Gentle Ben

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Gentle Ben is the name of a book of fiction for children by author Walt Morey, which was later made into a film and television series in the 1960s, as well as made-for-TV movie in 2002. The book concerns the friendship between the title character, a bear, and a young boy.

[edit] Television series

The CBS television series Gentle Ben ran from September 10, 1967 until August 31, 1969, airing a total of 56 episodes. The show stars a young Clint Howard (Ron Howard's brother), as Mark Wedloe, and chronicles his adventures with a lovable 650-pound American black bear, who is the title character Gentle Ben. Dennis Weaver played his father, Tom Wedloe, a park ranger, and Beth Brickell played his mother, Ellen. The series was produced by Ivan Tors.

Although the bear character in a subsequent television series, Grizzly Adams, is also named Ben, there is no connection between the bears.

[edit] In popular culture

Gentle Ben was referenced in the '"Homer: Bad Man" episode of The Simpsons, in which the bear hosted a talk show but was tranquilized after attacking the production staff when they encroached on the food table. The show referenced Gentle Ben a second time in Lisa's Sax, when in the opening of the show, Marge and Homer sing a parody of 'Those Were The Days (the opening song from All In The Family), with lines like, 'Watching shows like Gentle Ben'. The show referenced Gentle Ben a third time in the episode entitled "My Fair Laddy", originally airing on February 26, 2006. In the episode, Lisa Simpson reads a book entitled Genteel Ben's Guide to Etiquette. The cover of the book includes a picture of a bear wearing a monocle.

Gentle Ben was mentioned in the Garfield comic strip at least once.

Gentle Ben is mentioned in the "Diagnosis: Jimmy" episode of the FOX series The Lone Gunmen.

On Just Shoot Me!, Nina Van Horn attempted to quit smoking, so her pharmacist gave her drugs to counteract the nicotine withdrawal; one of the ingredients was "the kind of tranquilizer they gave Gentle Ben so he could act with that little boy." She remarked that the drugs made her "incredibly amorous."

On Nickelodeon's Pete & Pete, Elder Pete takes up a job as range boy for his father's driving range. Pete dresses up as a bear in order to disguise himself from his peers so he is not run out of town. Pete references an episode of Gentle Ben where Gentle Ben saves the young boy from a mine shaft, risking his life, in order to convince his father that he should be allowed to dress up as a bear.