Judy and the Thoroughbred – Daktari TV Show

The following episode guide for Season Three was contributed by Ken Lynch who hails from Australia. Photos are by Patrick Sansano. Patrick is from France and has an excellent and entertaining Episode Guide of his own which I encourage you to visit. If you don’t speak French, use Google Translate to read his commentary.

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The Third Season

Note: photo slide show of Season Three at the bottom on this post.

A full season of 27 episodes was screened between September 1967 and March 1968 five months after the conclusion of the 29 episode Season Two in April 1967.

Again, many of the same production crew continued their involvement in the second season. Writers such as Malvin Wald (8) and William Clark (3) were joined by new regulars Richard Tuber (2) and Ted Herbert (7) with Alan Cailllou also returning to write another episode. In fact, Malvin was promoted to Associate Producer for this season.

Regular Paul Landres returned to direct 13 episodes with John Florea carrying the bulk of the remainder (9) with Dick Moder (6).
The core cast remained the same for this third season, although the introduction included a new clip of Yale Summers with a giraffe instead of an elephant.

Storylines were again interesting although there was an increasing focus on Judy – reflecting her popularity at the time. It was not until the fourth and final season that the problems associated with changes to the cast started to set in.

Third Season Episodes (1st aired on Tuesdays on CBS in US)

3.1 (48) Judy and the Astro-Chimp (First aired 5 Sept 1967)

The space age comes to the Compound when Sally the Astro-Chimp lands there due to a malfunction in her capsule’s guidance system. Judy finds the famed animal and trades her binoculars for a silver space helmet. Everyone mistakes Judy for Sally and she plays the role as the world’s most valuable chimp to the hilt. When identities are finally straightened out, Judy is commended by an Air Force doctor for finding and taking care of their prize possession and Judy decides to tum down a very interesting offer.

Notes: Written by Malvin Wald and directed by Paul Landres. Judy plays a dual role in this episode. Cheryl Miller wears dark glasses throughout for some reason. Some footage of Marshall Thompson on-location in Africa is used again. An interesting looking dream sequence involving Judy and the team in ‘civvies’ is also featured.

3.2 (49) The Execution (First aired 12 Sept 1967)

A leopard attacks Hedley and Marsh without apparent provocation and Daktari decides to operate when he learns the animal is suffering from a brain tumour. Judy’s mother instinct takes over and she secretly adopts the patient’s cub. The cured leopard returns to the compound in a rage and is about to be shot as Judy realises she must save a life.

Notes: Directed by Dick Moder. Hedley sings the song he sang in Episodes 1.10 and 1.11 when in the cage with Hercules the Bear.

3.3 (50) Crime Wave at Wameru (First aired 19 Sept 1967)

When the royal lion cub is brought to the Compound for its annual checkup, Marsh learns Hedley is being forced to retire as District Officer. He and Paula rush to the village hoping to convince the governor to retain their friend while Judy releases the caged cub and tacks an old ransom note to Clarence. The official party frantically searches for the “kidnapped” animal and is fired on by an unusual band of poachers. By performing an act of heroism, Hedley saves the cub and is assured of his position.

Notes: Directed by Paul Landres. The General returns from Episode 2.26 with Hedley’s 2-I-C (Bob Doqui) returning from the original Clarence film. Doqui had also appeared in a different role in Episode 2.8. This is a rather touching episode revolving around the potential departure of Hedley (a little like Mike’s ‘departure’ in Episode 2.24). It is also good to see the Paula bedroom set return in its original form from the first season serving as a mechanism for Paula to re-live some memories.

3.4 (51) Goodbye, Wameru (First aired 26 Sept 1967)

A famed African journalist, a college friend of Mike, comes to the Compound determined to prove in print that its work is at a standstill and useless. Efforts to impress the writer fail, so Jack, Mike and Paula conspire to put him in a dangerous position, save his life and get him in their debt. The plan succeeds until Marsh learns the details and exposes the scheme as dishonest. All seems lost until Judy uses her head for a change and gives the visitor a new insight into the Compound.

Notes: Written by Malvin Wald and directed by Dick Moder. Clarence Williams III guest stars as a character with strong views like Link Hayes (in Mod Squad).

3.5 (52) Killer Tribe (First aired 3 Oct 1967)

Judy is unhappy at being used in an experiment for chimps in space, so she runs off with a strange native believed to be from a legendary killer tribe. When Marsh and his friends discover Judy, they find she has been made ruler of the people who worship chimpanzees. Power has gone to Judy’s head and, though the intruders are in danger, they must talk their little friend back to her senses.

