show in the country. According to their website, over 80 stars will be at the show for photo ops and autograph signing.
Cheryl Miller was there in 2015 and will be returning this year:
I am told by a source who saw her last year that she still looks as lovely as ever even as she celebrated her 73rd birthday this year.
This source, by the way, recently commented on a previous post, The Story of Africa, U.S.A.–she was an assistant director on Daktari and recalled some great stories. I’m encouraging her to share more. Check out her comments on that post for a fascinating inside look–her name is Lynn Guthrie. She has worked on many shows including The Waltons.
My brother-in-law collects autographs and goes to The Hollywood Show all the time–I texted him last night and asked that if he was going, if he could stand in for me and get a picture and an autograph. Unfortunately he and his wife are moving during that time so it may not happen this year. But who knows?? 🙂
This could be a fun discussion — every show has bloopers — here’s some that Ken Lynch discovered.
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When television series were filmed in the 1960s, there was often little thought given to the potential for repeated viewings and the scrutiny that each episode could be subjected to. At most, the show’s producers could have expected a first screening on relatively small sized televisions and a limited
number of repeat screenings in syndication.
Since the 1960s, the advent of VHS video tapes, DVDs and big screen televisions has given fans an opportunity to watch their favourite shows over and over again. More particularly, it is possible to see mistakes made during filming that were not obvious at the time and to freeze-frame individual sequences.
Daktari is not immune to this situation. A recent viewing of early episodes has revealed at least one such ‘blooper’!
We all know that the majority of the outdoor scenes representing Wameru Reserve were filmed at ‘Africa USA’, a large area of open countryside located in Soledad Canyon about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. Because animals freely roamed the area, there were obviously fences erected around the property.
Every effort was made by the Daktari producers to create an impression of the remoteness of the African bush by disguising these fences and overhead wires which provided power to the area.
“Leopards of Mdala Gorge”
However, in Episode 1.6 “Leopards of Mdala Gorge”, there are two sequences in which such evidence of civilization can clearly be seen. The storyline concerns a team of archaeologists who pitch their tents and establish a camp in Mdala Gorge, a supposedly very remote area of the Wameru Reserve. Yet the following two pictures from this episode feature power poles and fences which are plainly visible!
“Maneater of Wameru”
Then in Episode 1.12 “Maneater of Wameru”, there are another two sequences containing ‘bloopers’. The storyline this time concerns a hostile tribe of poachers who attack Hedley in the middle of the isolated African bush. The first of the two pictures below from this episode shows the vapour trail of a jetliner crossing the ‘Africa USA’ skyline behind the poachers! The second shows a glimpse of a production light used to illuminate the filming of a sequence involving Clarence jumping from the back of Daktari’s truck.
Perhaps other readers of this website have spotted similar ‘bloopers’ while watching Daktari episodes on DVD? It might be interesting to reveal just how many other mistakes slipped past the producers at the time!
We are pleased to feature this guest post by one of our contributes, Ken Lynch:
A December 2015 posting on this website recently spotlighted the ‘forgotten’ co-stars of Daktari – Yale Summers and Hari Rhodes. I say ‘forgotten’ as most commentaries on this TV show concentrate on Marshall Thompson and Cheryl Miller.
I have previously tried to redress this situation in an April 2014 posting on the website which revealed some surprisingly outspoken and honest comments by Yale Summers on what he thought of his time in Daktari.
Recent research has also revealed some similarly themed comments by Hari Rhodes – proving once again that all was not as it seemed behind the scenes!
Hari Rhodes joins Daktari
Hari Rhode’s career prior to joining Daktari in 1966 is well documented in his biographical information on this website.
Interestingly, it would appear that Rhodes was not actually a part of the original cast of Daktari. It is highly likely that Don Marshall was first cast as Yale Summers’ fellow intern but was then replaced by Rhodes after just three episodes (see the Daktari Season One Episode Guide opening narrative for further details).
