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53-633: Walt Morey , a filbert farmer and former boxer , had previously written many pulp fiction stories for adults dealing with subjects such as boxing, the Old West , and outdoor adventures, published in magazines such as Argosy . However, due to the decline in demand for pulp fiction caused by the advent of broadcast television in the 1950s, Morey stopped writing for ten years. His wife, a schoolteacher, challenged him to write adventure stories that would interest young readers, similar to those of Jack London . After several years, Morey took up her challenge with

106-708: A wildlife officer in the Everglades , and Ben an adult bear and established family pet living outside (or sometimes inside) the Wedloes' house. The TV series had few regular characters, consisting of 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 in Gentle Giant by Vera Miles ,

159-652: A "backup" grizzly named Grizz) to the Grizzly Adams show. Gentle Ben was filmed in Florida at the Ivan Tors Studios (now Greenwich Studios) in North Miami and at various locations in the surrounding area, including Homosassa Springs and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden . The bears, who were from the northern United States or Canada and thus used to colder temperatures, had trouble adjusting to

212-729: A 3-foot-tall bronze statue of him and occasionally displaying other memorabilia, such as his typewriter and editions of his books. The Reynolds School District in Troutdale, Oregon, opened Walt Morey Middle School in 1998. Game warden A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment . A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician / technologist , game warden , park ranger , forest watcher , forest guard , forester , gamekeeper , investigator , wilderness officer , wildlife officer , or wildlife trooper . Conservation officers can be traced back to

265-478: A black bear for a pet—not a cub either—but a gigantic adult bear—is beyond our comprehension." In 1971, John Hast, the chief National Park Service officer, stated that "[t]he television series 'Gentle Ben' was the worst thing that ever happened to us. People saw this big lovable bear on television and when they see a bear in the park I guess they think it's the same one. They don't realize how wrong they are until they're bleeding." Sweden also refused to broadcast

318-445: A degree in areas specific to criminal justice, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, wildlife resources, or a science major related to these. Most start out their careers as a trainee under the supervision of an experienced conservation officer. After graduation and completion of the trainee program, many go on to law enforcement training to become a peace officer . In America, conservation officers must also take and pass

371-495: A direct supervisor. Training includes dress and deportment, investigations, firearm handling, use of force, swiftwater rescue, off-road vehicle use, search warrant application and execution and much more. As noted at the North American Game Warden Museum , confronting armed poachers in rural and even remote locations can be lonely, dangerous and even fatal work for game wardens. Recognition of

424-516: A number of bears who had appeared in the show. Bruno's name was changed to "Ben" while he was appearing in the series; it was changed back to "Bruno" after the show ended. Oxley and Martin made personal appearances at fairs and events with a bear (often Drum) billed as "Gentle Ben." In the late 1960s and 1970s, Rosaire Sr. appeared with the Emmett Kelly Circus and elsewhere with a trained bear he called "Gentle Ben" that purportedly played

477-459: A respectful bond between animal and trainer, rather than using punishment or food rewards. However, food rewards were used to motivate at least one bear who responded better to that method. Bruno reportedly lived with Cox in a Miami apartment, sometimes even following him into the shower and sleeping in his bed. During and after the run of the TV series, the name "Ben" or "Gentle Ben" was used to refer to

530-468: A special friendship and buy Ben from Fog Benson for Mark, on the condition that Mark help his father with the fishing to pay him back. However, Fog Benson and his friends attack Ben and Ben fights back, injuring Fog. The townspeople, who generally regard brown bears as wild and unpredictable, now think that Ben is dangerous, and Mark is forced to abandon Ben on an island, where Ben is still menaced by Fog Benson and hunters. Soon afterwards, Karl's fishing boat

583-489: A tendency to fight who was used for bear fight scenes. Bear trainer Tuffy Truesdell, who owned nine bears including the elder and younger Victor the Wrestling Bear , also claimed that his bears did "most of the stand-in work" for the TV series. According to most sources, the primary bear trainers and bear handlers who did most of the day-to-day bear work on the series were head bear trainer Monty Cox (who said that he

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636-435: A wildlife officer, such as animal management, lost children, disasters such as hurricanes or fires, and poaching or other illegal activities taking place in Wedloe's jurisdiction. In addition to Ben, other animals were frequently featured. A recurring plot device involved a stranger encountering Ben for the first time and being terrified, until Mark explained that Ben was not dangerous. In the series, Tom Wedloe often traveled