Notes: Directed by Paul Landres. Don Pedro Colley guest stars. There is some continuity with the previous episode when there is a mention of a space research project contract as well as the happenings in Episode 3.1. Watch for when Jack puts a protective arm around Paula at the native camp.

3.6 (53) Scent of Fear (First aired 10 Oct 1967)

When Senor Perez comes to the Compound to be trained by Marsh as a game warden, he and the animals take an instant dislike to one another. The team prepare to operate on a wild dog, the animal escapes. Then Paula orders Perez away when she discovers he is a former bullfighter who has lost his courage. When the missing dog returns and attacks, the man loses his fear and, in saving lives, he regains his valour.

Notes: Written by Richard Carlson and directed by Dick Moder. Guest star Nico Minardes had previously appeared in Episode 1.7. Features a lot of animal footage as Marsh escorts the trainee around the reserve. Another amusing dream sequence is featured (see Episode 3.1).

3.7 (54) Return of the Phantom (First aired 17 Oct 1967)

Marsh Tracy stalks a famous leopard to save him from a native hunter who has spent his life tracking the elusive animal. During the hunt, a strange bond forms between the two men as the phantom leopard leads them into the bush blighted by drought where a jungle fire is an ever present danger.

Notes: Directed by Paul Landres. Percy Rodriguez returns in a different role after having been in Episode 1.2. The phantom leopard had first appeared in Episode 2.10. The Wameru Sub-District Office (a wooden shed) is seen for the first time.

3.8 (55) Countdown for Judy (First aired 24 Oct 1967)

Judy becomes critically ill when she eats berries poisoned by a new farmer in the area, and Daktari can’t treat the chimp without knowing the nature of the poison. Everyone at the Compound searches for bushes bearing the drug, an urgent mission which becomes perilous. As Judy lies motionless, Hedley unknowingly frightens away the one man who can help.

Notes: Guest stars Karl Swenson using an Irish accent. Directed by John Florea who tries a new way of transitioning between scenes by going in and out of focus. The farmer’s house looks suspiciously like the Compound house re-dressed with vines. A new angle looking into the dispensary from the window is featured. The interplay between Judy and Toto is quite good in this episode.

3.9 (56) Judy and the Jailbirds (First aired 31 Oct 1967)

When two old ex-convicts attempt a return to their comfortable jail by being convicted of stealing Clarence, Judy foils the plot to the despair of the conspirators who find themselves forced to devise a more serious crime.

Notes: Written by Malvin Wald and directed by Paul Landres. Sterling Holloway guest stars. The wooden Sub-District Office hut features for the second time. This is a slapstick episode for children – especially with the two bumbling jailbirds and Hedley’s moustache cap and riot helmet. It’s almost like it is set up as a pilot for the two guest stars!

3.10 (57) One of Our Cubs Is Missing (First aired 7 Nov 1967)

Judy rescues a cub during a brush fire and Jack and Mike theorize on whether he will return to his burned-out home or search for his family’s new quarters. They send the cub back into the jungle over Paula’s objections, so she assigns Judy to go and guard the baby. Judy feeds the cub’s transistor collar to an ostrich and, with communication with the Compound lost, Paula goes in search of the pair. She lands in the middle of a dangerous situation but learns something new about animal behaviour.

Notes: Written by Alan Caillou and directed by Dick Moder.

3.11 (58) Judy and the Thoroughbred (First aired 14 Nov 1967)

Marsh Tracy comes face to face with an arrogant Italian countess, too stubborn to admit that the reason her champion race horse is lame is that she has mistreated him in her eternal quest to win at everything she attempts. Because the Italian countess is so desperate, Dr. Tracy agrees to treat the animal even though her merciless tactics threaten to undermine the affection training program at Wameru.

Notes: Directed by John Florea. Guest star Doris Dowling had previously appeared in different roles in Episodes 1.12 and 2.10 and again plays a hard-hearted woman. Cheryl Miller is absent throughout the entire episode (supposedly doing her mid-term exams).

3.12 (59) Return of Ethel and Albert (First aired 21 Nov 1967)

Paula banishes two inseparable compound companions to a pen, Ethel the hippopotamus, and Albert the donkey, after they destroy her flower bed. She soon regrets it when the two escape into the bush to become the likely prey of a dangerous leopard.

Notes: Written by William Clark and directed by Paul Landres. Ethel had been appearing fleetingly in previous episodes. Some previously used on-location shots of an African village appear again. Paula and Jack have a full-scale argument but actually have a quick kiss at the end of the episode. This time Mike appears briefly at the start and is then absent in Nagoro, while Hedley has another day of feeding the compound animals by himself.

