BFI

There are at least two Topical Budget items with this title, the earlier one released on 2 April 1923. Both are broadly similar in that they involve shots of children sampling the delights of Regents' Park Zoo, riding camels, admiring bears, monkeys and "the new Sam", the polar bear brought in to replace the recently-deceased bear featured in both the previous 'Spring Comes to the Zoo' and the eulogy 'Tragedy of Sam' (27/8/1925), this time round with a female polar bear to keep him company.

Then the item cuts to sea-lions and, as the cutely misspelt title card informs us, "effelunts", with two magnificent specimens bearing several children on their backs simultaneously. They are then rewarded with food.

Michael Brooke

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