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How Bob Denver Nearly Got Mauled by a Lion While Filming ‘Gilligan’s Island’

During a Season 2 episode, a real lion named Zamba lunged at Denver and reportedly missed him by only a few feet.

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Bob Denver appeared in 98 episodes of Gilligan’s Island during the show’s three-season run in the 1960s, but that number was almost a lot smaller. In the Season 2 episode “Feed the Kitty,” a lion gets loose on the island and ends up forming a bond with Gilligan (Denver). For the part of the large wild cat in question, the producers opted to hire a real lion named Zamba. Interestingly enough, Zamba had previously worked with Denver in........

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