3.13 (60) Judy and the Wizard (First aired 28 Nov 1967)

Wulpole the Wizard brings his famous trained chimp, Bonnie, to the Compound for treatment and Judy’s heart goes out to the man who does not realise his star is suffering from old age. Walpole refuses to accept the fact Bonnie is too old to perform any more and leaves in the middle of the night. Before he gets away and before Marsh is able to inform him there is a new life in sight for the team, Judy trades places with Bonnie and creates an apparent kidnapping.

Notes: Directed by Paul Landres. Bonnie was actually the name of the chimp that Judy played in the original Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion movie. It is rare to see Jack and Mike in casual clothes rather than their ‘work uniforms’.

3.14 (61) Clarence’s Love-In (First aired 5 Dec 1967)

Jack’s latest experiment with Clarence almost ends in a disaster when the defenseless lion runs away into the bush after Jack tells him he can’t eat until he cooperates. Further complications arise when Clarence is “adopted” by three lionesses and is forced to choose between a wild existence as head of a pride or his comfortable home as a compound pet at Wameru.

Notes: Written by Malvin Wald and directed by Dick Moder. There is some welcome interplay between Jack and Paula again. Listen for the ‘groovy’ love-in music! This episode seems to include almost every clip of lions screened to date.

3.15 (62) The Elephant Raid (Part 1) (First aired 12 Dec 1967)

Wameru compound is threatened when it is found to be in the path of an advancing elephant herd that has already trampled a nearby village in search of food and water. Dr. Tracy finds himself caught between his personal desire to save the huge animals and the conviction of an Army strategist and friend, sent to the area by the government, that the entire herd must be destroyed for the sake of the inhabitants.

Notes: Written by Richard Tuber and directed by John Florea whose new transitional techniques get tiresome. Kenneth Toby guest stars as the Colonel, a sympathetic character who throws some light on Marsh Tracys’ background in WW2.. A combination of quick edits with a common overlay creates an impressive elephant stampede at the African village. However, the use of Indian elephants with stuck-on big ears spoils the effect later on.

3.16 (63) The Elephant Raid (Part 2) (First aired 19 Dec 1967)

As the Colonel’s plans to destroy the huge elephant herd that is overrunning the countryside become a reality, Marsh Tracy and his assistants are forced to battle time and the impending destruction of Wameru in an attempt to save the herd from being fatally trapped in a maze of land mines and incendiary charges.

Notes: Written by Richard Tuber and directed by John Florea. Kenneth Toby guest stars as the Colonel. Thompson gives a narrative summary over footage from Part 1. Includes the first ever look inside the large storage sheds in the compound. Florea’s transitional techniques are obvious again.

3.17 (64) Miracle in the Jungle (First aired 26 Dec 1967)

A criminal named Simon Matanga invades the Compound determined to recover a fortune he buried while briefly serving as a government official. Clarence temporarily frightens him and Judy presents the uncovered money to Sister Maria Francis. The nun settles Daktari’s debts with a portion of the gift, resulting in the arrest of Compound personnel and their possible death at the hands of Matanga.

Notes: Written by Malvin Wald and directed by Paul Landres. Jan Clayton had appeared as the memorable Mrs. Fusby in Episodes 1.10 and 1.11 and so it is good to see her again as an Irish nun. The lounge set is bought out of mothballs and features again extensively. Judy has humorous scenes questioning Toto near the end.

3.18 (65) Riddle of the Bush (First aired 2 Jan 1968)

A mysterious stranger runs into Paula and Jack while they are surveying an unmapped part of the jungle rumoured to be a secret elephant graveyard. Even after they discover he is one of Dr. Tracy’s former university professors, he remains secretive about his reason for exploring the region. However, his desire for fame and recognition is clear and, before he is exposed, the professor jeopardizes the life of a diseased baby elephant.

Notes: Directed by Dick Moder. Harold Gould (who was actually Thompson’s age) guest stars as the older professor. Judy plays detective investigating the elephant’s disappearance.

3.19 (66) The Big Switch (First aired 9 Jan 1968)

When Judy starts tampering with Daktari’s medical supplies. turmoil develops and the fate of a banished native chief, not to mention some of Dr. Tracy’s experimental animals, hangs in the balance. In spite of Judy’s good intentions, a tribal war almost erupts when the medicine that Judy gets the former chief to take makes him feel strong enough to challenge the new chief to a deadly contest.

