TV On The Radio #5: Daktari

Confession time: I've never seen today's TV show. It aired in the late 60s, before I was born, and I don't recall it ever being repeated in the 70s. Which is odd, considering all the other 60s shows I watched throughout my childhood.

Fortunately, George is old enough to remember it... so I let him do the hard work.

Today we’re off to southern Africa. Almost. Well, California, with a few film shots from Mozambique. Yes, it’s Daktari. First, here’s the opening sequence of the programme...

A pedant would ask why an Indian elephant was in southern Africa. However, a concerned young boy (and now a concerned retiree) would be much more worried that the elephant was injured, but luckily was on its way to hospital. An intrigued young boy would wonder at how the animal doctor was cuddling a cheetah, whereas a retiree would wonder at how Billy (the male farm cat) would never allow himself to be thusly molly-coddled and would instead try and claw your  hand off. But just look at how magnificent Clarence is, ferrying about the female star of the show!

I can remember nothing at all about the programme (well, so much for my theory! - Rol), apart from Clarence. I’m not even sure if it was ever broadcast in Scotland in the early 1970s, maybe my memory of it dates to the late 1960s, assuming it was broadcast in England at that time. But what's not to like about it? Caring for wild animals! Taking on baddies who mean wild animals no good at all! Injured wild animals recuperating and living a happy life! Different species of wild animals intermingling happily without eating each other! There’s more than one lesson for us all in this programme… and more than one pop song that mentions Daktari.

Earlier shepherds came and talked about … The Shend
Concubine mortuary Daktari wallpaper

Half Man Half Biscuit - Footprints

The spoken interruptions remind me of a Velvet Undergound song.  I also think that this Half Man Half Biscuit song might be the only time you’ll hear Junior Kickstart mentioned in a pop song. As for The Shend, I’ve no idea what/who that is.

(I'll be honest and say that I thought it was probably a range of hills - since Nigel Blackwell has a habit of name-dropping topography in his songs. However, the interweb tells me otherwise: "The Shend is the founder and frontman of cult Dadaist jazz-punk band, The Cravats." - Rol.)

The Proclaimers, a year older than me, seem to be able recall much more of the late 1960s than I do in this song (they also refer to someone called Jimmy Clitheroe).

Mother’s Pride on the table, Batman on TV
A Man in a Suitcase, and Daktari and Skippy

The Proclaimers - Lulu Selling Tea

(Mother’s Pride, Misters Reid, not a proper Scottish plain loaf?)

And now some enjoyable nonsense from The Toy Dolls...

Dynasty or Daktari, a broadcast by the Tory party
Celebrity Squares, Blind Date, who cares, I'll watch it…

There are more than a plethora of French-language songs that refer to Daktari but none about the TV programme.

And finally: someone is so obsessed with the programme, they’ve written a blog about it!

That’s not me using a pseudonym: mine would be something far more exotic. 

Thank you for another day off, George. I learned today that Daktari is the Swahili word for doctor. I also found an early 10,000 Maniacs song named after the show... but it's probably coincidence. 

10,000 Maniacs - Daktari

I mean, once you disappear down that rabbit hole...

Metallic Traffic - Daktari

Mexican Pets - Daktari

Seven That Spells - Daktari 

Better to stick with George's choices. They're far more entertaining.