Wild Ride: Back To The Future

"Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," the popular wildlife television show of the 1960s and 1970s, is making a return.

A new version of the popular wildlife documentary series will air on the Animal Planet cable channel beginning Sept. 17.

The six hour-long specials on animals from the deserts of Africa to the plains of India will be narrated by Alec Baldwin.

Marlin Perkins, host of the original series, died in 1986 at age 81.

His assistant, Jim Fowler, continues to make appearances on television and in schools on behalf of sponsor Mutual of Omaha.

Produced by the Omaha-based insurance company, "Wild Kingdom" premiered on NBC in 1963 and ran for nearly 10 years before it went into syndication.

A focus of the new series will be previously unknown and rare species, said John Hildenbiddle, Mutual of Omaha's senior vice president of public relations.

"Our challenge was to bring back 'Wild Kingdom' in a way that was relevant to today's audiences," Hildenbiddle said. "Millions of Americans fondly remember their whole family gathering to watch `Wild Kingdom' every Sunday evening."