It's been a really long time since I saw this show,
probably at least the 70's. It's definitely a kid's show,
but I think the whole family would enjoy watching it with
their kids. It's very wholesome and enjoyable. I don't think
it insults your intelligence like some shows for kids do.
Dennis Weaver starred in this show as the game warden. You
may have seen him in "Gunsmoke" as Chester or later in
"McCloud". This is one of the shows he did in-between those
two shows. He's very handsome, so I always liked him.
This is one of the animal-loving shows we had back then,
like Lassie, Daktari, Mr. Ed, and Flipper. I don't know why
they don't make these kinds of shows any more for kids.
Ben is, as the title says, "Gentle", meaning he's not a
fierce of mean bear. He's the pet of the little boy in the
show, Mark. People often came on the show and were
scared of Ben, but then they soon learned that he was no
threat. Ben often helped people out of scrapes, in fact.
Mark is played by Clint Howard, who was a cute little boy.
He's the younger brother of famous actor/movie director Ron
Howard. Rance Howard, Clint and Ron's father, also wrote the
show and appeared sometimes as the neighbor.
The show takes place in the Florida Everglades, so there is
a lot of beautiful scenery and other animals. The very first
episode has a hurricane! If you're not used to watching
older shows, though, you might find it pretty slow-moving.
For the times, it was a fairly exciting show.
Unfortunately, it only ran for two seasons.
This would make a great present at the holidays for any kids
under 10 or their parents. There is some interesting
commentary by Clint and Rance Howard during the episodes.
The only other feature is some photos. It's great that they
finally have the show on DVD after all this time.
MORE INFORMATION:
GENTLE BEN
SEASON ONE
Gentle Ben,
the classic, family-friendly series about a boy and his
650-pound best friend, Ben the
bear, is finally available on DVD with
Gentle
Ben: Season One.
Relive one of the most beloved series of the 1960s,
starring a young
Clint Howard, Dennis Weaver of Gunsmoke
fame, and a guest appearance from Ron Howard.
Based on the children’s novel of the same name,
Gentle
Ben follows 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.
Gentle
Ben: Season One
also includes four special commentaries featuring father
and son, Rance and Clint Howard, and a photo gallery.
- Specifications:
Full Screen Format, English Mono, and English SDH
Subtitles
- Rating:
Not Rated
- Runtime:
11 hours, 50 minutes
- Suggested Retail Price:
$29.99 U.S.
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Page updated 10/23/13
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