Monday, July 03, 2017

#4 Movies

"Bring 'Em Back Alive!

Posted by Buckles at 7/03/2017 04:16:00 AM

6 comments:

Harry Kingston said...

These are some of the wildest animal footage you will ever see on the screen.
Radio pictures was the distributer of these films.
Footage you will never see again and Frank bought them back alive to zoo's and circuses.

03 July, 2017 08:27
Eric said...

Frank Buck initially tried to interest the major film studios to send a camera crew along on one of his animal collecting trips. The only offer he received was from the Van Beuren Studios, which primarily produced cartoons and short subjects. Van Beuren originally intended to use the footage in a series of short subjects, but Buck convinced them that they could all make a lot more money if it was released as a feature film. RKO agreed to distribute it and it made a mint of money.

03 July, 2017 08:49
Patricia said...

Jungle Larry Tetzlaff went on several gathering expeditions with Frank Buck. He (J.L.)always had interesting stories, and there was never a shortage of people to listen.

03 July, 2017 09:25
Roger Smith said...

Tony Gentry loved to recall his employment with Buck. According to Tony, Buck kept well back from the actual tracking and capture of animals, but showed up for filming once his crew had the situation well contained. Buck sent the real jungle boys out for the collecting, while he remained in camp drinking gin rickeys and playing with the native girls.

Tony told of a lion escape in the basement of the Garden, in New York. An attendant came running to Buck, who had no intention of facing the animal. Buck said, "Damn, Tony, look at the time! I've gotta run do that radio show. Go catch that lion, Tony, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

If the name Tony Gentry rings a bell, it was he, at 86, who tried to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for an old chimp he claimed was then 75, and one of the Cheetah chimps in the Johnny Weissmuller TARZAN films. The story was quickly researched and found false, and the sidewalk honor was denied.

03 July, 2017 15:53
Paul Gutheil said...

I sort of recall hearing some of this before. Nevertheless another boyhood memory shattered, thanks Frank . . .

03 July, 2017 17:36
Patricia said...

Roger's story of Mr. Buck reminds me of when my family used to watch 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom' on Sunday nights. I remember my Dad laughing when Marlon Perkins would say things like, "I'll stay in the jeep while Jim wrestles the thirty foot python!" My dad said he would prefer Mr. Perkins job

04 July, 2017 07:59

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