Despite his apparent late entry to the fold, Rhodes remained with the show for all of its four seasons. Summers, however, left the show after the third season.
Hari Rhode’s Relationship with his Co-stars
In over 70 episodes of Daktari, Hari Rhodes and Yale Summers worked side by side assisting Marshall Thompson’s character at the Wameru Study Center. To the viewer, their on-screen relationship was amiable and strong at all times.
But it was very surprising to find at least two newspaper reports commenting on the fact that their off-screen relationship was not so friendly!
An article in the 21 October 1967 edition of The Deseret News indicated that “a feud has reportedly broken out on the Daktari set. Co-stars Yale Summers and Hari Rhodes make biting remarks about each other all day.”
Then an article dated 27 March 1968 in The Milwaukee Journal went even further stating that “Hari Rhodes was not the unhappiest guy in town when his Daktari co-star Yale Summers decided to leave the show. It’s been easier for Yale to get along with the animals on the series than to get along with Hari these last seasons. But, at least to Yale’s credit, he hasn’t been telling outsiders about the feud.”
Rhodes’ apparently negative attitude towards his co-stars may not have been restricted to just Yale Summers.
When the 4 September 1969 edition of The Pittsburgh Press reported that Africa USA had been deluged by floods, it included a quote by Rhodes that “when that happened the whole cast lit up sparks to celebrate. You got psyched up about that place, driving up and back every day. I knew every tree, the fence. The whole cast hated that show, except for Marshall Thompson, who pranced around as the Daktari.” Rhodes reportedly used falsetto at the end of that statement!
Marshall Thompson, Hari Rhodes and Judy behind the scenes in “Little Miss Nightingale”
While it is disconcerting to read these accounts, it is probably understandable that the working relationship between the co-stars could have broken down under the pressure of the daily shooting schedules for this top rating TV show.
Hari Rhodes’ Relationship with Animals
Hari Rhodes was never as comfortable with animals as his co-stars Marshall Thompson, Cheryl Miller and (to a lesser extent) Yale Summers.
Never was this more evident than in the opening scenes of the first episode aired, “The Elephant Thieves”. Watch the (German-dubbed) YouTube clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejzhHhmM7is – particularly at the 3m30s mark – to see just how uncomfortable Rhodes was!
Despite this, it has to be admitted that he appeared more comfortable when animals were sedated or during fun sequences with escaping animals.
My thanks to “squeapler” for this wonderful information!
Hello again. I found a little more information about the floods at Africa USA in doing my research for “Gentle Ben”, based on California newspapers from the 1960s I accessed through Newspapers.com. It seems like there were indeed two major floods. The first one, which is the one discussed in the Cleveland Amory TV Guide article, happened in Dec. 1965 and is the one that caused Bruno the bear (later the main actor in “Gentle Ben”) to be swept away. He returned on his own a few days later. Several other animals were also mentioned as missing but perhaps not drowned as the news articles mention that the chewed carcass of a cow was found, giving the impression that one of the big cats had eaten it.
The second flood occurred in January 1969 and seems to have been much worse. Prior to this flood, Tors was planning to open the compound to the public for tours and had sought a zoning variance to do so. However, when the flood occurred the water rose so quickly that apparently not all the animals could be rescued from their cages in time, and were shot to prevent them from drowning. The animals that were shot included 3 lions, a jaguar, two tigers, and one or two bears (not Bruno as he went on to appear in 1970s films).
Then on Feb. 25, 1969, there was apparently more flooding (the news article talks about there being two 100-year floods in 30 days) and two alligators and two hippos broke loose and were seen going down the flood-swollen Santa Clarita river. A spokesman for Africa USA was quoted as saying the animals were extremely dangerous and once the flood subsided, “big game hunters would attempt to destroy them from helicopters.”
Shortly thereafter, there was a $50,000 fire also at the complex, although no animals were hurt.
