Carthage, Missouri: Marlin Perkins Statue

The star of TV's Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, honored in bronze in the town where he was born.

Those who've gagged at Aussie Steve Irwin's "Crikey, look at the size of those incisors! They're huge!" (Animal Planet) or dozed off to Mar-ty Stouf-fer's Wild A-merica would do well to remember that the original American TV wildlife series debuted way back in 1963. It was Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. The show was hosted by Marlin Perkins (1905-1986), Director of the St Louis Zoo and native of Carthage, MO.

The best you can say about it is that it was filmed on location. You never see reruns anymore because commercial segues extolling the prudence of buying insurance were part of the script. These "breaks" were reinforced by examples of the providence of nature (or lack thereof). They punctuated an overly dramatic and anthropomorphic storyline that led inevitably to the gladiatorial spectacle of co-host Jim Fowler's having the stuffing almost kicked out of him by Australian kangaroos, being trampled nearly to death by migrating herds of African ungulates, or partially asphyxiating in the grip of some huge new-world reptile while Mr Perkins remained crisply aloof.