Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

Infobox Television
show_name = Skippy the Bush Kangaroo


caption = DVD cover
aka = Skippy
genre = Children's
creator =
writer = Ross Napier (49 episodes)
director = Eric Fullilove (38 episodes) Max Varnel (36 episodes)
creat_director =
developer =
presenter =
starring = Ed Devereaux Garry Pankhurst Ken James Tony Bonner Liza Goddard Morgan Brain
voices =
narrated =
theme_composer = Eric Jupp
opentheme =
endtheme =
composer =
country = Australia
language = English
num_seasons = 3
num_episodes = 91
list_episodes =
exec_producer = John McCallum (1 episode)
co_exec =
producer = Joy Cavill (47 episodes) Lee Robinson (38 episodes) Dennis Hill (33 episodes)
sup_producer =
asst_producer =
cons_producer =
co-producer =
editor =
story_editor =
location = nowraplinksKu-ring-gai Chase National Park Waratah Park Earth Sanctuarynowraplinks end
cinematography =
camera_setup =
runtime = 25 minutes
channel = Nine Network
picture_format =
audio_format = Monaural
first_run =
first_aired = 1968
last_aired = 30 March 1970
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website =
prod_website =
imdb_id = 0060025
tv_com_id =

"Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" was a popular Australian television series for children produced from 1966 to 1968. Ninety-one 30-minute episodes were made over the three seasons of production. Although at the time of first screening Australian television was still in black and white (colour TV broadcasting did not begin until 1975), the show was shot in colour on 16 mm film to increase its international marketability, most notably in the United States and Canada, where it aired in syndication between 1969 and 1972.

As it was shot in colour, the Nine Network readily repeated the series several times after Australian television switched to colour transmission in 1975.

The stars of the show were:
* Ed Devereaux as "Matt Hammond", the head ranger
* Garry Pankhurst as "Sonny Hammond"
* Ken James as "Mark Hammond"
* Tony Bonner as "Jerry King", Ranger and helicopter pilot (exit #78)
* Liza Goddard as "Clarrissa 'Clancy' Merrick" (entry #9 exit #75)
* Morgan Brain as "Sgt Bernard Gillies"
* Skippy was played by at least three different kangaroos

The star of the show was Skippy, a female Eastern Grey Kangaroo. Skippy was a pet owned by Sonny, the younger son of the Head Ranger of the "Waratah National Park" and the stories revolved around the park, its creatures, dangers and their adventures in the Australian bush. The series was shot in northern Sydney at the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the adjacent "Waratah Park" (now known as "Waratah Park Earth Sanctuary"). The sanctuary still has much of the original film set including the 'Ranger Headquarters' and descendants of the kangaroos used in the series. The series was screened in over eighty countries and its theme tune, composed by Eric Jupp, is one of the best known and most recognisable Australian tunes. The long version (the B side on the record) has lyrics by Ted Roberts.

The series was revived in 1992 as the short-lived "The New Adventures of Skippy" using an entirely new cast including Andrew Clarke, plot and location with several children as the stars. This version also aired on Animal Planet in the United States in 1997.

The original series was also parodied in a recurring sketch as part of the British comedy series "Goodness Gracious Me" under the title "Skipinder, the Punjabi Kangaroo": the parody redubbed scenes from the original "Skippy". Australian sketch comedy series "Fast Forward" also frequently parodied "Skippy", with Michael Veitch playing Sonny and Marg Downey playing Clancy, whose head alone was visible, alongside an obviously fake stuffed kangaroo, often with unpleasant intentions toward his younger human companion.

The series was referenced on the TV show House, M.D. in the episode "The Jerk," when the young patient mocked Australian doctor Robert Chase by repeatedly calling him "Skippy the bush kangaroo" or simply "Skippy."

The character was also referenced in the first "Crocodile Dundee" movie when, after outshooting drunk poachers from behind the corpse of the kangaroo they'd shot, Michael J. "Mick" Dundee turns to the dead kangaroo and says, "Good one, Skippy."

The famous clicking sounds made by Skippy are not made by real kangaroos, as is the popular American and British belief."Fabulous Films have released in the UK a region 2 PAL 5 disc complete 1st Season DVD box set that features all 39 episodes. They are also releasing on September 24th Skippy and the Intruders which was the legendary Skippy feature film made in 1969 that has been lost for 35 years.

In September 2008, actor Tony Bonner sued the production company seeking residuals from merchandising and DVD sales from the series. [cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24385486-12377,00.html|title=Actor sues for share of Skippy's profits|publisher=The Australian|date=2008-09-22]

ee also

*List of Australian television series

References

*Reflist
*Australian National Film & Sound Archives

External links

*imdb title|id=0060025|title=Skippy
* [http://www.angelfire.com/retro/cta/Aus/Skippy1966.htm "Skippy" Episode Guide]
* [http://www.memorabletv.com/skippy.htm "Skippy"] - Memorable TV
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=137998;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 Skippy the Bush Kangaroo at the National Film and Sound Archive]