''Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion'' is a 1965 light

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

, produced by

Ivan Tors Ivan Tors (born Iván Törzs; June 12, 1916 – June 4, 1983) was a Hungary, Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and Film producer, film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwat ...

, Leonard B. Kaufman, and Harry Redmond Jr., directed by

Andrew Marton Andrew Marton (born Endre Marton; 26 January 1904 – 7 January 1992) was a Hungarian-American film director. In his career, he directed 39 films and television programs, and worked on 16 as a second unit director, including the chariot race in ...

, and starring

Marshall Thompson James Marshall Thompson (November 27, 1925Ancestry.com. ''U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Social Security Applications and Cla ...

and Betsy Drake. The film was shot at

Soledad Canyon Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon/valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. It is a part of the Santa Clara River Valley, and extends from the top of Soledad Pass to the open plain ...

near

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, and in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, Florida. It became the basis for the television series '' Daktari''.

Plot

Paula Tracey, an adventurous and fearless girl, is the daughter of veterinarian Dr. Marsh Tracey. Dr. Tracey is the director of

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

's animal hospital and nature preserve. He fights to protect all African wildlife, while studying and caring for injured animals and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

. Paula and her father find Clarence, a wild

African lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is ...

who is cross-eyed. His eyesight problems make hunting in the wild impossible, and they adopt him as a new member of their

wildlife preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. Clarence later saves the day when Julie Harper and her research gorillas are threatened by animal

poachers Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunti ...

Cast

as Dr. Marsh Tracy * Betsy Drake as Julie Harper *

Richard Haydn Richard Haydn (10 March 1905 – 25 April 1985) was a British comedian. Early life George Richard Haydon was born in 1905 in Camberwell, in the London Borough of Southwark. After working as a music hall entertainer and overseer of a Jamaica, J ...

as Rupert Rowbotham *

Cheryl Miller Cheryl Deann Miller (born January 3, 1964) is an American former basketball player. She was formerly a sideline reporter for NBA on TNT, NBA games on Turner Sports, TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst, having worked ...

as Paula Tracy *

Alan Caillou Alan Samuel Lyle-Smythe MBE, M.C. (9 November 1914 – 1 October 2006), who wrote under the name Alan Caillou, was an English-born author, actor, screenwriter, soldier, policeman and professional hunter. Biography Alan Lyle-Smythe was born in ...

as Carter *

Rockne Tarkington William Rockne Tarkington, Jr. (July 15, 1931 – April 5, 2015) was an American stage, film and television actor. Career Born in Junction City, Kansas, Tarkington began his career as a stage actor, and made the transition to television with ...

as Juma *

Maurice Marsac Maurice Marsac (23 March 1915 – 6 May 2007) was a French actor who had a long career, with over 150 appearances in American films and television. He was also a nationally ranked croquet player. Career Born in La Croix-Valmer, France, he wa ...

as Gregory * Robert DoQui as Sergeant * Albert Amos as Husseini * Dinny Powell as Dinny * Mark Allen as Larson * Laurence Conroy as Tourist * Allyson Daniell as Tourist's Wife *

Janee Michelle Janee Michelle (born Geneva Leona Mercadel; 1946), also known as Gee Tucker, is an American actress, former Model (people), model, dancer, and businessperson, best known for her role in the 1974 horror film ''The House on Skull Mountain''. Her a ...

as Girl In Pit * Naaman Brown * Napoleon Whiting as Villager * Chester Jones as Old Man

Animals

* Clarence The Lion * Doris The Chimpanzee * Mary Lou The Python

Additional Information

Clarence was cross-eyed in real life and lived at

Africa USA Africa U.S.A. may refer to: Amusement parks * Africa U.S.A. Park, an amusement park in Boca Raton, Florida, 1953–1961 * Marine World/Africa USA, an animal theme park in Redwood Shores, California, now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Places

* A ...

near Los Angeles. He was so tame that he would purr when his back was rubbed. Ivan Tors had previously made the movie " Flipper", which also became a TV series. Betsy Drake had retired from acting 6 years previous, but agreed to play this one role before returning to retirement. Marshall Thompson was bitten for real during the scene in which he rescues a woman from a leopard; they left the scene in as filmed.

Production

The film was followed by the CBS TV series '' Daktari'' (1966–1969), with Marshall Thompson and

reprising their film roles.

References

External links

* * * 1965 films 1965 action comedy films 1960s action adventure films 1960s adventure comedy films Films about lions American adventure comedy films Films set in Kenya Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Miami Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Andrew Marton Films adapted into television shows 1960s English-language films 1960s American films American action adventure films English-language action adventure films English-language action comedy films {{action-film-stub