Citrus County’s Famous Visitors
By: Ken Marotte, Citrus County Historical Society
Seemingly off the beaten path, Citrus County has had a surprising number of famous visitors over the years. Past articles have explored noted people who have made our area their homes and some who spent their vacations here. Celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Jeopardy’s Art Fleming, Don Knotts, Route 66’s Martin Milner, Rhonda Fleming, Forrest Tucker, baseball’s MVP Dazzy Vance and the entire Brooklyn Dodger’s team have been the subject of historical stories in past Chronicle issues. Here are the stories of a few other celebrities that may jog the memories of long-time citizens and new residents.
W.C. Fields
Fields was a comedian who made the transition from Vaudeville to silent movies and then successfully made the jump to “talkies”. His raspy drawl and witty sayings (“Never give a sucker an even break”) made him a favorite with audiences and his posters still hang on college dormitory rooms. In 1926 Fields was shooting scenes for a new movie titled “It’s The Old Army Game” in Ocala. He accompanied several members of the cast and crew on a trip to Crystal River and Homosassa during a break in the schedule. Rumor has it that he didn’t give the Citrus County fish an even break, either.
Jimmy Buffett
Florida Governor Bob Graham was passionate about saving the dwindling manatee population. He heard songs from Florida resident Jimmy Buffett about the docile animals and personally asked Buffett to lead the “Save the Manatee” group. Buffett gladly accepted the invitation and enthusiastically led the team through personal appearances and benefit concerts.
One of the most fragile areas that attracted Buffett’s attention were the islands in Crystal River’s King’s Bay. The “Save The Manatee” team set to raise funds that would allow the group to purchase some of the islands as a manatee sanctuary. Since many of the gentle giants were injured by speeding boats, the group also sought to establish reduced speed “Manatee Zones”. Slower boat speeds would give the manatees a chance to move away from approaching boats. He came to Crystal River to film a special Public Service Announcement (PSA) advocating for special manatee speed zones. He encouraged other famous Floridians, such as Florida State University alumni Burt Reynolds, to also record PSAs.
Buffett’s organization wanted to enlist schoolchildren in their crusade. They announced a state-wide poster contest that was open to all elementary school students. The entry had to be related to the mission of saving the manatee’s habitat. Sponsors were pleased when over 4,000 posters were submitted. The winners were announced in newspapers across the state. The lucky winners would be treated to an event at the Port Paradise resort that featured a guided tour by Buffett. On Saturday, December 3 1983, winning students were loaded onto a glass bottom boat and offered a chance to see the manatees in their environment from a perspective they had never experienced before. He said: “The contest was a way to bring attention of school children to the endangered mammal…we have to educate our youngsters about the environment”.
The Save the Manatee committee was able to raise funds that enabled it to protect the fragile environment needed by the gentle beasts. Buffett’s song “Growing Older But Not Up” imagines the life of an older manatee in Florida waters.
Cheryl Tiegs
While Jimmy Buffett’s campaign targeted schoolchildren, another celebrity was creating an advertisement probably intended for a different demographic. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Cheryl Tiegs experienced explosive international popularity due to her Sport Illustrated swimsuit photos. She became acknowledged as the first “super model’ as her fame grew. As an animal lover, she heard about Buffett’s Save the Manatees Club and wanted to help in any way she could. On Saturday October 14, 1989 Tiegs and her camera crew quietly arrived at the Homosassa Springs park. Her visit was not publicized because she wanted to avoid the throngs of curious well-wishers that would undoubtedly have jammed the park. The crew reportedly had to adjust their sound volume for hours because “the birds kept chirping”. The park remained open during the unannounced shooting and lucky visitors were able to see Tiegs being filmed.
Her message informed viewers that the state’s increasing population has brought manatees to the brink of extinction. She urged people to join the Save the Manatee Club to find out more about the endangered animals.
