Sorry to hear about Steve Irwin

[What'saCobra?]

This is a big loss to me and our family. Although it might date me pretty well as a dinosaur, as a kid i used to watch Marlin Perkins on Zoo Parade (1950 - 1957) and Mutual of Ohaha's Wild Kingdom (1962 - 1971.) Marlin was just about the tops in his field and was Director/Curator of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Several times we drove from Boston to Chicago as my pop used to be a bowling Champ for the Herald Traveler Newspaper. i was a pre-teen and we always visited Marlin at the zoo. He got me very interested in Cheetahs, because of the knowledge, even in those days, that they would be lost to the wild due to not enough genetic variation. Although it has not yet quite happened, Marlin was correct and they are highly endangered.

Nobody, except my dad and my ex-SeeBee Uncle Francis (he and thousands of others built the Burma Road from India into China during WWII) had more impact on me than Marlin. (Of course, i also had a few darn nice teachers, particularly the cute music teacher in the 7th grade, but that's another story.) He was just such a great guy and always had time to meet one on one with people. He was impressed that we drove all the way from Boston to also see the Lincoln Park Zoo and was always ready with a warm welcome. He would take the time to show my little bro' and i something interesting and new to the zoo, but he remembered my love for the speedy Cheetah and focused on that interest of mine also. (Bill Thomas comes to mind here, but i am a Cobra guy, mostly.)

Both these guys and a few others were perhaps the leaders in the animal side of the environmental movement's origins. Seems to me that Steve Irwin was right up Marlin's ally. i think his environmental opinions were both real and rational. He didn't think that people were a plague on an earth that would be better off without us. They both really loved animals, both in the wild and in reasonable but sophisticated captivity. They both loved people, but loved the animals more. They were both husbandry specialists, but loved the wild first.

They'll both be missed.

[BMK]

Yes

I agree Steve Irwin will be missed. No doubt he squeezed more into his years than many would in two lifetimes.

It is not until you travel overseas that you realise the legacy that he has left. Not a place visited.. that I have not been asked if I know Steve or have been to his park.

I think the park will grow as he has a strong and keen support staff.

Bernie

[richardferguson]

People as passionate and inspiring as Steve Irwin are rare. He will be missed.
Richard

[BMK]

Rich,



ADD or ADHD????

... he just could not sit still for a minute.

[Mark IV]

Whatsa,

You might not be aware that Marlin cut his zoological teeth at the Buffalo zoo in the 40s/50s. I too, loved "Wild Kingdom" and still laugh wiith friends recalling Marlin as the shot pulled back "while Jim wrestles the Anaconda (and goes down for the third time) this would be a great time to tell you about Mutual of Omaha's accident coverage"

Jim out in the field getting mauled while Marlin was in the studio with that world map they used.......

Still, anyone who willingly steps in with salties is of questionable sanity!

Rick

[richardferguson]

Bernie
although it's not my field (thank God), most of the patients I see who claim to have ADD/ADHD are just looking for a medical explanation for their bad behaviour and lack of achievement. Such people are not over-achievers like Steve Irwin. I take your point though: you'd reckon he'd have a fair charge in his battery. I thought he was hilarious.
Richard

[What'saCobra?]

You are correct. Marlin was at St. Louis as the snake guy first, and was indeed director of the Buffalo Zoo in the late 30's and 40's, though at my age i never knew him at either of those locations. Did you see him there?

Marlin set the scene for all the current snake, bug, extreme animal and other wild animal presenters and conservators. (i think Girls Gone Wild is another kind of wildlife that Marlin seemed to have missed, at least on camera.)

Jim Fowler was indeed Marlin's strong man on site. Jim got the tough duty, but saved Marlin's neck several times, on camera. He got the more dirty and back-breaking duty, i suspect.

