ABC Afterschool Special

Last of the Curlews

Original Air Date

October 4, 1972

Stars

Ross Martin

Ginny Tyler

Vincent Van Patten

The last male Eskimo curlew, his search for a mate, and the problems they face as they make the treacherous migration from the high arctic tundra to Argentina and back to the nesting grounds.

Last of the Curlews is a novel, a fictionalized account of the life of the last Eskimo Curlew. It was written by Fred Bodsworth, a Canadian newspaper reporter and naturalist, and published in 1954.

The story follows the bird throughout a year during its migration to South America and return to the Canadian Arctic in search of a mate. Although somewhat anthropomorphic in parts, the book paints a realistic and detailed picture of this bird's life and behavior.

The book may have been somewhat premature in that there were confirmed sightings of this bird in 1963 and there were a number of unconfirmed sightings after that date. However, this bird may now be extinct.

The book was made into an animated film by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The English original version was narrated by Ross Martin, who became famous as the Artemus Gordon character in the original version of The Wild Wild West. This film was first shown in October 1972 as the very first ABC Afterschool Special. It was given an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming in 1973.[