Mon ami Ben

Although Gentle Ben was made several years before I was born, I often used to watch this on BBC1 and BBC2 when they shown it around the late 1980's, often in the mornings during the school holidays. I found this series enjoyable.

It was about a boy, Mark who had a pet brown bear which he named Ben. He lived with his mum and dad in Florida's Everglades and got up to all sorts of different adventures and often danger.

Mark was played by Clint Howard and his parents were played by Dennis Weaver (Gunsmoke, Duel) and Beth Briknell.

It would be nice to see some episodes of Gentle Ben again. Come on BBC, let's have some repeats of this instead of rubbish property programmes and makeover shows.

Gentle Ben was produced by Ivan Tors, who also brought us Flipper and Sea Hunt.

"Gentle Ben" is a story about a tame old brown bear and his faithful friend,a little boy named Mark as they go onward in search for adventure and excitement. This show was another winner from producer Ivan Tors,who was behind some very successful television series which included. "Sea Hunt","Flipper","Primus",and also "Salty". This show was on the same premise as "Flipper" but with a twist,with the father as the park ranger(played by Dennis Weaver,aka of Gunsmoke and McCloud fame),his wife(Beth Brickell),and his son Mark(played by Clint Howard,brother of Ronnie Howard,aka Opie from The Andy Griffith Show)as they were living up in the Florida everglades and also taking responsibility for Gentle Ben and the national park in which the show is set in.

The show was filmed on location in the Florida Everglades region and also at the famous Ivan Tors Studios near Miami. The series started out as an theatrical feature at first,but when CBS executives saw it and the pilot episode,they immediately launched it into a weekly series that ran for two seasons on the network from 1967-1969. It was shown on Sunday nights opposite another family-oriented animal show,"Lassie",on the same network. However,it was a mix of high adventure and breathtaking excitement at every turn as Gentle Ben and his friend Mark explore the territory,facing danger at every turn,and in some of the episodes having Dad save him from a certain fate. Great show.

NOTE: This series hasn't been seen in many years since the last time this show was on anywhere was during the 80's on cable's The Family Channel,and later on Nickelodeon. Catch it on Discovery Kids! Check local listings.

The series has great educational content for the young and the old. It is heartwarming and pleasant. It would be nice if Clint Howard could do a remake or renew of the series today. Maybe as the father this time or in some capacity where he is in the series too. Clint acted so naturally. It makes you think about wildlife conservation and love of animals. I wish there were more episodes of this series, or movies of it. This series inspires love of animals and parental relationships in such a good way. Teaches everyone who watches it. We need more family show like this now. Clint Howard should do a remake and be in it.

Ivan Tors, who was responsible for shows like Sea Hunt, Daktari and Flipper, struck again with another success in Gentle Ben. Running on Sunday nights after Lassie, Gentle Ben completed an hour block of wholesome, family friendly entertainment leading into the Ed Sullivan Show.

The cast was outstanding, anchored by Dennis Weaver and featuring Beth Brickell and Clint Howard (Ron's brother). But the real star of the show was the title character, played by a bear trained by Monty Cox. The chemistry between Howard and Ben the bear was a key to the show's success.

But the one thing I really enjoyed about the show was the scenery of the Florida Everglades. It was a very naturalistic setting for a family drama and I remember the opening titles with the Wedloe family on their airboat. To me, it was one of the few TV shows where an airboat was shown.

One other thing I should point out is that Gentle Ben was actually based on a book by Walt Morey. It may be out of print but if you can find it in your local library, be sure and check it out to find out the genesis of the TV series that should be released on DVD someday.

This is a wonderful series about the family of a Florida game warden and their pet bear. It is delightful to see the predicaments they get in to and how they get themselves out. This show stars Dennis Weaver and Clint Howard as well as Clint's father Rance Howard. The second episode and the second to last episode also gues star Clint's older brother Ron, whom everyone remembers as Opie Taylor from his show, The Andy Griffith Show. Sit back with your family and enjoy some good wholesome entertainment, and who knows, you may learn something if you're not careful. They just don't make television shows like this anymore.