Document Text Contents
Page 2
ZAMBA
The True Story of
the Greatest Lion
That Ever Lived
RALPH HELFER
Page 136
128 Ralph Helfer
to imagine getting a job that my main competitor, Jungleland,
couldn’t do.
Monday morning found me loading a scrubbed and immacu-
lately brushed Zamba into my station wagon. I’ll tell you—when
you travel with a lion, doors open to you! When I pulled up to
the studio gate, the guard took one look at Zamba and didn’t
even ask for my name, he just let us in. I unloaded Zam in the
parking lot, clipped a leash on him, and headed for our destina-
tion, where a very nervous secretary pointed the way to the pro-
ducer’s office.
I pushed the button for the elevator. When the doors opened,
the people on the elevator took one look at Zamba and fell over
themselves trying to move as far back into the car as they could. I
had to back Zamba halfway across the lobby before they would
leave the elevator, and we had to race through the doors before
they closed.
On our floor, a security guard stayed at a distance, but pointed
out the door to the producer’s office. He was kind enough to open
it for us—although he held the handle with his fingertips and
moved away fast.
We entered a huge office done in dark mahogany furniture
against a thick, dark brown rug. At the end of the room was a large,
fancy glass desk framed in ebony wood. It was a dark and depress-
ing office, except for a large glass window with a view over the stu-
dio lot.
The glare coming in from the outside made seeing the man be-
hind the desk almost impossible. The only thing you could see was
the silhouette of another man smoking a cigar in front of the win-
dow. I had read that many executives put their desks in front of a
window, so they see their visitors’ faces without being seen them-
selves. They believe it gives them an advantage.
Page 137
ZAMBA 129
“Well, well, so this is the famous lion that will work with chil-
dren,” said the shadow at the desk.
“Yes, sir, this is Zamba.”
There was no handshake. I figured he was afraid of the lion
coming too close to him.
“He won’t pee on my carpet, will he, young man?”
“No, sir.”
“What makes you so sure he won’t eat the kid?”
“He’s experienced with children, sir.”
He was quiet for some time. Then, “Okay, tomorrow you’ll meet
the kid and see if she and the lion get along. If he can do the job,
fine. If not, we don’t need either one of you.”
Then he waved his hand at me, as if he were dismissing a ser-
vant. I left the office feeling put down. This person knew nothing
about us, and he’d treated us as if we were less than he was. I found
out later that the man I was talking to was not the producer, but a
production head with a lot of power, and no one spoke well of
him. I was too young myself to recognize his strategy: what he was
really saying was “We don’t need you, so you’d better lower your
price or there won’t be a job at all.” I knew they had no lion, but I
also knew that they were threatening to use a mechanical one.
I received a call the next day that a meeting had been arranged,
and I should take Zamba to meet Pamela Franklin, the little girl ac-
tress.
We met Pam and her mother on the back lot of the studio. An-
other production head was also there. He was very polite, and there
were introductions all around.
Pam was a delight: a vibrant and bright little lady who cap-
tured Zamba’s and my heart immediately. The two of them got
along famously. Obviously, I was very careful to make sure that
nothing happened that might scare Pam. Sometimes Zamba’s
Page 272
Credits
Designed by Jaime Putorti
Page 273
Copyright
Photographic insert excluded from electronic edition.
ZAMBA. Copyright © 2005 by Ralph Helfer. All rights reserved under
International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the
required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable
right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text
may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse
engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and
retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or
mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written
permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Acrobat e-Book Reader January 2008
ISBN 978-0-06-162794-1
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ZAMBA
The True Story of
the Greatest Lion
That Ever Lived
RALPH HELFER
Page 136
128 Ralph Helfer
to imagine getting a job that my main competitor, Jungleland,
couldn’t do.
Monday morning found me loading a scrubbed and immacu-
lately brushed Zamba into my station wagon. I’ll tell you—when
you travel with a lion, doors open to you! When I pulled up to
the studio gate, the guard took one look at Zamba and didn’t
even ask for my name, he just let us in. I unloaded Zam in the
parking lot, clipped a leash on him, and headed for our destina-
tion, where a very nervous secretary pointed the way to the pro-
ducer’s office.
I pushed the button for the elevator. When the doors opened,
the people on the elevator took one look at Zamba and fell over
themselves trying to move as far back into the car as they could. I
had to back Zamba halfway across the lobby before they would
leave the elevator, and we had to race through the doors before
they closed.
On our floor, a security guard stayed at a distance, but pointed
out the door to the producer’s office. He was kind enough to open
it for us—although he held the handle with his fingertips and
moved away fast.
We entered a huge office done in dark mahogany furniture
against a thick, dark brown rug. At the end of the room was a large,
fancy glass desk framed in ebony wood. It was a dark and depress-
ing office, except for a large glass window with a view over the stu-
dio lot.
The glare coming in from the outside made seeing the man be-
hind the desk almost impossible. The only thing you could see was
the silhouette of another man smoking a cigar in front of the win-
dow. I had read that many executives put their desks in front of a
window, so they see their visitors’ faces without being seen them-
selves. They believe it gives them an advantage.
Page 137
ZAMBA 129
“Well, well, so this is the famous lion that will work with chil-
dren,” said the shadow at the desk.
“Yes, sir, this is Zamba.”
There was no handshake. I figured he was afraid of the lion
coming too close to him.
“He won’t pee on my carpet, will he, young man?”
“No, sir.”
“What makes you so sure he won’t eat the kid?”
“He’s experienced with children, sir.”
He was quiet for some time. Then, “Okay, tomorrow you’ll meet
the kid and see if she and the lion get along. If he can do the job,
fine. If not, we don’t need either one of you.”
Then he waved his hand at me, as if he were dismissing a ser-
vant. I left the office feeling put down. This person knew nothing
about us, and he’d treated us as if we were less than he was. I found
out later that the man I was talking to was not the producer, but a
production head with a lot of power, and no one spoke well of
him. I was too young myself to recognize his strategy: what he was
really saying was “We don’t need you, so you’d better lower your
price or there won’t be a job at all.” I knew they had no lion, but I
also knew that they were threatening to use a mechanical one.
I received a call the next day that a meeting had been arranged,
and I should take Zamba to meet Pamela Franklin, the little girl ac-
tress.
We met Pam and her mother on the back lot of the studio. An-
other production head was also there. He was very polite, and there
were introductions all around.
Pam was a delight: a vibrant and bright little lady who cap-
tured Zamba’s and my heart immediately. The two of them got
along famously. Obviously, I was very careful to make sure that
nothing happened that might scare Pam. Sometimes Zamba’s
Page 272
Credits
Designed by Jaime Putorti
Page 273
Copyright
Photographic insert excluded from electronic edition.
ZAMBA. Copyright © 2005 by Ralph Helfer. All rights reserved under
International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the
required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable
right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text
may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse
engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and
retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or
mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written
permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Acrobat e-Book Reader January 2008
ISBN 978-0-06-162794-1
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
