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Looking for "Daktari" like show (1 Viewer)

smithbrad

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As a family we like to watch a TV show together just before the kids bedtime. My daughters are 8 and 12. So far, out of all the TV shows we have watched, Daktari has become the family favorite. It has the perfect mix of kid friendly, exotic location and animals, action, humor (especially around Judy's antics), and happy endings. The fact that it is in color helps as well.


Unfortunately, we are getting ready to start the final 15 episodes, so I need to find a suitable replacement when it is over. Animals and humor are key ingredients.


So far we have been through: Flipper, Gentle Ben, Grizzly Adams, Mister Ed, Lassie, Dennis the Menace, Family Affair, Leave it to Beaver, Black Stallion, Black Beauty, Fury, Full House, and the Adventures of Superman. We tried Munsters and Brady Bunch but they didn't make the cut.


Any suggestions?

Thanks.
 

MattHR

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My nieces love Wishbone. I also have them hooked on the original Little Rascals, which is the only B&W program they'll watch. At your daughters' ages, they'd probably enjoy The Bionic Woman: Season 3, as it featured "Max", the bionic dog. Although I'd start them at the beginning, as there's a good chance they'd like the whole show. There are a few fun episodes featuring animals (lions, cougars, elephants, chimpanzees, horses) central to their plots.
 

Malcolm R

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"Meerkat Manor"? A Discovery Channel/Animal Planet series that follows the lives of various tribes of meerkats in the Kalahari desert. Cute animals, exotic locations, though not every episode has a happy ending (life and death is a fact of nature).

"Green Acres"? Arnold the pig plus a few farm animals, with lots of zany, family-friendly comedy.
 

Brian McP

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Excellent suggestion Scott -- both of these shows are one hour (48 minutes minus commercials), both are from the exact same era of television as "Daktari", plus "Tarzan" has another wiseguy chimp to keep the laughs coming.


I was a little younger when these shows were first on the air so I know your family routine you mention here Brad from experience. The shows from this era were far more gentler and well written and is certainly a good option to what is on broadcast tv these days.


The other shows you mentioned are all half hours so possibly playing two series, one episode from each, should cover the time nicely. ("The Munsters" and 'The Brady Bunch" bombed, eh?....tough audience!)


If they were a little younger I would have said "Family Affair" all the way -- I'd add "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "McHale's Navy" and "Gilligan's Island" to your standby repetoire as well as season one of "The Abbott and Costello Show" -- no animals in any of these shows but plenty of good gags and some of history's greatest comic actors will keep them laughing (as well as a plug for my idols, Stan and Oliver on the upper left here and also their Hal Roach colleagues "The Little Rascals")


There was a tv series version of "National Velvet" based on the 1944 movie, the early 60s show starring Arthur Space, Ann Doran and James McCallion -- if ever there was a show made for your family at this time, this would be it -- sadly not a second of it has ever been released on home video of any kind, why it hasn't remains one of video history's great mysteries.
 

Frank Soyke

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Girls that age might enjoy Bewitched and Jeannie. Pretty harmless by today;s standards.
 

Greg Chenoweth

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I would recommend the 1960's TARZAN with Ron Ely. I was captivated by it as a kid. It is along the lines of Daktari and it has its own daring-do stuff like quicksand and Tarzan swinging on vines.
 

Gary OS

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I believe "Road to Avonlea" and "Little House" are great for families like yours. My two daughters loved both. Can't think of any more animal shows that haven't been mentioned already. I do like both the "Tarzan" and "Daniel Boone" picks. Have you tried "Father Knows Best" with the girls? My family enjoyed it. How about "Sue Thomas F.B.I."? It has a dog, and is family friendly.



Gary "always nice when we can share our hobbies with the entire family" O.
 

Randy Korstick

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Tarzan is a good choice and I have found the short lived Maya to be very good with the location footage in India.
 

Neil Brock

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Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo, full series available in Australia


The Littlest Hobo, 1960s version available from VCI


Cowboy in Africa, Primus, Salty, Adventures of Rin Tin Tin are all family type shows featuring animals. None have been released on DVD but are fairly accessible in the collectors world.
 

Neil Brock

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Brian McP said:
There was a tv series version of "National Velvet" based on the 1944 movie, the early 60s show starring Arthur Space, Ann Doran and James McCallion -- if ever there was a show made for your family at this time, this would be it -- sadly not a second of it has ever been released on home video of any kind, why it hasn't remains one of video history's great mysteries.

Reran in the late 80s a few times through on TNT and quite common amongst collectors, as is The Travels of Jamie McPheeters, also a family type show.
 

smithbrad

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Thanks all for the great suggestions.


Just to add a note my youngest is more sensitive and more easily frightened the then oldest when she was the same age. While she enjoyed Flipper I needed to cover her eyes whenever a shark appeared. My older daughter enjoyed Road to Avonlea and is a big fan of LHOTP, but lets face it Landon can push the drama button pretty strongly at times. Those two will probably have to wait a bit longer before the youngest will be ready to watch. They've enjoyed Wishbone but it is no longer special event viewing at this point.


I already own quite a few of what has been mentioned (e.g., Bewitched, That Girl, Bionic Woman, DVD, FKB, Tarzan, and Daniel Boone). I might try either Bewitched or the color episodes of Daniel Boone next, and work in the others over time. I also decided to order "Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo" and "Littlest Hobo" to give a try.


Thanks again.
 

Vic Pardo

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smithbrad said:
As a family we like to watch a TV show together just before the kids bedtime. My daughters are 8 and 12. So far, out of all the TV shows we have watched, Daktari has become the family favorite. It has the perfect mix of kid friendly, exotic location and animals, action, humor (especially around Judy's antics), and happy endings. The fact that it is in color helps as well.



Any suggestions?

Thanks.

"Ranma 1/2" has almost everything you asked for:

20.jpg



Of course, it stretches the definition of "kid friendly." ;)


If your kids are anime-savvy, it could work. My daughter loved it when she was ten and up. I even bought the manga for her. You might want to sample the first couple of episodes yourself first.


Speaking of anime, have you turned your daughters on to Hayao Miyazaki yet? You can't go wrong with MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, CASTLE IN THE SKY, and NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND. Their parents would love these films also.

kikis-delivery-service_592x299.jpg
 

RobertMG

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From Umbrella specs say PAL - all region will it play here in USA?
 

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smithbrad

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From Umbrella specs say PAL - all region will it play here in USA?
Even if "all region" you need to make sure you can handle PAL output. Most projectors appear to handle PAL but most TV's sold in the US don't. So, if your display device cannot handle PAL then your player must be able to convert PAL to NTSC.
 

timk1041

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Have you tried the Canadian series Heartland? It's in its 16th season and airs on CBC Sunday nights.
 

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