689-439: Is destroyed in a storm, so he takes a job minding a fish trap on the island where Ben is living, which leads to Mark and Ben's renewing their friendship. Then Ben helps a wealthy businessman and trophy hunter visiting the island, Peter King, who is trapped under a rock. Ben gently rolls the rock off him. The grateful King pays a local guide to protect Ben and ends up going into business with Karl Andersen, so Ben will be safe and

742-412: Is lonely after the death of his older brother, and befriends an Alaskan brown bear named Ben that was captured as a cub by local drunkard Fog Benson. Ben, now a large adult bear, spends his days chained alone in a shack on Benson's property, and the lonely bear bonds with the lonely boy who secretly visits him. Mark's parents are initially upset that he visits Ben, but eventually see that Mark and Ben have

795-875: The Endangered Species Act , the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and similar laws/treaties. or the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (in Canada) which implements the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna As necessary, they will work in tandem with appropriate national or federal agencies, such as

848-412: The Everglades via airboat and Jeep , while Henry Boomhauer drove a swamp buggy . The airboat, with the characters of Tom, Mark, Ellen, and Ben the bear riding it, was prominently featured in the show's opening credits. Dennis Weaver later recounted an incident where one of the bear actors, Hammer, capsized the airboat. According to trainer Monty Cox, Ivan Tors once expressed concern that when Bruno

901-535: The Middle Ages (see gamekeeper ). Conservation law enforcement goes back to King Canute who enacted a forest law that made unauthorized hunting punishable by death. In 1861, Archdeacon Charles Thorp arranged purchase of some of the Farne Islands off the north-east coast of England and employment of a warden to protect threatened seabird species. The modern history of the office is linked to that of

954-477: The Nielsen ratings during its first season. A number of TV tie-in products were marketed, including children's books (by authors other than Walt Morey), a board game and a pull-string talking "Gentle Ben" plush bear by Mattel , a lunchbox, and an album of songs sung by the cast members entitled The Stars of "Gentle Ben": The Bear Facts. Dell Comics produced a Gentle Ben comic book, featuring photo covers of

1007-488: The conservation movement and has varied greatly across the world. Conservation officers in New York State are known as "environmental conservation officers", or ECOs. The position was created in the late nineteenth century. Originally, they were known as "game protectors". The first game protectors recorded comprised a group of eight men authorized to arrest anyone who killed wildlife on protected land. Their job

1060-525: The 1970s. The fate of the other bear actors involved in Gentle Ben and the Gentle Giant pilot film is not currently known. Although the bear character in a subsequent television series, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams , was also named "Ben", that character was played by a grizzly bear rather than a black bear, and the show, character and bear actor had no connection to Gentle Ben, except for trainer Steve Martin supplying some animals (including

1113-805: The 1972 film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean with Paul Newman . Bruno reportedly died in 1980 or 1981. Buck entertained visitors for many years at the Homosassa Springs Attraction in Florida (now part of Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park ). Hammer retired from acting in 1969 and became the first black bear at the Dreher Park Zoo (later renamed the Palm Beach Zoo) in West Palm Beach, Florida , where he lived for almost 20 years. Derrick Rosaire Sr. continued to exhibit his bear named "Gentle Ben" throughout

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1166-437: The 50 U.S. states have government departments entitled Department of Natural Resources or a similar title. These departments typically patrol state or provincial parks and public lands and waterways dedicated to hunting and fishing , and also enforce state or provincial game and environmental laws on private property . In some states such as Maryland , Massachusetts , and Connecticut , conservation officers serve in

1219-709: The Andersens' financial fortunes are greatly improved. An 8 ft (2.4 m) tall (life size) carved wooden statue of Gentle Ben the bear stands in Walt Morey Park in Wilsonville , Oregon , a bear-themed park created on land that previously belonged to the Morey family. In 2012, the Gentle Ben statue was stolen from the park by local teens and dumped in a roadside ditch. It was later found and returned to

1272-638: The Gentle Ben Animation Co. The main character, Gentle Ben the bear, was portrayed as a crime-fighting superhero who wore a cape. In the early 2000s, two TV film remakes of the original series were sponsored by the Animal Planet cable channel in association with Hallmark Entertainment . In both remakes, "Ben" was played by Bonkers, a 6-foot-tall, 650 pound male American black bear trained by Ruth La Barge. Gentle Ben (also known as Gentle Ben: The Movie and Gentle Ben: Terror on

