This was no ordinary pet. Forget your puppies and cats – Melanie Griffith had a pet lion in her family home with mum Tippi Hedren and step-father Noel Marshall. This photo collection captures life with the family while they lived with a wild cat when Melanie was just 19-years old.
While filming in Africa in 1969, Hedren and her husband saw an abandoned house which had been taken over and inhabited by lions. On their return to America, they were determined to make a film to raise awareness of the endangered status of lions.
Animal trainer Ron Oxley advised them that “to get to know anything about lions, you’ve just got to live with them for a while.”
Taking the expert’s advice, Hedren and her husband did exactly that, introducing lions to their residential home. Following complaints from neighbours, the family and the animals moved to a remote California ranch.
“Roar” starred Hedren and Marshall, with Melanie paying Hedren’s on-screen daughter. The film was written and directed by Marshall and produced by Hedren and Marshall.
The case brought together wild cats on a vast scale – bringing together 150 large cats, the largest private collection ever assembled. The cost of managing so many untrained animals contributed to the film’s huge production costs.
Released in 1981, “Roar” cost over $17.5 million but grossed just over $2 million.
Photos via Mashable
