Zamba as Leo the Lion
Bio[]
Leo is a full-sized Nubian lion (Felis leo) that washes up on the Island after being lost at sea on its way from the Harris Expedition to the Singapore Zoo. Possibly washing up on the island as early as Gilligan's Mother-in-Law, the wooden crate that was transporting it washes up into the lagoon in Feed the Kitty. After possibly living off the indigenous birds and wildlife on the island, his roars alert the castaways to his presence. and they seek him out to trap him, but it is Gilligan who captures him in the Howell's Hut and befriends him after removing a splinter (possibly from the crate) from his paw. He names him Leo after his zoological classification, but everyone else remains terrified of him. Meanwhile, Gilligan keeps Leo's temper down by feeding him corned beef, but when it starts running down, everyone finally convinces him to cage him. However, the tide comes in and washes him out of the lagoon and out to sea where a Navy Destroyer rescues him. Eventually, they discover he is in good shape but addicted to corned beef!
Trivia[]
- Leo was played by the late domesticated lion named Zamba, who was an orphaned African lion cub owned by Ralph Helfer, an exotic animal trainer who owned a ranch, Nature's Haven, in Van Nuys, California that he opened in 1955. The cub was named after the Zambezi River in Zambia, where he was found almost near death and raised to adulthood in captivity. He also played Kitty on "The Addams Family" and appeared on the Hollywood backlot episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies." Through his TV appearances, he also appeared alongside Dwayne Hickman and Bob Denver in The "Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and alongside Tony Randall in the film comedy, "Fluffy."
- Ralph Heifer, Zamba's owner and trainer, doubled for Gilligan in several scenes.
- According to Sherwood Schwartz, Bob Denver surprised Leo by jumping off the bed in the Howell's Hut, but since the bed was on wheels, Leo rolled off mark and just barely missed fatally mauling him.
- Janos Prohaska reportedly plays the lion in the cage as it floats off, possibly because Leo/Zamba would have over-turned it.
- Behind the scenes, Dawn Wells was afraid of Zamba, but Bob Denver was familiar with him, having previously worked with him on an episode of "Dobie Gillis." However, Bob was almost mauled by Zamba when he jumped and scared him while filming the scene in the Howell's Hut. During the scene, Helfer (Zamba's trainer) tackled the lion in mid-air to save him.