Kenya wildlife warden George Adamson and his wife Joy were important figures in starting the wildlife conservation movement. Joy Adamson published their true story of the lioness Elsa in 1960, and six years later it became a hit motion picture and a genuine family classic.

Joy Adamson (Virginia McKenna) and George Adamson (Bill Travers) live in a protected game reserve in Kenya, where George is a warden. One day, George is forced to shoot a lioness in self defense. He discovers that there are three lion cubs, now doomed if he abandons them. Joy and George take the cubs into their home and raise them.

Eventually, the cubs grow too large to keep, and two of the three are sold to zoos. Joy cannot bear to part with the lioness Elsa. The great cat stays with them and continues to grow. Joy knows that there will come a day when Elsa will either have to be captured and put in a zoo, or return to the wild. She determines to help Elsa learn to live and hunt for herself.

This very simple story, scripted by Lester Cole (under a pseudonym, as he was blacklisted at the time) captured the hearts and imaginations of the world. Actors McKenna and Travers were married in real life, and thus projected a believable relationship onscreen. George Adamson himself served as technical advisor to the film, which was made in Kenya, using multiple lions to play Elsa. The film had authenticity, adorable animals, and a heartwarming message of hope.

John Barry’s score, and the original song “Born Free”, won Oscars. The title tune went on to become a Top Forty hit, particularly as recorded by Andy Williams.

Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers were so affected by the experience of making the film, they began the Born Free Foundation, which continues to this day. They also starred together in Ring of Bright Water, another true story, this time about an otter. Other actors played the Adamsons in a sequel, Living Free, in 1972.

The real Joy Adamson continued to write books and create awareness for conservation. Her efforts made her enemies, however, and she was murdered in Kenya in 1980. George Adamson was killed by poachers three years later. Their story inspired the 1999 film To Walk With Lions, starring Richard Harris and Honor Blackman.