Gentle Giant

Set in and filmed near Florida's Everglades, this motion picture, made essentially for children, stars Clint Howard, younger brother of Ron, as seven-year-old Mark Wedlow who, along with his father Tom (Dennis Weaver, a wildlife officer, and mother Ellen (Vera Miles) becomes involved in a series of emergency-based adventures concerning Ben, a young black bear. Mark's first contact with Ben takes place when the latter is a cub, as the boy watches from hiding as three poachers, played by veteran tough guy Ralph Meeker, ex-Bowery Boy Huntz Hall, and Clint's real-life father Rance, hunt down Ben's dam with Meeker's character killing her with a rifle shot, then capturing her offspring for future use as a source of lucrative bear meat. Based on the novel Gentle Ben by Walt Morey, this work inspired a spin-off popular late 1960's television series of the same name, also starring young Clint and Weaver, and features a series of incidents which showcases the remarkably uninhibited fondness which Mark displays toward one of the largest imaginable pets, seven feet and 750 pounds. Portrayed by an exceedingly well-trained animal, Bruno, big Ben is shipped to a zoo after an unfortunate occurrence, but escapes into the Everglades, and subsequent events, replete with family oriented scenes focussing upon a needed rapport between the youngster and animals, most non-ursine, presents cliches a-plenty but gives an opportunity to enjoy another solid performance from the fetching Miles.

Back in the 1960's, there were a couple of TV shows and movies that bonded animals and young people together as friends. When It was Lassie or flipper, that was OK, because border collies and Dolphins usually won't kill people. Now make a show where an 8 year old boy befriends a massively sized bear while avoiding the town drunk. Ivan Tors did just that.

Set in a small Florida Fishing town, Father Tom Wedloe makes his living as a pilot spotting fish in the sea for fisherman to catch for export. however, due to a bad season, Some local residents grow so desperate, they dare to hunt on the local nature reserve...Which is where 8-year old Mark Wedloe likes to visit, despite all the dangerous animals that live there. One day, He spots the town drunk and his 2 fishing buddies shoot a mother bear, killing her, and taking her helpless cub away. Throughout the movie, Mark sneaks scraps of food to the helpless cub, who is kept chained up in a shed, and befriends him, thus turning him into a gentle giant.

I have seen this movie many times since I was about 4 or 5 and eventually, in the 6th grade, took the time to read the novel, and was kind of mad how the movie didn't follow the novel entirely. For example, Mark wasn't 8 in the novel, he was much older. His dad wasn't a pilot, he was a fisherman, and finally, Fog Hanson was named Fog Benson. Maybe the name was changed for legal reasons, but who knows.

Regardless, this is definitely a movie worth watching if you can find a copy. With a young Clint Howard, and the legendary Ralph meeker, it's a family movie with fighting, an animal attack, and a plane crash. enjoy.