1325-464: The Mountain ) was first shown on 25 March 2002, although some cable airings list it with a 2003 date. Gentle Ben 2 (also known as Gentle Ben: Danger on the Mountain ) was first shown on 5 January 2003. It was known as Gentle Ben: Black Gold for its UK release. Walt Morey Walter Morey (February 3, 1907 – January 12, 1992), was a writer of numerous works of children's fiction , set in

1378-437: The TV show actors, that ran for five issues in 1968. However, in its second season, Gentle Ben failed to consistently make the top 20 and was cancelled. Its decline in popularity has been attributed to its young target audience growing older and losing interest in animal shows, and also to its timeslot forcing it to compete with Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color for its target audience. A letter-writing campaign to save

1431-412: The U.S. Pacific Northwest and Alaska , the places where Morey lived for all of his life. His book Gentle Ben was the basis for the 1967 movie Gentle Giant and the 1967-1969 television show Gentle Ben . He wrote a total of 17 published books, most of which involve as a central plot element the relationship between man and animals. Many of his works involve survival stories, or people going into

1484-412: The bear sat on Clint Howard. According to Dennis Weaver, during the run of the show, the cast and crew were forbidden to publicly mention any incidents of bear misbehavior. However, Clint Howard has stated that he never suffered any injuries from the bears on the show, and that his only injury came from working with a raccoon that had not been declawed. Gentle Ben was a hit, reaching a position of #2 in

1537-402: The bear to enter water. Drum's coat was brown and had to be spray-painted to match the black coats of the other bears playing Ben. In the 1980s, Dennis Weaver recalled that a bear named Hammer, who occasionally misbehaved on the set, was used for bear scenes involving water. Other bears reportedly used included Smokey, Oscar, Baron, Tudor, Virgil, and a bear (identity unknown, possibly Hammer) with

1590-413: The bear walked away from the camera, his testicles were visible in some shots, and asked if Cox could somehow tape them up so they would be out of camera view. Cox refused. Several people involved with the series, including Cox, have confirmed that the bears used in the production were sometimes ill-tempered or did not behave as expected, and that working with them could be dangerous. On one occasion, Bruno

1643-651: The goal of producing an adventure story for young readers that adults could also enjoy. The result was Gentle Ben , which was based on Morey's own past experiences working and traveling in Alaska . Morey said that many of the book characters were based on real Alaskan people he had met. According to Morey, the concept of a boy's friendship with an Alaskan brown bear was also taken from real life, and such friendships and interactions between humans and bears were not unusual in Alaska. Originally published in 1965 by E.P. Dutton ,

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1696-418: The late 1960s and 1970s. Although Truesdell claimed that his bears did work on the TV series, there is no evidence linking the particular bear he called "Gentleman Ben" to the TV show, particularly since the show used black bears rather than brown bears. After the Gentle Ben series ended, Bruno moved back to California with trainer Ron Oxley and continued his acting career, making a well-received appearance in

1749-682: The novel was a success, selling nearly 3 million copies. As an unpublished draft it won the Dutton Animal Book Award resulting in its publication. Morey won the Dutton prize a second time in 1968 for Kävik the Wolf Dog . Morey went on to write many more children's novels, often involving themes of nature, animals and survival, but is best known for Gentle Ben . Mark Andersen is a young teenage boy who lives in Alaska with his fisherman father and mother, Karl and Ellen Andersen. Mark

1802-424: The park. The CBS television series Gentle Ben premiered September 10, 1967, and ran until August 31, 1969, airing a total of 58 episodes in two seasons. The series chronicled the adventures of young Mark Wedloe (played by Clint Howard ) and his lovable 650-to-750 lb (290-to-340 kg) black bear named Ben. Gentle Ben was produced by Ivan Tors , who also produced the Gentle Giant pilot film. Tors

1855-691: The role of marine law enforcement as well, responsible for the enforcement of local, state, and federal boating laws along with search and rescue and homeland security . Game wardens/conservation officers are front and center in keeping out (or in check) invasive species . In an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, their concerns are much more comprehensive than local enforcement. While conservation officers enforce wildlife, hunting, and game laws, they have transitioned to aiding other law enforcement agencies with drug enforcement, serving warrants, and at times provide effort to homeland security. They also enforce broader conservation laws, such as

