Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965)

When a native village is apparently terrorized by a Lion, the local sergeant enlists the help of a veterinarian working at a nearby animal study center. It is soon discovered that the Lion ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew Marton

Writers:

Art Arthur (story), Alan Caillou,

Stars:

Marshall Thompson, Betsy Drake, Richard Haydn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marshall Thompson	...	Dr. Marsh Tracy
Betsy Drake	...	Julie Harper
Richard Haydn	...	Rupert Rowbotham
Cheryl Miller	...	Paula Tracy
Alan Caillou	...	Carter
Rockne Tarkington	...	Juma
Maurice Marsac	...	Gregory
Robert DoQui	...	Sergeant
Albert Amos	...	Husseini
Dinny Powell	...	Dixey
Mark Allen	...	Larson
Laurence Conroy	...	Tourist
Allison Daniell	...	Tourist's Wife (as Allyson Daniell)
Janee Michelle	...	Girl in Pit
Naaman Brown	...	Villager

Storyline

When a native village is apparently terrorized by a Lion, the local sergeant enlists the help of a veterinarian working at a nearby animal study center. It is soon discovered that the Lion has a unique problem, it has double vision due to the fact that it is cross eyed and therefore cannot hunt. The Lion is taken back to the study center and is soon adopted by the vet's daughter. Meanwhile, a dangerous criminal is planning to capture young Gorillas and sell them on the black market...

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Plot Keywords:

lion | gorilla | veterinarian | girl lion relationship | africa | 

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Taglines:

He's the King of Beasts... who just couldn't quite be Beastly!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clarence, der schielende Löwe

Filming Locations:

Greenwich Studios - 12100 Ivan Tors Boulevard, Miami, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ivan Tors Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 92 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ivan Tors first discovered Clarence at Africa, USA, an affection training compound located in Soledad Canyon near Los Angeles. Born cross-eyed, Clarence's strange physical condition inspired Ivan Tors to create the MGM feature film "Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion" and the spin-off series Daktari. When the audience saw what Clarence saw, it was in double vision. Reportedly, Clarence was very good with children. Another not so friendly lion named Leo doubled for Clarence in some scenes. He was used only for the snarling scenes and general scenes which didn't involve close proximity with humans. Leo had come to Africa, USA from a family in Utah. His ferocity was due in part to the mistreatment he received from former owners who reportedly beat him with a stick

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Connections

Followed by Daktari (1966)

User Reviews

Just boring and silly

Pretty bad family film about a research group in the jungle studying animal behavior. They then come across a cross-eyed lion and make an attempt to cure him. Then there's some subplot about bad guys doing something (I was dozing off). And there's truly dreadful "comic" relief by Richard Haydn. Add bad acting and a script that meanders all over the place. By the way Clarence has very little to do with this movie. I almost turned it off when someone actually started singing "Kumbiya"!

This gets a three because Betsy Drake (in her last film--so far) was actually quite charming and there was some beautiful animal footage (although some was obviously stock footage). Little kids who like animals might go for this--it's pretty deadly for anyone else.