Australia
/ Syndicated-Norfolk
International / 91x25m-e / 1968-70
Executive Producers:
John McCallum, Bud Austin / Music: Eric Jupp / Producers: Lee
Robinson, Dennis Hill
Adventure series.
Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo, uses his brains to alert his best friend,
the human Sonny, whenever anyone hits trouble in the outback area of
Warratah National Park. The show was incredibly popular with kids and
in an early example of merchandising spawned books, money boxes and the
like, "skippy" even made personal appearances. There was a
film version made in 1968 utilising the TV crew and called The
Intruders. The episode
turnaround on the show was Two Weeks Ed
Devereaux however was unhappy with his role and
was quoted in TV Week as saying “There’s no
challenge in it for me, if I can’t play a
villain then I want a role that has social
comment”. Skippy was the first production made
by Fauna Studios (the creation of actor John
McCallum).
In 1969 the show won both a Logie and
a Penguin and was also given an award by the
Cobb and Co Company for helping to promote the
Australian Entertainment Industry.
There was a revival of the show in the early 90's in the
form of The
New Adventures of Skippy.
Cast
GARRY PANKHURST as Sonny Hammond / ED DEVEREAUX as Matt Hammond / LIZA
GODDARD as Clarissa 'Clancy' Merrick / KEN JAMES as Mark Hammond /
FRANK THRING as Dr Alexander Stark / TONY BONNER as Ranger
