If you're a younger Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, or a Millennial, it is quite possible that you might remember a show called Daktari.Daktari is a family drama about a veterinarian in Africa that aired on CBS from 1966 to 1969. It proved to be popular as a syndicated rerun on local stations in the Seventies, and aired on cable channels from the Eighties into the Naughts. Today it can be found on more than one streaming channel. Daktari debuted sixty yeas ago today, on January 11, 1966, on CBS.
Daktari centred on Dr. Marsh Tracy (Marshall Thompson), a veterinarian who runs a the fictional Wameru Study Centre for Animal Behaviour, in East Africa.. He was assisted by his daughter Paula (Cheryl Miller), native African Mike Makula (Hari Rhodes), and animal hospital member Jack Dane (Yale Summers). Marsh and Cheryl had two unusual pets in the form of a cross-eyed lion named Clarence and a chimpanzee named Judy. As to the title, it is the Swahili word for "doctor."
The origins of Daktari go back to the 1965 movie Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, produced by Ivan Tors. Ivan Tors's inspiration for Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965) came from the real-life work of Dr. Antonie Marinus Harthoorn and his wife Sue Hart, who operated an animal sanctuary in Kenya. Ivan Tors went to Kenya on vacation, where he visited Antonie Marinus Harthoorn and Sue Hart's animal sanctuary. Ivan Tors's visit led to the movie Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, which in turn led to Daktari. Marshall Thompson and Cheryl Miller reprised their roles as Dr. Marsh Tracy and his daughter Paula for the TV series.
Of course, given the movie's title, it should come as no surprise that Clarence the cross-eyed lion was more or less the star of both the film and the TV show. Clarence was born and raised in the animal reserve Africa USA in California. Ivan Tors took an interest in Clarence and was convinced of his star potential. Despite this, Clarence's visual impairment would cause problems from time to time. Fortunately, Clarence's vision would improve over time. It was in part because of Clarence's visual impairment, in part because he was frightened of vehicles, and in part because he was so tame that stunt doubles were used for him. . In those scenes with vehicles present, then, a lion named Leo was used. At the time Leo was the lion appearing in the MGM logos of the time. Yet another, much less gentle lion also named Leo was used for those scenes in which Clarence was called upon to growl or snarl.
Daktari debuted on Tuesday, January 11, 1966, and proved to be a hit. In its first season, it ranked no. 14 for the year in the Nielsen ratings. It performed even better in its second season, ranking no. 7 for the season in the Nielsens. The show's popularity would lead to merchandise associated with the series. Dell published a Daktari comic book that ran for four issues from 1967to 1969. A paperback novel was published by Ace Books in the U.S. There was also a Big Little Book. Four Darktari paperbacks were published in the UK by Souvenir Press Ltd. Corgi Toys put out a set that included the Land Rover from the show as well as figures of Clarence, Dr. Tracy, Paula, and Judy.
For its third season, Daktari dropped in the ratings from no. 7 to 33. In its first season, Daktari faced such competition as My Mother the Car and Please Don't Eat the Daisies on NBC and Combat! on ABC. The firs two shows bombed in the ratings for the season, while Combat! did not appeal to children the way Daktari did. For its second season, Daktari continued to face Combat! on ABC, but its competition on NBC continued to be another low-rated show, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. For its third season, Daktari faced stronger competition on NBC in the form of I Dream of Jeannie. While I Dream of Jeannie received mediocre ratings during its original network run, it was popular with children, the primary audience for Daktari.
For its fourth season, Daktari saw some changes. Yales Summers left the show. He was replaced by Ross Hagen as Bart Jason, a popular guide for safaris who had been a hunter and ranger. Also joining the cast was a young Erin Moran, who played Jenny Jones, an orphan who joined the Tracy household. Unfortunately, Daktari would only last one more season.
Perhaps because its ratings had declined, CBS moved Daktari from Tuesday night at 7:30 Eastern/6:30 Central to Wednesday night at 7:30 Eastern/6:30 Central. In its new times slot, its ratings toppled catastrophically. Unfortunately, its new Wednesday night time slot put it against the still popular Western The Virginian on NBC. The Virginian ranked no. 17 for the year.Ultimately, CBS cancelled Daktari only 15 episodes into its fourth season. It was replaced by The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which did much better in the time slot.
While Daktari had ended its original network run, it was hardly forgotten. The show entered syndication and proved to be poplar on local TV stations in the United States from the Seventies well into the Eighties. CBN (the forerunner of the Family Channel that later became Freeform) aired the show in Eighties. In the Nineties, it could be seen on TNT and still later on Animal Planet. Currently, Daktari can be streamed on Tubi and The Roku Channel.
Daktari remains fondly remembered by many people of a certain age, whether they discovered it in its original network run, as a syndicated rerun on their local TV station, or as a rerun on a cable channel. It is the sort of animal show made for children that they simply don't make any longer. Despite this, it seems possible that it might continue to be seen sixty years from now.