Animal affection trainer Ralph Helfer in the 1960s
After this, Tors decided to concentrate on his planned “Torsland” park in Florida (which I understand from the documentary on him, never happened, although he did have a number of his animals at the Homosassa Springs Attraction in Florida through the 70s) and Helfer decided to abandon the Africa USA complex and move the operation to a new location near Fillmore in Ventura County.
It seems like in the “Beauty of the Beasts” account, Helfer (or some editor) conflated the two floods as the article talks about shooting “Gentle Ben” and then having Bruno wash away. “Gentle Ben” and “Gentle Giant” did not come out until 1967 which to me would mean that they were probably filmed during 1966 at the earliest (possibly even early 1967) so it seems unlikely that they were shooting “Gentle Ben” in 1965.
photo provided by Ken Lynch
Here are some of the newspaper sources I used. There are lots more than this on Newspapers.com – the local California papers covered all of this in pretty good detail. “All you need is a Coke and stout heart”, Redlands Daily Facts, Dec. 31, 1965, p. 2. “Wild Animals on Loose – Swept away by Los Angeles Floods,” Eureka Humboldt Standard, Jan. 18, 1966, p. 2. “Three Dead Lions Reported Stolen From Africa, U.S.A.,” Redlands Daily Facts, Jan. 31, 1969, p. 3. “6 More Victims of South State Storm,” San Mateo Times, Feb. 26, 1969, p. 12. “Africa U.S.A. Fire,” Long Beach Independent, Mar. 4, 1969, p. A-7. “Tors Will Abandon Flood-Damaged Africa U.S.A.,” Fresno Bee, Apr. 13, 1969, p. 12-A. “HELP – They Don’t Quit,” San Bernarndino County Sun, Feb. 20, 1970, p. B-5. ” ‘Africa’ Opening,” Long Beach Independent, Jan. 26, 1971, p. A-8.
Much has been written about Daktari being filmed at Africa USA, a simulated jungle compound in California’s desert-like Soledad Canyon. These sequences were usually edited with stock African footage.
However, during the production break between the First and Second Seasons, Marshall Thompson and a film crew visited the ‘real’ Africa and filmed background scenes of him with animals, in the bush and with natives in their villages.
Marshall Thompson filmed on-location as Marsh Tracy in Africa
These sequences were edited into at least eight episodes to give the series an authentic look that added to its appeal.
Early Visits to Africa
Marshall Thompson’s fascination with Africa became a reality in 1957 when he was chosen for a role in the film East of Kilimanjaro which demanded four months of shooting on-location in Kenya and Tanganyika.
“I guess I would have done the part just for the chance to go to Africa,” Thompson recalled. “I’ll never forget the thrill of my arrival in Nairobi and the realization that I actually was there in the flesh.”
There is a strong possibility that unused animal and African village footage from East of Kilimanjaro was used in Daktari and, most certainly, in the film that spawned the series – Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion.
Left: The rhino scene in a Kilamanjaro poster Right: The very same scene as featured in Clarence
In particular, the opening scene of Kilimanjarois almost identical to the opening of Clarence. Most significantly, the scene where Thompson’s character has a close encounter with a rhino was inserted directly into Clarence.
Thompson returned to Africa for another four months to what was then the Belgian Congo and brought his wife Barbara along.
By early 1966, Thompson was quoted as saying that he had been on “four trips to Africa in the past dozen years.”
To date, the reference most quoted about Marshall Thompson’s African visit to film for Daktari is sourced to the show’s producer Leonard B Kaufman. Specifically, the liner notes for Shelly Manne’s “Daktari” CD quote Kaufman on filming Daktari in “beautiful but primitive Mozambique”, particularly returning with Thompson “from 10 hours of location filming” and relaxing to “the haunting and earthy sounds of distant native drumming.”
However, a recently discovered 1966 newspaper article has provided much more detail of this event.
