Gentle Ben facts for kids
Gentle Ben is a famous bear character. He was created by author Walt Morey. Ben first appeared in a children's novel called Gentle Ben in 1965. The book tells the story of a special friendship. It's about a big male bear named Ben and a young boy named Mark.
This popular story became the basis for many other things. It was made into a film in 1967 called Gentle Giant. There was also a popular U.S. television series in the late 1960s, also named Gentle Ben. Later, an animated cartoon and two TV movies were made about Ben.
Contents
The 1965 Novel Gentle Ben
Walt Morey was a farmer and a former boxer. He used to write many adventure stories for adults. These stories were about boxing, the Old West, and outdoor adventures. They were published in magazines like Argosy.
However, people stopped reading these types of stories as much when TV became popular. So, Morey stopped writing for ten years. His wife, who was a schoolteacher, challenged him. She wanted him to write adventure stories for young readers, like those by Jack London. After several years, Morey decided to try. He wanted to write an adventure story that both young readers and adults would enjoy.
The book Gentle Ben was the result. It was based on Morey's own experiences. He had worked and traveled in Alaska. Morey said that many characters in the book were based on real Alaskan people he had met. He also mentioned that the idea of a boy being friends with an Alaskan brown bear came from real life. He said such friendships between humans and bears were not unusual in Alaska.
The novel was first published in 1965 by E.P. Dutton. It was a big success, selling almost 3 million copies. Before it was even published, the story won the Dutton Animal Book Award. This led to its publication. Morey won the Dutton prize again in 1968 for his book Kävik the Wolf Dog. Walt Morey wrote many more children's novels. They often featured nature, animals, and survival themes. But he is probably best known for Gentle Ben.
Story of the Novel
The story is about Mark Andersen, a young teenage boy. He lives in Alaska with his parents, Karl and Ellen Andersen. His father is a fisherman. Mark feels lonely after his older brother passes away. He finds a friend in an Alaskan brown bear named Ben. Ben was captured as a cub by a local man named Fog Benson.
Ben is now a large adult bear. He spends his days chained alone in a shack on Benson's property. The lonely bear and the lonely boy form a bond. Mark secretly visits Ben. At first, Mark's parents are upset that he visits Ben. But they soon see that Mark and Ben have a very special friendship. They decide to buy Ben from Fog Benson for Mark. Mark agrees to help his father with fishing to pay them back.
However, Fog Benson and his friends cause trouble for Ben. Ben fights back and injures Fog. The townspeople usually think brown bears are wild and dangerous. Now they believe Ben is a threat. Mark is forced to leave Ben on an island. But Ben is still bothered by Fog Benson and hunters there.
Soon after, Karl's fishing boat is destroyed in a storm. He takes a job watching a fish trap on the island where Ben lives. This allows Mark and Ben to become friends again. Then, Ben helps a rich businessman and hunter named Peter King. King is visiting the island and gets trapped under a rock. Ben gently rolls the rock off him. King is very thankful. He pays a local guide to protect Ben. He also starts a business with Karl Andersen. This means Ben will be safe, and the Andersen family's money problems are solved.
Memorial Statue
There is an 8-foot tall (life-size) carved wooden statue of Gentle Ben the bear. It stands in Walt Morey Park in Wilsonville, Oregon. This park is bear-themed and was built on land that used to belong to the Morey family. In 2012, the Gentle Ben statue was stolen from the park by some local teens. It was found later in a ditch and returned to the park.
The 1967 Film Gentle Giant
The 1960s Television Series Gentle Ben
The CBS television series Gentle Ben first aired on September 10, 1967. It ran until August 31, 1969. The show had a total of 58 episodes over two seasons. The series followed the adventures of young Mark Wedloe. Mark was played by Clint Howard. His best friend was a lovable 650 to 750-pound black bear named Ben.
Gentle Ben was produced by Ivan Tors. He also produced the Gentle Giant movie, which was like a pilot for the show. Tors was known for making successful TV series. These included Lloyd Bridges' Sea Hunt, Flipper, and Daktari.
Like the Gentle Giant film, the TV series Gentle Ben was set in Florida. This allowed Tors to use his own studio facilities there. In the original novel, Ben was a brown bear in Alaska. But for the TV show, Ben was a large black bear in Florida. The TV series continued the story from where Gentle Giant ended. Mark's father, Tom Wedloe, was already a wildlife officer in the Everglades. Ben was an adult bear and a family pet. He lived outside (and sometimes inside) the Wedloes' house.
