Originally broadcast on Sunday, 23rd May, 1999, this is a tribute to the great Johnny Morris, who sadly had passed away a couple of weeks earlier on the 6th. Johnny, of course, was most famous for presenting Animal Magic for 21 years from 1962 to 1983 - and this excellent retrospective includes plenty of clips and out-takes, plus new and archive interviews, and that theme tune, all held together by links from the great Bill Oddie. It's a fitting tribute indeed.
Look out for appearances from old friends such as Christina the elephant and Dottie the ring-tailed lemur, plus of course the likes of Terry Nutkins, who fronted Animal Magic's spiritual successor The Really Wild Show. (In fact, on that subject, there's a zoo keeper in this named Don Packham - I wonder if he's any relation to Chris.) There's a truly hilarious bit with a gorilla, a baby polar bear has a bit of a mishap, and the ending with the camels shows just what sort of a person Johnny truly was. They don't make 'em like that any more.
Grateful thanks to Lee for providing this recording.
(This is a transfer from an old videotape, so please don't expect full HD quality. To the best of my knowledge, this material is not available commercially anywhere in the world, and has been uploaded for its historic interest. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.)
10 июн 2016