Daktari was regarded as a solid hit after its mid-season debut and screening in January-May 1966. The announcement of its Second Season contained the promise of something new as a result of the first safari to Africa ever undertaken for a television series.
Kaufman and associate producer Ralph Helfer joined Thompson to travel to Mozambique for scenes to be filmed with the Zulu tribes of South Africa. They actually became the first TV unit to make films in the Gorongoza National Park and, later, they also worked in the private game reserve of Mala Mala.
A map showing the location of the Gorongoza National Park
Among scenes that would ultimately be highlights of the Second Season were bull elephants charging at 30 miles an hour and the Zulus of Matavela lining up to greet Thompson.
Marshall Thompson meeting African villagers
Daktari creator Ivan Tors had heard that a pride of lions had moved into a housing project near the Gorongoza National Park and so the camera crew went there to photograph them. Several abandoned houses were occupied by lions who had taken over the clean shady buildings. It was like a lion city, and the film crew’s presence did not seem to excite them or make them aggressive. The footage from this filming expedition ultimately became a major sequence in the “House of Lions” episode.
Abandoned houses near Gorongoza with lions in the foreground
Another event in the African shooting schedule was a two-mile chase after a 19-foot giraffe which ended in its capture. It too ultimately became a major Daktari storyline, this time in the “Little Miss Nightingale” episode
The Daktari crew roping the giraffe with Marshall Thompson turning his head towards the camera
A total of five weeks was spent on this safari for Daktari footage. Thompson then returned to California with 50,000 feet of exposed color film to shoot the bulk of the Second Season at Africa USA.
Although the exact date of the five-week African shoot has never previously been documented, a recently discovered picture of Thompson in Johannesburg dated March 1966 actually pinpoints the period he made this visit.
Marshall Thompson on-location in Africa
Use of African Footage in Episodes
2.5 (23) “Cheetah at Large” (First aired 11 Oct 1966) On-location African footage of Marshall Thompson is featured for the first time.
Left: A shot of Thompson in “Cheetah at Large” filmed on-location on the savannah Right: A close-up taken back at Africa USA cleverly edited into the same sequence
2.8 (26) “The Trial” (First aired 1 Nov 1966) The first on-location shots of Thompson filmed with natives in an African village are seamlessly edited into footage at Africa USA.
Left: A picture taken on-location in Africa with motifs on the village wall at the back Right: A picture taken at Africa USA during “The Trial” with the replicated village wall in the background
2.11 (29) “Shoot to Kill” (First aired 29 Nov 1966) Features on-location African footage of Thompson in the bush plus him getting out of a truck at a real African village.
Left: A shot from “Shoot to Kill” taken on-location of Thompson in the real African bush Right: A shot taken of Thompson arriving at an African village
2.13 (31) “Clarence the Killer” (First aired 20 Dec 1966) Several scenes filmed on-location in Africa are used (even one of a figure dressed as Hedley searching the African bush).
Left: A shot from “Clarence the Killer” taken on-location of Thompson in the real African bush Right: A shot of a figure dressed as Hedley filmed on-location on the savannah
2.17 (35) “House of Lions” (First aired 17 Jan 1967) Features extensive scenes of Thompson filmed in Africa wandering outside abandoned two-storey houses built for mining surveyors. For the only time in the series, the credits acknowledge the filming location.
Left: A shot of Thompson in “House of Lions” filmed on-location walking from a house to his truck Right: A close-up at the truck filmed at Africa USA cleverly edited into the same sequenceLeft: Thompson on-location entering the house with his medical kit in “House of Lions” Right: An internal shot filmed at Africa USA cleverly edited to show him entering the houseThe end credits which acknowledge filming at Gorongoza National Park
2.22 (40) “A Bullet for Hedley” (First aired 21 Feb 1967) As in Episode 2.13, authentic footage of a game warden (supposedly Hedley) walking on the African savannah is shown.
