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Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (known commonly as Skippy) is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin, and Lee Robinson, produced from 1967 to 1969 (airing from 5 February 1968 to 4 May 1970) about the adventures of a young boy and his highly intelligent pet kangaroo, and the various visitors to the fictional Waratah National Park, filmed in today's Waratah Park and adjoining portions of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park near Sydney.
Three series comprising 91 30-minute episodes were produced. Additionally, a full-length film titled Skippy and the Intruders was released to theatres in 1969.
Skippy, the show's namesake star, is a female eastern grey kangaroo, that is befriended by 9-year-old Sonny Hammond, who with 16-year-old brother Mark are the children of widower Matt Hammond, the head ranger of Waratah National Park. The stories revolved around events in the park, including its animals, the dangers arising from natural hazards, and the actions of visitors (featuring numerous stars, predominately of the period in guesting roles). The boys' mother is said (in episode 48 "The Mine") to have died shortly after Sonny was born.
The small and unusually intelligent Skippy was not a pet, and the series often mentioned that Skippy lived in the park and was free to come and go as she pleased. Skippy was found in the bush as a baby by Sonny—an orphan, her mother having been killed by shooters. That once Skippy was old enough to look after herself, she was always understood to be able to go back to the bush, but a strong bond had been built up between Skippy and Sonny and the rest of the Hammond family. Skippy was a remarkable kangaroo. Capable of near-human thought and reasoning, she could understand everyone, open doors, carry things in her pouch, cross streams on narrow logs, foil villains, rescue hapless bushwalkers, untie ropes, collect the mail, and even operate the radio. In one episode, she plays drums in a band; in another, she places a bet - and wins - on a horse at Randwick Racecourse.
Sharing the ranger headquarters residence was the helicopter pilot, Flight Ranger Jerry King, aged in his mid-20s. Later, several female characters were introduced to the series, including Dr. Anna Steiner, a research scientist working in the park, and schoolgirl Clancy Merrick, the teenaged daughter of another park ranger who boards with the Hammonds. Members of the Aboriginal Theatre from Yirrkala in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory made guest appearances in three episodes.
The series was often characterised as an Australian or kangaroo version of Flipper or Lassie.
Three series were made with a total of 91 episodes, and production was wound up in September 1969. Producers never intended to make more, partly because 91 episodes were considered enough, and partly because the child actor who played Sonny, Garry Pankhurst, was growing up.
The Skippy TV series was produced by Fauna Productions. During 1963, British film director Michael Powell had visited Australia to preproduce his film, They're A Weird Mob. There, he met actor and theatre businessman John McCallum and legal expert Bob Austin, who used their local knowledge to find financing from Australian backers. The film did well, and McCallum and Austin together with veteran Australian producer Lee Robinson went on to set up Fauna Productions.
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Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (known commonly as Skippy) is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin, and Lee Robinson, produced from 1967 to 1969 (airing from 5 February 1968 to 4 May 1970) about the adventures of a young boy and his highly intelligent pet kangaroo, and the various visitors to the fictional Waratah National Park, filmed in today's Waratah Park and adjoining portions of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park near Sydney.
Three series comprising 91 30-minute episodes were produced. Additionally, a full-length film titled Skippy and the Intruders was released to theatres in 1969.
Skippy, the show's namesake star, is a female eastern grey kangaroo, that is befriended by 9-year-old Sonny Hammond, who with 16-year-old brother Mark are the children of widower Matt Hammond, the head ranger of Waratah National Park. The stories revolved around events in the park, including its animals, the dangers arising from natural hazards, and the actions of visitors (featuring numerous stars, predominately of the period in guesting roles). The boys' mother is said (in episode 48 "The Mine") to have died shortly after Sonny was born.
The small and unusually intelligent Skippy was not a pet, and the series often mentioned that Skippy lived in the park and was free to come and go as she pleased. Skippy was found in the bush as a baby by Sonny—an orphan, her mother having been killed by shooters. That once Skippy was old enough to look after herself, she was always understood to be able to go back to the bush, but a strong bond had been built up between Skippy and Sonny and the rest of the Hammond family. Skippy was a remarkable kangaroo. Capable of near-human thought and reasoning, she could understand everyone, open doors, carry things in her pouch, cross streams on narrow logs, foil villains, rescue hapless bushwalkers, untie ropes, collect the mail, and even operate the radio. In one episode, she plays drums in a band; in another, she places a bet - and wins - on a horse at Randwick Racecourse.
Sharing the ranger headquarters residence was the helicopter pilot, Flight Ranger Jerry King, aged in his mid-20s. Later, several female characters were introduced to the series, including Dr. Anna Steiner, a research scientist working in the park, and schoolgirl Clancy Merrick, the teenaged daughter of another park ranger who boards with the Hammonds. Members of the Aboriginal Theatre from Yirrkala in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory made guest appearances in three episodes.
The series was often characterised as an Australian or kangaroo version of Flipper or Lassie.
Three series were made with a total of 91 episodes, and production was wound up in September 1969. Producers never intended to make more, partly because 91 episodes were considered enough, and partly because the child actor who played Sonny, Garry Pankhurst, was growing up.
The Skippy TV series was produced by Fauna Productions. During 1963, British film director Michael Powell had visited Australia to preproduce his film, They're A Weird Mob. There, he met actor and theatre businessman John McCallum and legal expert Bob Austin, who used their local knowledge to find financing from Australian backers. The film did well, and McCallum and Austin together with veteran Australian producer Lee Robinson went on to set up Fauna Productions.