El camionero y su mono

I was going to high school in Ukiah, California when this show was on the air, and one week they came to the town to film at the fairgrounds in that town. We didn't see much filming up there, so this was quite a lot of excitement for us! They filmed mostly at the fairgrounds, and a lot of students (including myself) cut school to go and watch. They filmed some shots with onlookers in the background so it was even more exciting for us to think we would be on TV! But my best memory of this time was one day as Greg Evigan was signing autographs (I had already got one from him the day before) and my mother and I were standing off to the side and talking about whether or not they may shoot somewhere else in town after they were finished at the fairgrounds. And Mr. Evigan talked to us, as he was signing an autograph for someone, joking that sometimes he was the last to know where they would be going next. I was about 16 and to have a TV star talking to me was really a big deal. And he was nice to all the fans who were there, and to this day when I see him on TV I think of him as this nice guy who gave a lot of people in a small town a good image of famous people.

Loved this show when I was 10. There was a bad butt trucker, a ex Nam medic mystery solving truck driver, beautiful women everywhere and a pet monkey called Bear. B J can go into a small town solve a mystery aka Dukes of Hazzard style, impressing the pretty girl in the mystery, and manage to deliver his load on time every week on the 45 minute show. What not to like add pro wrestlers, hot gals, bar fights, corrupt cops (aka sheriff Lobo) and the Bear doing cute things made for me a fun hours while drink quick and staying up late. What more can a kid want for a Friday night show. I ate a truck stop once and was disappointing when real life hit, their was no murder with beautiful around just stressed out truckers trying to get the delivery done on time. Well B J and the Bear is a formulate southern style Dukes of Hazzard show. 7 stars.

In the craze of truck-driver shows that came out in the '70s, none had a more original premise than that of "B.J. and the Bear", with its mixture of good ol' boy farce, action, romance and, of course, a monkey!

The plot stayed more or less the same all through the show's run: B.J. McKay (Evigan) worked as a truck driver who constantly dealt with inept lawmen (namely Akins' Sheriff Lobo, who got his own series!), crooked truckers and, usually, bevy after bevy of beautiful women in tight clothes. Who said this show was sexist?

The women worked so well, in fact, that they stayed on for the long haul as "The Seven Lady Truckers" who worked with B.J. and gave the show a big boost from the male part of the TV-viewing public. And who could blame them: women the likes of Landers (YIKES!), Holleran, Julia, McCullough and the Brough sisters were definitely worth tuning in for every week.

And the series, helmed by TV maestro Glen Larson (also of "The Fall Guy" fame) knew what worked in a series and kept action, tough guys and beautiful women in each episode. Oh yeah, and the monkey too. Can't forget him.

All in all, a great reminder of the glory that was truck driving, the heroism that was "B.J." and the monkey that was "the Bear".

Eight stars for "B.J. and the Bear" - keep on truckin'!

"BJ & The Bear" was one of my all time favorite shows as a young teen. Greg Evigan was great, and of course lets not forget Sam the chimp who played "The Bear". BJ was always a step ahead of the bungling lawmen, played most briliantly by Calude Akins (Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo) and Mills Watson (Deputy Perkins). I hated to see the show go off the air and wish they would do a TV-movie again or something. It would be nice to see that big red and white Kenworth on the road again.

I liked B. J.and and the Bear it was a great TV show and I liked Bear.