Notes: Directed by Paul Landres. Rex Ingram guest stars again after having previously been in Episode 2.16.

3.20 (67) License to Kill (First aired 16 Jan 1968)

An ex-champion boxer is attacked by a crazed lioness at Wameru Compound, and Dr. Tracy must struggle to protect the valuable cat when the fighter gets a warrant to kill her. Dr. Tracy’s predicament is worsened since the lioness, entrusted to him, is the good luck symbol of the neighbouring native village.

Notes: Co-written by Ted Herbert and William Clark and directed by John Florea. Ron Hayes returns for a fourth time after playing the noteworthy character Roy Meadows in Episodes 1.5, 1.10 and 1.11. As a result, it is hard to accept him in this different role.

3.21 (68) Judy Strikes Back (First aired 23 Jan 1968)

Automation comes to Wameru in the form of an electric alarm system when Dr. Tracy and his assistants must protect valuable vaccine for the district office. Judy and her animal friends feel they have been unfairly replaced as the compound guards, so they devise a plot that will save the vaccine from an “intruder” – all to prove that they are superior to the automation invasion!

Notes: Directed by Paul Landres.

3.22 (69) The Killer Cub (First aired 30 Jan 1968)

A young, cattle-killing cheetah and an embittered rancher come into conflict and Dr. Tracy must find a cure for the cub’s deadly instincts before the rancher has him destroyed. Tracy’s job is complicated when the cheetah, used to life in the bush, goes on a hunger strike and refuses to respond to the clinic’s affection treatment.

Notes: Co-written by Malvin Wald and directed by Paul Landres. Guest star Bruce Bennett had appeared in a different role in Episode 4.11.

3.23 (70) Toto the Great (First aired 13 Feb 1968)

When Judy tries to trick Dr. Tracy by dousing Toto instead of herself with a bottle of elephant scent developed by the clinic as a leopard repellent for livestock, Toto unintentionally frightens a marauding cat with her smell and is mistaken for the reincarnation of a great chief by two wandering tribesmen. Before the mystery can be solved, Toto faces a charging rhino and the natives must test their own courage when they are called on to save Judy’s life from an attacking leopard.

Notes: Directed by John Florea.

3.24 (71) The Lion Killer (First aired 20 Feb 1968)

When a wild game hunter and his vicious dog, named Shaka, attempt to attack harmless Clarence, Dr. Tracy intervenes, only to have his professional code put on the line. At the request of the hunter, he must either operate on the dog for a tumour, knowing that he will recover to kill more animals or else refuse to save Shaka’s life. After Tracy decides to cure the dog, Judy begins to campaign to make Shaka, a Rhodesian Ridgebacked hound trained to kill lions, and amiable Clarence – friends.

Notes: Directed by John Florea. Shaka is only the second animal Paula does not like. The team wear jackets throughout this episode.

3.25 (72) The Killer of Wameru (First aired 27 Feb 1968)

Judy plays mother to a starving lion when drought leads him to Wameru. The chimp’s attempts to feed the cat after he returns to the bush almost cost Judy her life. She finds herself in the path of a native hunting party ready to throw their spears at the lion whom they suspect of being a cattle killer. Paula, who has been tracking Judy, intervenes but it is up to Dr. Tracy to prove the innocence of the wandering cat.

Notes: Directed by Paul Landres.

3.26 (73) Monster of Wameru (First aired 5 Mar 1968)

A get-rich•quick scheme backfires when a native masquerades as a gorilla in an effort to attract tourists to his village. Spurred on by his brother who needs money for a dowry to marry the daughter of a neighbouring village chief, the “monster” causes panic to run rampant around Wameru whenever he makes an appearance.

Notes: Co-written by Malvin Wald and directed by John Florea. Lots of history on the discovery of mythical animals is the core of this episode. Bob Doqui makes his third appearance in yet another role after being Episodes 2.8 and 3.3.

3.27 (74) The Will to Live (First aired 12 Mar 1968)

Jack and Mike tangle over the scientific question of heredity versus environment. Their theories are tested by experience in the bush when Serang gets lost and apparently reverts to the wild. When the cat discovers the two men, unarmed and treating Prince for a spear wound, he poises for attack. Rescue by Marsh, Paula and Hedley with their tranquillising dart gun seems highly unlikely.

Notes: Co-written by Malvin Wald and directed by Paul Landres. Thompson only appears in a few scenes. The interplay between Jack and Mike and their ‘graduation’ to being lone surgeons is featured heavily. This was Yale Summers’ last episode that was broadcast.

Here is a detailed review of Season Three.