A shot from “A Bullet for Hedley” of a figure dressed as Hedley filmed on-location
3.1 (48) Judy and the Astro-Chimp (First aired 5 Sept 1967) As in Episode 2.11, footage of Marshall Thompson on-location in Africa is used again.
A shot from “Judy and the Astro-Chimp” taken on-location of Thompson in the real African bush
2.15 (33) Little Miss Nightingale (First aired 3 Jan 1967) Includes on-location scenes of Thompson capturing a giraffe. [Although listed in most episode guides as a Second Season episode, Warner Archive has confirmed that this episode actually belongs to the Third Season]
shots 1-4 from the extended on-location African sequence of the giraffe capture in “Little Miss Nightingale”
Ralph Helfer, the genius animal trainer known for his radical departure from conventional training techniques, is alive and well and living in Africa. Helfer, who introduced affection training to the animal world, is now an author and has written several books. His latest, Zamba: The True Story of the Greatest Lion That Ever Lived tells the story of a magnificent lion whom Helfer loved dearly (see previous post).
Alongside his writing, Helfer leads safaris in Africa. He has a Facebook page and I recently noticed a new picture from Daktari which he loaded. I left a comment, giving him the link to the post about Africa, U.S.A. and he wrote back,
“So nice to know that someone remembers the wonderful days of Daktari. Keep it up! The series is one of the reasons I started to write. There where so many wonderful animal things happening I felt they should be in print .I hope my readers have enjoyed them. R.H.”
You can follow Helfer on his Facebook page. Leave him a comment and let him know how much you enjoyed Daktari.
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On another note, I have loaded another video onto the YouTube Daktari Fan Site of Cheryl Miller’s appearance on the Streets of San Francisco. As you will see, it is a rather different role for Cheryl who was trying to branch out:
Out in California flourishes a wild-animal domain located just this side of Unbelievable
by Cleveland Amory for TV Guide April 1966
Hollywood these days may or may not be still the Land of Make-Believe. But it boasts at leastone place, Africa, U.S.A., which has even the “natives” rubbing their eyes. “I’ve worked here every day for a year,” Marshall Thompson the star of Daktari told me, “and I still don’t believe it.”
To begin with, like most things in Hollywood, it is actually not in Hollywood at all. It is located more than 50 miles northeast, almost surrounded by mountains, in beautiful Soledad Canyon. Here, in simulated “jungleland,” complete with “Zulu” villages, live more than 300 African, Asian and, in fact, world -wild animals-ranging from aardvarks, alligators and anteaters to Xiphosuras, yaks and zebras.
Animal affection trainer Ralph Helfer in the 1960s
Founded by animal trainer Ralph Helfer, and now owned and operated by him in partnership with Ivan Tors (producer of Flipper), it is–now that the new acreage is operating–one of the world’s largest zoos, except, of course, that it isn’t really a zoo at all, because it is not open to the public and because a large number of its animals are never caged—even leopards and jaguars seem to roam about almost at will.
Africa, U.S.A., is the place where they film 90 percent of all the difficult animal acts you see-both in the movies and on TV. And to do these, acts has required, among other things, a totally new concept in animal training. Ivan Tors calls it “affection training.” Ralph Helfer calls it “emotion training.” Marshall Thompson doesn’t call it anything–but he says, “All I know is that every night, before 1 go home, I go around and say goodnight to my friends.”
As you approach Africa, U.S.A., you hear it before you can see it. You hear the exciting sounds, the trumpeting of elephants and the roaring of lions and tigers; the eerie sounds, the hooting of owls and the howling of wolves and coyotes and finally the enchanting sounds, the bleating of young antelopes and the chattering of baby chimpanzees. Then, when you actually come upon it, the sight is breath-taking. Off in the distance you actually see the veld—all the way from the galloping giraffes to the high-jumping kudus–and, close by, you also see what they call “Beverly Hills,” which is the residence of the animal “stars.”
