I’m BJ McKay and this is my best friend Bear…
All day long that’s been going through my head. BJ and the Bear Trucker and his chimp pal drive a big rig across the USA–con-voy…oh sorry, that got away from me…
Where was I?
Lancelot Link Secret Chimp?
No? Not Lance and Mata Hairy?
Ah, ’twas Greg Evigan, who went on to star with Paul ‘Mad About You’ Reiser, in My Two Dads, but where’s he been since then?
And what of his best friend Bear?
Bear. Of course Bear make me think of Gentle Ben–yup, that’s going back a ways. I’m certain it wasn’t a show I saw in anything but reruns, and I think about it any time Clint Howard pops up in one of his brother Ron’s movies. Don’t hurt ‘im Ben!
Come on, you know it and I said it: Reality Shows blow. Why not bring back shows with animal costars and truckers? Make Survivor about truckers and their dogs, and strand them in a Truckstop out in Death Valley!
Steve Irwin was on his way, man! Bring back Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Re-make Grizzly Adams. Give Nick Nolte a job. He’s got that perfect mix of Trucker and animal lover.
I got a little convoy trucking though the night…
New episodes of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom air on Animal planet! Granted Marlin Perkins is long dead and no Jim Fowler. So, it isn’t REALLY Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. But it’s better than nothing.
Oh, Actor Alec Baldwin is the new narrator. Here’s a quote from a recent episode about wild boar in Borneo:
“I’m going to let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you are. You are a rude thoughtless little pig. I don’t give a damn that you’re 12 or 11 years old, or that you’re a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn’t care about what you do.”
As you see, the show has gone in a very different direction than the original.
Also, as an interesting side note, the show was almost picked up by the Food Network. At the end of each episode Bobby Flay would BBQ the animals that they studied. Only one episode was shot, the infamous River dolphin episode, which, though delicious, led to some small controversy and the Food Network dropped the show.
Well, his name IS Bobby FLAY so what did the Food Network expect? I admit I thought he’d be more creative with his use of llamas–or Lornezo Lamas.
Damn, but you were one cute kid!