Cast of the TV Series
The TV series had only a few regular characters. These were the Wedloe family and their friend and neighbor, Henry Boomhauer. Clint Howard and Dennis Weaver continued their roles from the Gentle Giant film. The role of Ellen Wedloe, played by Vera Miles in the film, was given to Beth Brickell for the TV series. The Boomhauer character appeared in several episodes. He was played by Clint's real-life father, Rance Howard. Rance Howard also wrote some episodes for the show.
Other characters who appeared often included Hank Minegar, played by Robertson White. Willie, a friend of Mark's, was played by Angelo Rutherford.
Several black bears were used to play Ben. This depended on what behavior was needed for a scene. However, the main bear was Bruno the Bear. He also played the adult Ben in the Gentle Giant film.
Musician and voice actor Candy Candido provided the sounds for Ben. The TV network wanted Ben to speak like a human on the show. But Ivan Tors did not like this idea. So, Ben only made animal noises.
Many famous guest stars appeared on the show. These included Burt Reynolds, Jay Silverheels, Strother Martin, Slim Pickens, Victor French, and Clint Howard's brother Ron Howard.
Bears in the TV Series
Ralph Helfer's Africa U.S.A. animal ranch provided Bruno and other bears for the series. They also provided other animals. The bears came from Canada or near the Canada-U.S. border. Their fur was thicker and looked better on camera than bears from further south.
Bruno was the favorite bear actor. He had a good personality. He could show many different behaviors and facial expressions. He was also good at working with children. A bear named Buck looked a lot like Bruno. Buck was a bit smaller, younger, and faster. He was used for scenes where the bear needed to run. According to Clint Howard, Bruno and Buck did about 75 percent of the bear acting.
A bear named Drum often appeared in scenes that needed the bear to go into water. Drum's fur was brown. It had to be spray-painted black to match the other bears playing Ben. In the 1980s, Dennis Weaver remembered that a bear named Hammer was used for water scenes. Hammer sometimes misbehaved on set. Other bears reportedly used included Smokey, Oscar, Baron, Tudor, and Virgil.
The main bear trainers and handlers were Monty Cox and Vern Debord. Monty Cox said he was hired after "Ben" had "chewed up" a previous trainer. Other animal trainers involved were Ron Oxley and Steve Martin. Bruno and some other bears were trained using "affection training." This method focused on building a respectful bond between the animal and trainer. It did not use punishment or food rewards. However, food rewards were used for at least one bear who responded better to that method. Bruno reportedly lived with Cox in a Miami apartment. He sometimes even followed Cox into the shower and slept in his bed.
After the TV series ended, Bruno moved back to California with trainer Ron Oxley. He continued his acting career. He appeared in the 1972 film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean with Paul Newman. Bruno reportedly passed away in 1980 or 1981. Buck entertained visitors for many years at the Homosassa Springs Attraction in Florida. Hammer stopped acting in 1969. He became the first black bear at the Dreher Park Zoo in West Palm Beach, Florida. He lived there for almost 20 years.
Another TV series, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, also had a bear character named "Ben." However, that bear was a grizzly bear, not a black bear. That show and character had no connection to Gentle Ben.
Cast
- Dean Cain as Jack Wedloe
- Corbin Bernson as Fog Benson
- Ashley Laurence as Dakota
- Reiley McClendon as Mark Wedloe
- Cody Weiant as Ashley June Benson
- Collin Bern sen as Kyle
- Gil Birmingham as Pete
- Jack Conley as Cal Striker
- Jeanne Coopr as Rowland
- Martin Kobey as Sully
- Bonkers the Bear as Ben
In Popular Culture
- Since the 1960s, "Gentle Ben" has often been used as a funny name when talking about a bear.
- "Gentle Ben" has also become a nickname for famous people named Ben. This includes American professional golfer Ben Crenshaw. It also includes Australian cricketer Ben Hilfenhaus. And it was used for former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.
- The "Homer Badman" episode of The Simpsons cartoon (Season 6, episode 9, 1994) had a parody. It showed a TV talk show called Ben. It was hosted by a bear named "Gentle Ben" with a microphone on his head. "Gentle Ben" responded to audience comments with growls. Then he got distracted by food backstage. He ran wild and started to eat. Marksmen wearing "Ben Control" jackets then surrounded and shot him. The TV screen briefly showed a test pattern. This scene has been called one of the funniest moments from the show.
- In the "Rangeboy" episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete children's TV series (Season 1, episode 4, 1993), Big Pete talks about a fictional Gentle Ben episode. In it, Ben saves a blind kid from a mineshaft. He uses Ben as a positive example. He wants to convince his father to wear a bear costume. This happens while his father is working at his golf club.