Producer Ivan Tors in the 1960s
Inside, in front of half a dozen floodlights, grinding cameras and sound trucks, you see a cross-eyed lion spring at a man. On another “stage”– equally surrounded–a chimpanzee is guiding a baby lion on the back of a crocodile. On still a third “stage” vu1tures crowd around while a cheetah attacks a hyena which is attacking Dina Merrill. Off in the distance, also surrounded, a rhinoceros is charging a station wagon filled with people. You’ll shake your head–and, as you do, a full-grown Bengal tiger jumps into a truck for what appears to be a coffee break with a very pretty girl named Cheryl Miller (she’s Paula, of course, in Daktari).
But the most amazing thing of all is, even after the most ferocious appearing “fights,” the animals, the minute the camera stops rolling, break cleanly and come out playing.
If you think, however, it all just happened–you have another thing coming. The telephone rang while I was interviewing Ralph Helfer. “Yes, Ivan,” he said, “I can give it to you Thursday.” He put down the phone. “Ivan asks the darnedest things,” he said. “Sometimes I think he did Daktari just to test us. Do you know what he wants this time? To have an animal crossing a river using a python for a bridge.”
After we had talked a while more, the phone rang again. This time it was a director of another show, who wanted to know if he could have a dog “kill” a lion in a fight. I told him I could,” Helfer said, putting down the phone, “but I want you to know that back of that answer was four years of work.”
I saw a scene that day—a full-grown lion fighting a German shepherd dog, Prince, Ralph’s own personal pet and the animal he prizes even more than any other of his “wild” ones. (“But,” he says, a little sadly, I had to teach Prince to be wild. I didn’t feed him and he foraged on his own to get tough enough for the job.”) “In any case, Prince brought the full-grown lion to bay in a wild, furious, growling, snarling fray. At the end I was sure that Prince would be, at least, a hospital case. Afterward I examined him, and, sure enough, he had to go to the infirmary. He had it seemed, a small cut on his left ear.”
Change in tactics
Ralph Helfer with Bruno the bear
In the old days difficult fight scenes were shot either with split-screen photography—which was very expensive—or with glass in between the combatants, or by use of double. In some instances men dressed as gorillas; one famous scene used a “lion” which was actually a St. Bernard. But all of it was, generally speaking, based on the old-school “whip and chair” fear method—one perhaps best exemplified by a curious Bulgarian trainer who was recently quoted in a national magazine as saying, Most animals you got to beat to make them obey.”
Today, to Helfer and Tors, this kind of thing is not only cruel and stupid, it is also not true. Even in the “Beverly Hills” section their animals are not to be confused with Park Avenue’s pampered poodles (“If we did that, says Tors, “we’d get spoiled animals”) but anywhere in Africa, U.S.A., the use of whip, chair or any other means of intimidation is strictly forbidden. One of Ivan Tors’ rules is that, even with the older animals, every one has personal contact with a human every day. “I feel,” he adds, it’s actually a physiological process.” Ralph Helfer adds that it is also a psychological process. “If an animal has only fear of you,” he says, “you can only go so far with him, You say, under the old method, you are going to bring him into your life—or else—and he may come. He may even come almost all the way. But not actually all. He’ll keep one door locked, and someday he’s going to explode and hurt you, or even kill you. But if from the beginning you’ve always gone to him in an entirely different way, with respect and affection, he’ll finally unlock that last door himself. You never know when. With an older animal who’s had ‘fear training’ it may be never.
“When I’m asked how long our system takes, I only say, ‘Forever.’ But I do know the greatest moment a human can have is when that animal finally unlocks that last door for him. When that moment comes, the animal will do anything for you just to please you. The reward thing, the good or whatever, is only a small part of it.”
photo provided by Ken Lynch
Only with the baby animals is Mr. Tors’ and Mr. Helfer’s process a relatively quick one—because, of course, these animals have never known a fear method. Actually, these animals fall under the distaff domain of Helfer’s beautiful wife, Toni. A former model, she has brought up her own baby girl, 2-1/2-year-old Tana, among the animals.
