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There should be a spot in the sitcom hall of fame for Zamba, the trained lion who appeared on several classic TV comedies. The big cat must have been hilarious, considering it appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Ed, My Three Sons, I Dream of Jeannie, The Jack Benny Program, The Addams Family and My Favorite Martian. (Who knew there were so many lion-themed comedy plots?) Zamba even co-starred with Bob Denver twice — first when Denver played Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

The second time around, Zamba guest-starred on Gilligan’s Island — and the appearance nearly cost Denver his life, according to producer Sherwood Schwartz. “Bob Denver had come within inches, literally, of being crushed beneath a 400-pound lion,” he revealed in his book Inside Gilligan's Island: From Creation to Syndication, per MeTV.

First, a little more background on Zamba. Exotic animal trainer Ralph Helfer, a...

Building on what is already the largest film-related collection in the world, comprised of more than 52 million items, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed some of their most recent acquisitions today, including the Studio Ghibli animation collection, which contains more than 80 pieces of original art by Hayao Miyazaki and Noboru Yoshida, as well as the studio’s Japanese movie posters and animator’s desk. Another hot ticket item, presented at the Academy Museum Gala on October 19 in Los Angeles, is Quentin Tarantino’s personal, handwritten script for “Pulp Fiction,” which won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar and celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

Filmmakers Curtis Hanson, Nicole Holofcener, Barbara Kopple, Oliver Stone, and Paul Verhoeven also donated their personal collections to the Academy, which features production records, photographs, scripts, and more from films such as “L.A. Confidential,” “Harlan County, U.S.A,” “Platoon,” “Showgirls,” and “Enough Said.

“My preoccupation with animals is an open secret,” wrote Betty White in her 2011 book “Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo.” The legendary star, who died this week at age 99, was known for more than just her TV and film work. She was a self proclaimed “zoo nut” who spent her life advocating for animal welfare.

White’s parents were animal lovers and she grew up going to zoos regularly. As her profile as an actor and TV personality grew, it became natural for her to use her platform to spotlight that passion.

In 1971, White created and hosted “The Pet Set,” a syndicated series that featured White interviewing celebrity guests including Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett and Doris Day, and their pets and animal trainer Ralph Helfer. She produced the series herself along with her husband, longtime “Password” host Allen Ludden. “The Pet Set” ran for 39 half-hour episodes, and was...

We have an exclusive clip from the home video release Black Zoo, which can be ordered through Warner Archive. Click on the video player below for a scene where Michael Gough lets one of his deadly animals loose from this 1963 horror movie.

Click to watch Exclusive: Gorilla!

clickHere for information on how to order Black Zoo from Warner Archive.

The most savage animal in a garden of beasts, animal-worship cultist and private zoo owner Michael Conrad (Michael Gough) has trained his lions well, siccing the big cats on any fool who dares get in his way. First it was a snoopy secretary, then a scheming realtor (Jerome Cowan). But only when his unhappy wife (Jeanne Cooper) runs off with his beloved chimps does Conrad unleash his inner beast, and the fur really flies. Shot by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby on a soundstage stocked by famed animal behaviorist and Marine World creator Ralph Helfer,...

Kevin Costner is in negotiations to board the epic feature adaptation of Ralph Helfer's novel Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived for Scott Steindorff's Stone Village Pictures. Costner will direct, produce alongside Steindorff and possibly take a starring role in the project. Modoc is described as a Black Stallion-type love story between a man and an animal with elements reminiscent of Forrest Gump. It tells the joint biography of a man, Bram, and his elephant, Modoc, both born in a small German circus town on the same day in 1896. Bram was the son of an elephant trainer, and Modoc was the daughter of the trainer's prize performer. The boy and the elephant grew up side by side, but when the Wunderzircus and its animals were sold to America, Bram stowed away on the ship to avoid parting ways with the elephant.