Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Andrew Marton

Writers:

Art Arthur (story)
Alan Caillou (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure

Tagline:

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

Plot:

When a native village is apparently terrorized by a Lion, the local sergeant enlists the help of a veterinarian...

Plot Keywords:

Lion | Veterinarian | Gorilla | Poaching | Crossed Eyes

Cast

Marshall Thompson	...	Doctor Marsh Tracy
Betsy Drake	...	Julie Harper
Richard Haydn	...	Rupert Rowbotham
Cheryl Miller	...	Paula
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

Runtime:

USA:98 min | 92 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:6 | France:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Ivan Tors Productions

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" (1966). 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

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Daktari" (1966)

Bad acting, terrible writing

This amateurish effort gives a bad name to family films. The acting is bad - the performances run the gamut from wooden to irritating - and the writing is terrible. The scenes of gorillas are obviously stock footage, and the efforts to make the actors appear to interact with the gorillas are ludicrous. The animals are fairly likable, although used for comic effect a bit too often. By the way, despite his title status, Clarence has very little to do with the plot.