The hardest scene Mr. Helfer told me he ever had to do was a scene in the movie “The Lion.” Here the father was supposed to have shot his daughter’s pet lion, and the director wanted the lion to “die” in the girl’s arms. “On top of it all,” Helfer told me, they wanted it in a rainstorm.
“I defy anyone,” he said, “to get that scene without our kind of training. How are you going to do it? To get the lion to go completely limp, with his tongue out, with not a movement—not even an eyelid?
“I did it with Zamba, my favorite lion, but I’m not proud of it. To do it, I had to double-cross him. Before we shot the scene, I bawled the devil out of him. I told him I was surprised at him—that he was no good, that would never be any good, that he had let me down. Zamba was so hurt, he ‘died.”
An animal to be remembered
Of course, Zamba didn’t actually die—and, in time, he did get over the double-cross. But today he is dead, and, although there is a new Zamba in Africa, U.S.A., there is also, in the very center of the compound, a statue to the original. The legend is simple. “Zamba,” it says, “Friend to All.” Helfer points to it quietly. “I know it doesn’t sound right, but I got my religion from Zamba.
Ralph Helfer with lion, possibly his beloved Zamba
Besides Zamba, the cast of characters in “Beverly Hills” includes Judy, the 3-year-old chimp who is tops in all the animal kingdom in what Ivan Toors calls “human” intelligence (he makes a sharp and not entirely favorable comparison between this and “animal” intelligence); Clarence, the cross-eyed lion (“He really does see double. We took him to the top eye doctor in the world, but nothing can be done about it”); Bruce, the ocelot in Honey West (“he’s actually very gentle, but he can act fierce enough to make the humans around him look brave”); Patricia, a 450-pound Bengal tiger, who starred in Disney’s “A Tiger Walks;” Bruno, a 7-foot, 700-pound black bear, perhaps the biggest “working” bear in the world and yet so gentle children can ride him; Sir Tom, a mountain-lion veteran of at least 60 movies; Raunchy, a 250-pound jaguar (“They said you could never train a jaguar. We didn’t—he trained us”); and, finally, Big Mo and Margie—Big Mo, a 4-ton, 50-year-old elephant who is the largest, strongest, and certainly the best actor in elephant history, and Margie, who is a small 7-year-old pachyderm who can do everything but talk.
Once in a while ex-pets are taken n despite both Helfer’s and Tors’ strong opinions on wild animals as pets (they are 100 percent again it—“it’s all affection and no respect”), they turn out to be fine performers.
Not long ago, a new director on the Daktari set went right up to a lion. “I’m not afraid of him,” he said. Marshall Thompson grabbed the man. “You should be,” he said, pulling him back. “You don’t know enough not to be.” Helfer puts it this way. “Lack of fear is just as dangerous as fear itself—which is, of course, lack of understanding. And the moment you understand, you can’t fear. When we have a guest star in Daktari, we tell him three things: Don’t make a sudden movement, don’t make a loud noise and don’t approach the animal until someone who knows more than you do has ‘read’ him and knows what mood he is in.”
Training for tarantulas
Both Helfer and Tors have not only gone all out in their new beliefs (“Even our tarantulas,” they point out, “get affection training”) Then, too, they have even challenged what has gone down in animal books as going “against nature.” Tors has, for example, hundreds of times, with no difficulty raised a ‘killer” with his natural prey–a tiger with a fawn, for one instance—and he is even now engaged in proving that “killer” whales are not necessarily killers at all. “I told my scriptwriter just one thing,” he says. “The whale is Captain Dreyfus and you are Zola.”
