ARMAND and Michaela Denis had settled in Kenya in 1949 – they had marries the previous year -and became very popular on BBC Television with their wild life series from Africa. Armand was a film maker and together they had filmed much of the location footage in Africa for ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ released in 1950.

After this came the BBC TV Series – “Filming Wild Animals” which was broadcast in 1954, and thereafter, they regularly contributed African documentaries to the BBC and ITV.

Michaela had a wonderful sense of humour and greatly enjoyed life. Later in life she supported and assisted several local projects to help the community around her.

After he divorced his first wife, Armand Denis married Michaela in 1948 and the two set out to make wildlife films together. Many of their films were made in Africa, though they also traveled to other exotic locales around the world. The results of these efforts were turned into several British television series, including Filming in Africa (1955), Michaela and Armand Denis (1955-58), On Safari (1957-59, 1961-65), and Safari to Asia (1959-61), as well as the films Below the Sahara (1954), Under the Southern Cross, On the Great Barrier Reef, and Amongst the Headhunters. 

Michaela Denis became particularly popular for her photogenic good looks, enhanced by her insistence on always bringing makeup with her no matter where the couple went.

She also wrote several books about her experiences, including Leopard in My Lap (1955), Ride a Rhino (1959), and Voice of the Lark (1964). 

From one of the BBC TV programmes, Michaela had asked viewers to write in with a suggested name for a mongoose – she replied to one such viewer as below in a letter that went out from the BBC Studios in Lime Grove

Minnie was the name chosen

Michaela capitalised on her TV fame and following the naming of the mongoose wrote this Children’s book

BELOW – a later film made and released in 1955 ‘ Among the Headhunters’ – made in colour as they tended to do with all their films. It obviously enhanced the jungle beauty.

Released in October 1955

I had wondered if these films got a cinema release – I was sure they would be as supporting films – and this BELOW seems to be proof that they did. It does mean also Armand Denis would use some pretty sophisticated kit

Armand Denis shown BELOW operating the camera – with Michaela close by

ABOVE A Front of House Still from the film