The field work for Wild Kindom was shot with 24fps 16mm Bolex and Ariflex film cameras, always with the latest lens combinations and the best available metering. In the early sixties they also got the H-16 Rex Paillard Reflex Bolexes and that helped reduce the need for so much editing and re-shoots in the field.

i understand they analyzed using the early Kinescopes also, but two technical problems were virtually unsurmountable. First, the power consumption of the video/audio combination was ghastly, requiring either a direct mains connection or huge batteries in a dedicated jeep, with trailer. Secondly, the vidio wire recording systems were also huge power suckers and very fragile. The early mag tape systems from Ampex were not too much better to use in the field, either.

Wild Kingdom was said to be "...Edited to emphasize the dangerous, dramatic or comedic interplay between man and beast, accompanied by the appropriate soundtrack mix of music and natural sound, and always punctuated by the familiar voice-overs of Marlin or Jim, the popular narrative conceit of Wild Kingdom was criticized at times by some zoologists and environmentalists for putting entertainment values before those of ecological education..."

Doesn't that also sound just like today's criticisms of Steve's passionate and human interest approach?

Both Steve and Marlin had the same passion for animals and their unique behaviors. Both took big risks and had plenty of close calls, by most people's standards. An Anaconda nearly took both Marlin and Jim to the point of drowning until Jim put a bag on the Anaconda's head and it thought it was night and relaxed (i didn't see this, but read it somewhere.)

The funniest thing about Mutual of Ohaha's sponsorship of Wild Kingdom was when occasional disasters struck on the set or in the animal's protective behavior on camera, there was frequently a cut to a Mutual ad, with a linking phrase that both were trying to protect either their young's interests or their lives.

When the Anaconda was about to drown Marlin, the announcer said, "This is a good time to remember the need for a good insurance policy to protect your family should anything unexpected happen to you, too."

Pretty rich stuff. Probably politically incorrect today, but cute.

i have no idea if Steve was aware of Marlin's earlier exploits when he started with his dad, but i suspect his dad knew about Marlin. Either way, Steve & Marlin should have met each other because they certainly were spiritual brothers.

Marlin died June 14, 1986, then as Director of the St. Louis Zoo, where the Wild Kindom program was created and presented. He was involved in Wild Kingdom up nearly to his death.

Marlin set the markers and Steve pushed them way down the field, to his everlasting credit, animal and conservative interests and our joy.
--------------

Ps: you might know that Jim Fowler is today the honorary President of the Explorer's Club of New York, which is quite an honor. He is a kind and very serious person about animal protection and preservation. The Honorary Chairman is Sir Edmund Hillary. Jim now has his honorary Doctorate degree and is recognized as a world's expert in predatory birds. You might recall that he was the final host of the original Wild Kindom series just before and after Marlin died.

Pretty good company for a former "bag man", eh?

[Mark IV]

V,

"30s/40s"...Just how the hell old do you think I am!
Rick

[What'saCobra?]

Well, late 40's could make you in your 50's. It's not like Buffalo had a whole lot of different Zoos in the 40's...

Perhaps you didn't see the original Zoo Parade, live broadcast from Lincoln Park Zoo on NBC either?

Gee, i must be gettin' older, HA?

[400TT]

Steve's Dad has indicated that they will more than likely not be accepting the offer of a State funeral. Steve's Dad said that Steve considered himself as just an ordinary bloke and would have wanted just an ordinary funeral.

Watching a show last night and found out some interesting things about Steve:

* All the Tourism Ads and local Customs Information TV ads he performed in were all done for free. He believed in getting the message out and didn't believe in getting paid or it.

* He was buying up tracts of land here so that they would remain pristine bushland.

* Family does not have a lot of money as most of it has been spent in Oz Zoo and Wildlife Warriors etc charities.

Saw some fantastic footage of Jay Leno & Steve Irwin. They seemed to work very well off each other. Apparently he made 17 appearances on Jay's show. He would have made more, if he had been in the US more often.

[BMK]

richardferguson,

ADD or ADHD..

Rich

Yes - just joking - I think he certainly was a live wire. His enthusiasm was evident in everything he did.

Bernie