Feb 11 2008
Skippy, come home
Cheeta the Chimp, co-star of a dozen Tarzan films, is to publish his memoirs in October. The publisher would not reveal the advance payment, but said the sum was substantial - not bananas.
The chimpanzee, whose real name is Jiggs, is the oldest living non-human primate at age 75. He’s fit, fine, hale and hearty and looking more handsome than ever, and no doubt proud of the victory over his addiction to alcohol and cigars.
The suave simian, plucked from the obscurity of the Liberian jungle in 1932, starred in 12 Tarzan films, worked with Bela Lugosi in the 1950s, and finally retired in 1967 after filming Doctor Dolittle with Rex Harrison.
Jiggs is one of the few great actors still alive from what was the golden age of Hollywood. He saw it all! He had to act to save his life, literally. Others who fell by the wayside ended up in the lab with the beagles, mice and rabbits. (Whatever happened to Rin Tin Tin?)
Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo
For all his talent and charm, Jiggs the chimp is just not in the same class as Skippy. 
Skippy, a big female Eastern roo, starred in ninety-one television episodes from 1966 to 1968. With admirable foresight, the series was shot in colour although TV remained black and white in Australia until 1975.
A generation of Australians grew up, far from the bush, yet developing an extensive knowledge of the habits of the kangaroo. Before Skippy hit the screen with her winsome grin, none of us in the urban wasteland would have ever guessed that kangaroos could communicate so well with small boys. Nor would we have known of the remarkable marsupial ability to distinguish instantly between criminals and nice people, to chase car thieves, to sniff out the trail of murderers, and to rescue helpless bush walkers, frighteningly lost in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in North Sydney.
Skippy was even smarter than the average kangaroo. She could open doors, carry things in her pouch when an Esky wasn’t close to hand, get across flooded creeks on rickety narrow logs, untie ropes, collect the mail, and even operate the radio. In one episode she played the drums, in another she placed a winning bet on a horse at the Randwick Races.
While other kangaroos were being turned into kangaroo tail soup, kangaroo skin rugs, kangaroo fur vests, kangaroo paw bottle openers, key rings, and (most awful of all) kangaroo scrotum ‘lucky pouches’, Skippy stayed on the television screen and won the hearts of a nation. She would have written a grand autobiography given half a chance.
Move over Cheeta, make room for Skippy to come home.
Enjoy the amazing Skippy yourself with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Season 1 and followed by Skippy The Bush Kangaroo Vol.2 [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg. 4 Import - Australia ] and by Skippy The Bush Kangaroo 3 [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]
N.B. Series 2 and 3 are PAL/Region 4 DVD: They WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view them in USA/Canada
