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Zoo Parade

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Zoo Parade
GenreEducation, nature
Directed byDon Meier[1]
Presented byMarlin Perkins,Jim Hurlbut
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No.of seasons8
Production
ProducerDon Meier[1]
Production locationLincoln Park Zoo
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseMay 28, 1950(May 28, 1950)–
September 1, 1957(September 1, 1957)[2]
Related
Wild Kingdom

Zoo Paradeis an American television program broadcast from 1950 to 1957 that featured animals from theLincoln Park ZooinChicago.Presented byMarlin Perkins,the show was broadcast on Sunday afternoons onNBC.[3]

History[edit]

Marlin Perkins,at left, feeds amacawduring a 1954 episode.

The show was first broadcast locally in Chicago asLincoln Park Zooin 1949,[2]appearing in television listings forWNBQas early as May,[4]and using theZoo Paradename by December.[5]It was then broadcast nationally byNBCon Sunday afternoons from May 1950 to September 1957.[2]

Shot primarily at theLincoln Park Zooin Chicago, the zoo's director,Marlin Perkins,was a presenter throughout the series; he was assisted by announcer Jim Hurlbut[a]for several seasons.[7]Harrison Ford,born in 1942, recalled meeting Perkins during the run of the show, as Ford's father was in advertising and had the zoo as a client.[8]Perkins was bitten on a finger by arattlesnakeshortly before the episode of April 1, 1951, resulting in his hospitalization—a zoologist hosted the episode in his place.[9]

The series was primarily filmed inblack and white,although asafariepisode first aired in December 1955 was filmed incolor.[2]Some episodes in the fall of 1955 were shot on location in other U.S. cities.[2]The show was canceled in the fall of 1957 and replaced with an interview show,Look Here,hosted byMartin Agronsky.[10]Perkins went on to host the programWild Kingdom,[11]which debuted in 1963.

Aboard gameentitledMarlin Perkins' Zoo Paradewas issued in 1955 by maker Cadaco-Ellis of Chicago, which involved two to four players answering questions about animals of North America, South America, Asia, and Africa.[12][13]Examples of the game can sometimes be found viaonline auctionsites.

Awards[edit]

The show won aPeabody Awardin the area of children's programming for1950(awarded in 1951),[14]and aSylvania Awardin1951as the "best program suitable for children."[15]The show received four nominations forEmmy Awards:[16]

Legacy[edit]

Jim Wehmeyer has described the show: "A precursor of sorts to the regularly featured animal segments onThe Tonight Showand other late-night talk shows,Zoo Paradewas a location-bound production (filmed in the reptile house basement) during which Perkins would present and describe the life and peculiarities of Lincoln Park Zoo animals. "[18]

Marcel LaFollette has written, "Production approaches that are now standard practice onNOVAand theDiscovery Channelderive, in fact, from experimentation by television pioneers likeLynn PooleandDon Herbertand such programs asAdventure,Zoo Parade,Science in Action,and theBell Telephone System’s science specials.These early efforts were also influenced by television’s love of the dramatic, refined during its first decade and continuing to shape news and public affairs programming, as well as fiction and fantasy, today. "[19]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Hurlbut, aMarine Corpsveteran of theGuadalcanal campaign,died in 1967 at age 57.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^abGoldsborough, Bob (August 1, 2019)."Writer produced 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom'".Chicago Tribune.p. 2-5.RetrievedOctober 2,2022– via newspapers.com.
  2. ^abcdeHyatt, Wesley (1997).The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television.Watson-Guptill Publications. pp. 486–487.ISBN978-0823083152.Retrieved22 March2020.
  3. ^Woolery, George W. (1985).Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series.The Scarecrow Press. pp. 573–574.ISBN0-8108-1651-2.
  4. ^"Television Programs".Chicago Tribune.May 22, 1949. p. 3-20 SW.RetrievedOctober 1,2022– via newspapers.com.
  5. ^"Television".Chicago Tribune.December 25, 1949. p. 4.RetrievedOctober 1,2022– via newspapers.com.
  6. ^"Jim Hurlbut, Ex-Newsman Here, Is Dead".Chicago Tribune.March 27, 1967. p. 1A-10.RetrievedOctober 2,2022– via newspapers.com.
  7. ^"Zoo Parade: Full Cast & Crew".IMDb.RetrievedOctober 1,2022.
  8. ^Truitt, Brian (June 13, 2019)."Harrison Ford dishes on his pets, 'Secret Life' role".Chillicothe Gazette.Chillicothe, Ohio.USA Today.p. D4.RetrievedOctober 2,2022– via newspapers.com.
  9. ^"Rattlesnake Bites Zoo Director About to Go on TV in Chicago".St. Louis Post Dispatch.April 2, 1951. p. 1.RetrievedOctober 1,2022– via newspapers.com.
  10. ^"Tele-Notes".Newsday.Melville, New York.September 4, 1957. p. 3C.RetrievedOctober 2,2022– via newspapers.com.
  11. ^Cech, John (May 28, 2002)."Zoo Parade".Recess!– via UFL.edu.
  12. ^"Marlin Perkins' Zoo Parade".boardgamegeek.com.RetrievedOctober 2,2022.
  13. ^"Many Local Firms Take Part In Marketing New Ball Game".Fort Lauderdale News.December 3, 1962. p. 5D.RetrievedOctober 2,2022– via newspapers.com.
  14. ^"Durante Wins Award as Best TV Performer".The Rock Island Argus.Rock Island, Illinois.INS.April 26, 1951. p. 15.RetrievedOctober 1,2022– via newspapers.com.
  15. ^"Caesar-Coca Team Wins TV Awards: Sylvania Prize Committee Praises Televising of Kefauver Hearings".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.November 9, 1951.
  16. ^"Zoo Parade: Awards".IMDb.RetrievedOctober 1,2022.
  17. ^"Top TV Awards Nominations Listed; Winners to Be Announced Tuesday".Los Angeles Times.January 20, 1951. p. II-16.RetrievedOctober 2,2022– via newspapers.com.
  18. ^Wehmeyer, Jim."Wild Kingdom".The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived fromthe originalon April 15, 2002 – viaWayback Machine.
  19. ^LaFollette, Marcel C. (September 2002). "A Survey of Science Content in U.S. Television Broadcasting, 1940s through 1950s: The Exploratory Years".Science Communication.24(1): 34–71.doi:10.1177/107554700202400103.S2CID144331760.No free online access.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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