Tors’ philosophy
But there is no question that Tors feels he is doing something far more important than any one television show. “I was born a mammal,” he says, “and now in a big city 1 have to live like an insect. In a car I feel like a bug. Even on a freeway I’m just an ant in a long line of other ants. In New York it may be more like a beehive, but it’s all wrong. We live a phony existence. We don’t understand life and death. We fell out of rhythm with nature. We pretend we don’t kill, but let others kill for us.”
photo provided by Ken Lynch
I asked Mr. Tors if he saw any hope. ”Well,” he said, “Ian MacPhail, the campaigns director of the World Wildlife Fund, told me that three years ago, when a safari started out from the New Stanley Hotel in Nairobi, the natives would cheer. Now they jeer. And right here in our country there’s beginning to be an entirely different feeling about everything to do with animals–from hunting all the way to laboratory animals.”
I also asked Mr. Tors what was his own favorite animal. “Cheetahs,” he replied. Finally, I asked him what was the most difficult animal to train. He smiled. “Your own house cat,” he said. “He has the most’ independence–and integrity.”
The acid test of the effectiveness Of the Africa, U.SA. training came one dark and stormy night this winter.
Thirty inches of rain, the heaviest downpour in Los Angeles history, washed out a flood-control dam, and before it could be restored, a second storm dumped 14 more inches, within 24 hours, on the area.
The entire reservation was flooded–engulfed by waves with 8-foot crests and with power enough to splinter barracks into matchboxes, to overturn a 45-foot trailer truck, to pick up 1000-pound animal cages as if they were made of cardboard and carry them off down a river which had become raging torrent. So amazingly quickly did it all happen that Ted Derby and Frank Lamping, two head trainers, were both carried off nearly half a mile down the river before they were rescued. Once back, they, Mr. and Mrs. Helfer , Joyce Freeman, the general manager and other employees had but one purpose–to save as many animals as they could.
At first their task seemed hopeless. Africa, U.S.A., had become a underwater arena full of confused, fear-crazed animals. In a few minutes, years of work were, it seemed, to go literally down drain.
But then, that dark night, as they had done every day for so long under happier circumstances, they approached the animals. Toni Helfer made for the animal nursery and opened the door. The water-soaked, half-drowned, terrified young animals suddenly stopped their frantic fighting of the water and each other and fought to get to her. Carrying some, leading others and calling still others, she brought every single one to safety.
Meanwhile the others approached the older animals–the lions, tigers, the leopards and the jaguars. Frightened as they were, the animals did not forget their lessons at Africa, U .S.A. There was no time to tie and pull them–they had to come, or else. Each sight of these huge animals being taken to higher ground, and safety, was more remarkable than the one before–a keeper, Jack Silk, carrying a cheetah piggyback across the river, literally swimming under him; 90-pound trainer Harley Tony alone carrying a 115-pound python, a snake that normally takes three men to lift. But perhaps the most amazing sight of all was Big Mo. For one of the trainers, unable to budge a cage sliding into the water had suddenly thought of the elephant. He had gone and untied him. Without a word of command, Big Mo went down to the river and set himself in position. A rope was put around the cage—and Big Mo pulled it to high ground.
In all only four animals were lost—a new lion which had not yet had affection training and refused to leave her cage; a rare eagle from Pakistan, which had drowned, and two wolves which became so terrified nothing could be done to save them. A third wolf was, at least, freed frorn its cage. However, when a sheriff saw it swimming to freedom across the river to the wrong side, he refused to let it go. “I cannot allow it,” he shouted, and pulled out his gun. Immediately one of the trainers dove into the icy water and put his arms around the wolf, foiling the shooting.
Nowhere though, that night when the storm subsided and they took stock, could anyone find Bruno. The 700 pound black hear was gone. Frantically Tors and Helfer advertised on the radio and television not to shoot him–that he was affectionate. Two days later, to the amazement of all, Bruno casually ambled back into camp and headed for his cage. He seemed none the worse for whatever experiences he had had—only tired–and to this day no one knows where he had been.
“My guess,” says Tors, “is that he decided it was time for a personal appearance tour.”
Daktari TV Show 