Manimal

What is it about animal show hosts that make them so interesting to watch? It's their passion for animals. Not the sort that gets one arrested but the sort that drives little boys to catch fireflies in old mayonnaise jars. Jack Hannah is one of those people who never lost...

By Jared Binder

September 25, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

What is it about animal show hosts that make them so interesting to watch? It's their passion for animals. Not the sort that gets one arrested but the sort that drives little boys to catch fireflies in old mayonnaise jars. Jack Hannah is one of those people who never lost his childlike love of nature. Hannah doesn't have the raw, manic energy of say, the late Crocodile Hunter or Jeff Corwin, and he's not as low key as Marty Stouffer or David Attenborough. He's the porridge that Goldilocks ate. He's goofy enough to keep you interested but not so eccentric that you wonder what he's doing with the animals off the air. Basically, Jack lets the animals do the entertaining. Hannah will be in town to sign copies of his two latest books, Jungle Jack: My Wildlife, and Passport into the Wild, the newest book in his children's series. Come meet the man behind the animals on 4 p.m. Thursday at Barnes & Noble, 7700 W. Northwest Highway. For more information call 214-739-3643.
Thu., Sept. 25, 4 p.m., 2008

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.