Clarence, the cross-eyed lion

Movie
German title	Clarence, the cross-eyed lion
Original title	Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1965
length	98 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6
Rod
Director	Andrew Marton
script	Alan Caillou ; Art Arthur ; Marshall Thompson
production	Leonard B. Kaufman
music	Al Mack
camera	Lamar Boren
cut	Warren Adams
occupation
	Marshall Thompson : Dr. Marsh Tracy; Cheryl Miller : Paula, his daughter; Betsy Drake : Dr. Julie Harper; Richard Haydn : Rupert Rowbotham; Alan Caillou : Carter; Rockne Tarkington : Juma; Maurice Marsac : Gregory; Robert DoQui : Sergeant; Dinny Powell : Dixey; Mark Allen : Larson; Laurence Conroy : Tourist; Allyson Daniell : his wife; Janee Michelle : girls of the working group; Chester Jones : old man; Naaman Brown , Napoleon Whiting : Villagers; Clarence , the cross-eyed lion; Doris the chimpanzee; Leo, the aggressive lion; Mary Lou, the snake;

Clarence the Cross-Eyes Lion is a 1965 American film directed by Andrew Marton . The popular American television series Daktari, produced from 1966 onwards, is based on this story, in which Clarence first appeared. Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy and Cheryl Miller as his daughter Paula also starred in the television series.

action

Dr. Marsh Tracy heads a young team that includes his daughter Paula. Together they live in a log house in the center of his work area, the Wameru bush station. He has made it his business to observe the behavior of animals in the wilderness of Africa and to help sick animals. One day he is told by his staff about a lion that does not attack any other animal, not even when it is in his immediate vicinity. Dr. Tracy wants to pursue this unusual behavior and goes with his daughter Paula and a coworker and a large piece of meat to lure them to the place where the lion was last sighted. In fact, he is approaching the lump of meat. Dr. Tracy looks through his binoculars and notices that the lion is squinting badly in both eyes. That is also the reason why he cannot hunt. Tracy put something in the flesh so that the big cat falls asleep for a while. He wants to take the lion to the animal station adjacent to his house.

To Dr. Tracy's delight receives a visit from the anthropologist Dr. Julie Harper, who continues the work of her late husband. She brought Paula a dress that the young woman immediately tried on with great joy. Julie Harper is meanwhile talking to Dr. Tracy about her giant gorillas , whose behavior she studies and whom she loves. She therefore lives among them in a remote camp. When Paula later fed meat to the lion, she brought a book with her in which she looked for a suitable name for him. She then decides to call him Clarence , as he obviously responds to that name with pleasure. The next day Julie wants to go back to camp . Your loyal companion is Doris, a baby gorilla. Paula tells her father that she is worried about Julie because she is so alone in her unprotected camp. Dr. However, Tracy says that there is nobody but the gorillas, what should be dangerous there? However, Julie is already being watched by two animal trappers who have hidden in the tall trees. Some time later, Carter, a government man who, with his men, wants to put an end to the animal hunters, visits the doctor. He tells him about Gregory, the leader of this gang. Gregory was seen on the banks of the Ulenzi River very near Julie's camp. Carter has received information that Gregory plans to capture as many gorillas in the area as he can get. Since Carter wants to surround and arrest Gregory and his mercenary troops with his askaris , Dr. Tracy got Julie to leave camp to avoid any danger. Dr. However, Tracy fails to get the courageous woman to leave her makeshift accommodation and come into his house. Julie just says she won't abandon her gorillas now that they are in danger. She worked hard so that she could now move freely between them because the animals would trust her. So Dr. Tracy with her. The next morning they trace the animal trappers. Julie suggests building a makeshift bridge across the river. That could help the monkeys if they were cornered by the animal trappers to the river and then didn't know what to do next. She also says that gorillas, if they had enough time, would practice this themselves to cross a river. As soon as they are finished with their work, Gregory approaches with his men. They now want to use the built bridge for their own purposes. The plan is to drive the animals over it and then to catch them at the other end with laid out nets. Other mercenaries join the animal hunters who are already expected by them and apologize that they had just hunted and killed a young leopard. Triumphantly they wave the hide of the hunted animal. Dr. Tracy knows that his daughter and a helper released a young leopard today that was nursed at the station and should now be returned to the wild. He cannot stand the behavior of the men and attacks them, but there are too many, they beat him up. Fortunately, Carter arrives with a government force shortly afterwards, and a wild shooting ensues in which some of the mercenaries are killed. The rest are arrested. Unfortunately, Gregory, the leader of the animal catcher gang, escapes. He races off in his jeep , in the car is Doris, the little gorilla. When he gets into a mud hole, he stops briefly to clear undergrowth and does not notice that Clarence, who has moved away from the animal station, has jumped onto the platform of the jeep. When he discovered him while driving on, he was frightened and fell out of the car and caught his boot in a chain that was hanging on the back of the car. As the vehicle approaches where Dr. Tracy, Julie and the rangers are still discussing how they could still catch Gregory, they hardly believe their eyes when they see Clarence and Doris rushing up in the car and Gregory on a chain behind the car. The car circles them several times. The chain breaks at a fireplace and Gregory falls right in front of the rangers' feet. The car with Clarence and Doris only comes to a stop a while later. Marsh Tracy and Julie Harper want to stay together from now on, to Paula's great joy, and Clarence gets glasses.

Production and Background

The film was shot in Greenwich Studios in Miami, Florida, USA (at the time Ivan Tors Studios). It's an Ivan Tors production. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was responsible for distributing the film .

The film premiered on April 14, 1965 in Cincinnati , Ohio , USA . On August 4, 1965, it started in New York , United States. In Germany the film was shown for the first time as a television premiere on August 30, 1991st

According to his trainer Ralph, the cross-eyed lion Clarence was also cuddly outside of the series. He stayed with his trainer until his death in 1969. Clarence died of indigestion due to his appetite. At the time of his death, he was in his cage in Peoria , Illinois, USA .

The film was followed by the series Daktari (89 episodes), produced by the American animal filmmaker Ivan Tors from 1966 to 1969 . Among other things, Tors also looked after the Flipper animal series . Susanne Hart , a South African veterinarian and environmentalist, is a role model for films and series. About her life, the documentary was made in 2007 , the true story - Daktari ( The Real Daktari ).