Gentle Ben (1967–1969)

The adventures in the Florida Everglades of a game warden, Tom Wedloe (Dennis Weaver), his wife Ellen (Beth Brickell), their son Mark (Clint Howard), and Mark's tame bear Ben.

Stars:

Dennis Weaver, Clint Howard, Beth Brickell

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Dennis Weaver	...	Tom Wedloe (56 episodes, 1967-1969)
Clint Howard	...	Mark Wedloe (56 episodes, 1967-1969)
Beth Brickell	...	Ellen Wedloe (55 episodes, 1967-1969)

Storyline

The adventures in the Florida Everglades of a game warden, Tom Wedloe (Dennis Weaver), his wife Ellen (Beth Brickell), their son Mark (Clint Howard), and Mark's tame bear Ben.

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Plot Keywords:

bear | airboat | florida everglades | florida | character name in title

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mein Freund Ben

Filming Locations:

Africa USA - 6867 Soledad Canyon Road, Acton, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ivan Tors Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (56 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Blood Ties (2001)

User Reviews

Another Success From Ivan Tors

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.