Delaware County Daily Times from Chester, Pennsylvania • Page 23

ELEPHANT CHARGES, GIRAFFE CHASES 'Daktari' Goes to Mozambique MARSHALL THOMPSON in.jungle HOLLYWOOD MGM-TV's which scored a solid hit after its mid-season debut last year, begins another season on the CBS Television Network, Sept 13 with the promise of something new in adventure as a result of the first safari to Africa ever undertaken for a video series. To heighten the excitement of its second season Marshall Thompson and Judy, the roguish chimp, two of 'the "Daktari" stars, traveled to distant Moz ambique for scenes filmed with the Zulu tribes of South Africa With producer Leonard Kaufman and associate producer Ralph Heifer, they became the first TV unit to make films in the Gorgongoza National Park; later they also worked in the private game reserve of Mala Mala. Consequently, among scenes that will highlight the new TV year are those' which will show bull elephants charging 30 miles an hour, a two-mile chase after a 19-foot giraffe, and a visit to an abandoned village that became home for a pride of lions. Among the Zulu of Matavela, natives and animals were lined up as Thompson, the series' "Daktari Tracy," held sick call. The five-week safari at a successful end, the company returned to with 50,000 feet of exposed color film and resumed operations in "Africa, U.S.A.," 50 miles from Hollywood.

Here, Thompson and Judy were joined by the rest of the cast Cheryl Miller, Yale Summers, Hari Rhodes, Hertley Mattingly and Clarence, the cross-eyed lion. IN FALL SERIES A WILD CHASE ended in the capture of a giraffe in Portugese East Africa during the filming of a coming Daktari adventure. Olympian Kafer Johnson To Be Badman in Tarzan HOLLYWOOD Rafer. Johnson, U.S. Olympics champion, finally has met his match -Tarzan! Johnson, who won a gold med-, al in the decathlon during the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, portrays a jungle badman in "The Prodigal Punia" episode of the NBC Television Network's "Tarzan" series which premieres this fall.

KYW-TV will carry the show locally. Johnson, as Spandrel), jangles with Tarzan, is "ed in the script as "a fine athlete, intelligent, well bred, despite a penchant for. violence and crime." said Johnson further, "was raised in the jungle! He's a jungle tribesman who left his primitive surroundings some years ago to acquire education in America. He learned the language all the worst of civilization. Despite his ssiise 01 iiumor, he's a vicious, avaricious man." location in Brazil tor the episode, Johnson was still ob- 1M4 Johnson when not before the camera.

He wore his track shoes on the "because they're comfortable" and worked out every day to stay in shape by running along the beach of Rio de Janeiro. His physical prowess stood him good stead when he had to fight a 250 pound puma in a river scene. "I just threw him around in the water a little," Johnson smiled: "He clawed me but 1 had on two pairs of pants and iie only went through tneouier pair. 1 wasn't worried because tit; puma was more "concerned about drowning than fighting. He was just trying to get out of the water." While Spandrell is guy," Johnson is a -good guy." Until December, 1965, Johnson was West Coast director of the People to Program.

"When I was. student body president at UCLA I became interested ia the 10W international students on campus," be ptoined. "1 enjoyed helping them." He still working for the program. He's on two athletic commissions for the State Department and will speak and travel for the Peace Corps. "I think it's very important that people do more," he said "If we hope to make relations between people any better, it will take the work of a lot of people, average, ordinary peo- P' Meantime he continues to pursue IKS.

acting career which began after the Olympics with a 20th Century Fox contract and movies including "The Pirates of Tortuga," "Wild in the "Fiercest Heart." He also appeared in two "Tarzan" features for Sy Weihtraum, executive producer of the TV series, filmed by Banner Productions While in Brazil, Johnson made several appearances at the request of' the State Department, not as the actor but as athlete. to help the kids where- ver.I. go," be explained. "Kidi at borne grow up with football, down there it's soccer. Every kid I've seen in the 'world has something kick around-- they'need RAFER JOHNSON OAftY TtMB 1 I I.