After concluding the filming, Tiegs and her crew stopped at the Country Oaks Inn in Lecanto for dinner. She told an interviewer: “It was my pleasure to do the announcement. Manatees give you so much pleasure. They’re just as sweet as could be.” Tiegs remains an environmental activist today.
The PSA aired in November 1989. I managed to track down a copy of the original message – see the included still photograph.
Marlin Perkins “Wild Kingdom”
People of a certain age will remember that Sunday night’s television schedule included Marlin Perkins and “Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom”. Perkins was the emeritus director of the St. Louis Zoo and traveled the world to bring diverse animal stories to viewers. Even though he was a retired elderly zoologist, he was not hesitant to approach animals in their environment to learn their habits.
Perkins and his crew arrived in Crystal River in January 1971. They took up residence at the Riverside Villas. Their efforts were hindered by a warmer than expected winter in Citrus County so the manatees were not inclined to leave their usual habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. They searched in vain for manatees on the river but failed to find a single animal. They were able to detect some manatees a little farther offshore and completed their filming using those scenes. On March 19, 1971 a nationwide audience was invited to see“…host Marlin Perkins and naturalist Stan Brock join the project to measure ocean-going manatees that have congregated in the Homosassa River and Crystal Springs.” Perkins donned SCUBA gear and dove into the water to help with the filming of this episode.
Jacques and Philippe Cousteau
At the same time that Marlin Perkins was filming his Wild Kingdom episode, world-renowned ocean explorers Jacques and Philippe Cousteau were in Crystal River to shoot their show about manatees for the “Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau”. Their crew stayed at the Port Paradise Resort and Hotel. They encountered the same lack of suitable manatee subjects based on the warmer weather. The crew packed up but returned a few months later.
A sick manatee had been rescued on Florida’s East Coast by the Florida Marine Patrol (FMP). The animal had become stuck on a sewer drain and was dubbed “Sewer Sam” based on his predicament. The FMP brought the manatee to the Miami Seaquarium, which provided the initial recovery medical services. “Sam” remained at Seaquarium for over two years. The Cousteau’s asked the FMP if they could rehabilitate and possibly release “Sam” back into the wild as part of their undersea program.
“Sam’s” body was wrapped in wet towel and he was loaded onto an airplane and flown to Brooksville. From there, he was brought to Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River. Cranes lifted the 1,100-pound manatee into the cool waters of the springs. Having become acclimated to life in a closed pool, “Sam” swam on the surface of the water while awaiting lettuce from his human friends. He noticed grass on the bottom of the spring and he instinctively raced for the waiting food.
After a period of observation and restorative activities, “Sam” had gained weight and appeared to be thriving in his new home. Once the manatee had made satisfactory progress, a radio beacon was attached to his tail and he was released into the larger river. The scientists were worried whether or not the resident manatees would accept the newcomer. The radio tracking showed that “Sam” had made new friends along the river and was traveling with his aggregation (the proper name for a group of manatees).
The experience showed Cousteau and the other scientists that distressed manatees could be brought back to life and thrive if their environment was optimized with enough food and protection from boat propellers.
Do You Want Fries With That?
The Cousteau’s perspective on manatees took an unexpected turn as they packed up to leave in April 1971. Citrus County Chronicle writer Rick Ballard was conducting a final interview with Philippe Cousteau. Cousteau was asked how his perspective on manatees had changed during their stay in Citrus County. He replied “filming the manatee has given me a completely different outlook on them. Of any mammal to the raised for food, the manatee would be the best and easiest”. His conclusion was based on the observation that the manatee’s feeding practices are similar to cows – grazing along the bottom of the water turning grasses into protein. He continued: “According to reports, the meat has no resemblance to fish. In fact, manatee steak looks and tastes like beef. Because the sea cow relies entirely on vegetation, the meat is very high on the biological energy chain, which means it is high in nutrition.”
These statements seem puzzling in light of all of the time and effort that the Cousteau’s expended to heighten awareness of the animal’s plight. Thankfully for the manatees, Philippe Cousteau never returned to Citrus County and he was never able to interest restaurants in offering McManatees on their menu.