1908-509: The role. Rosaire Sr., his son and grandson have said over the years that this bear was a female bear who played both Ben's mother and Ben in the Gentle Giant film. (Ben's mother never appears in the TV series as she is killed at the beginning of the film, and the TV series takes place after the events of the film.) Tuffy Truesdell also trained a wrestling brown bear known as "Gentleman Ben" and occasionally called "Gentle Ben" or "Ben", who wrestled in at least 80 matches for various promotions in

1961-614: The series. The bears were obtained from Canada or near the Canada-U.S. border because those bears' coats were thicker and more photogenic than those of bears located further south in the U.S. The bears were declawed and had most of their teeth removed. Helfer stated that four bears were used to portray Ben, with other sources naming or listing additional bears, who may have been used in particular scenes or as stand-in bears. Some episodes and sequences also involved bear cubs or other bear characters that may have required additional bears. Bruno

2014-546: The show (even read into the Congressional Record ) resulted in 2600 letters being sent to the network, but was not successful. In spite of its short lifespan and cancellation, the show continued to run regularly in syndication, including outside the United States. Personal appearances by "Gentle Ben" at circuses and events continued to be popular into the 1970s. In October 1969, after the cancellation of

2067-452: The show due to concerns that children would be influenced to play and interact with the wild bears indigenous to that country. On October 15, 2013, CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by Paramount ) released season 1 on DVD in Region 1. The second and final season was released on February 18, 2014. In 1981, a short-lived animated cartoon called Gentle Ben was released in syndication by

2120-467: The show, "Gentle Ben" the bear even received a personalized invitation from Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. to a celebrity party in Fort Lauderdale . Although the show was praised for promoting respect for nature and family values, it also drew criticism for its unrealistic portrayal of a wild bear's interaction with humans. Some critics noted that the show premiered only a few weeks after

2173-403: The state civil service exam for ECOs. The Western Conservation Law Enforcement Academy is the academy that all Officers employed in western Canada including Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba must graduate from in order to be appointed as Officers in their respective jurisdictions. The program is 6 months long with about 2 of those months spent as on-the-job training with

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2226-630: The ultimate sacrifice of these officers at this museum is considered to be important, concomitant to recognition at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial . Officers are exposed to other risks beyond being killed by hunters , trappers and armed fishermen . Motor vehicle , boating, snowmobile and airplane accidents, animal attacks, drowning , and hypothermia are other risk they face while on duty. In North America game wardens are typically employees of state or provincial governments . 26 of

2279-606: The warm climate. Following a severe flood that caused major damage to Africa U.S.A. in January 1969, the bears working on the show were relocated permanently to Homosassa Springs, where the Ivan Tors Animal Actor Training School was then operating. Writers for the series included Roswell Rogers, Earl Hamner, Jr. , Tam Spiva , Rance Howard , Gilbert Ralston , and Frank Telford. Many of the plots focused on themes relating to Tom Wedloe's work as

2332-408: The well-publicized Glacier National Park , Montana fatal grizzly bear attacks of August 13, 1967 , when two female campers were killed by grizzly bears , in separate incidents and locations, on the same night. When the show debuted, PTA Magazine complained that "[f]or years, there have been warnings to children and adults against feeding and playing with bears...How CBS could permit a program with

2385-682: The wild to "discover" themselves; redemption through nature is a common theme of Morey's works. Morey began going to school in 1912, in Jasper, Oregon . He was never very keen on school. In 1934 he began working in a veneer plant, making brushes in a paintbrush factory and doing work in the woods. On July 8, 1934, he married his first wife, Rosalind Ogden, in Portland, Oregon . Rosalind died February 28, 1977. On June 26, 1978 he married Peggy Kilburn. Early in his writing career, he also published numerous short pulp fiction stories. For much of his life, he

2438-466: Was a boxer and diver , in addition to being an author. Morey won awards for his books Gentle Ben , Kävik the Wolf Dog , Canyon Winter , Runaway Stallion , Run Far Run Fast , and Year of the Black Pony . Morey lived on property he owned in Wilsonville, Oregon and wrote many of his books there. After his death, his widow sold the property to developers. The resulting development

2491-439: Was an established producer of successful TV series, including Sea Hunt , Flipper and Daktari . Like the Gentle Giant film, the TV series Gentle Ben was set in Florida (allowing Tors to use his own studio facilities there) rather than Alaska, and Ben was a large black bear instead of the brown bear of the original novel. The TV series picked up the story where Gentle Giant left off, with Mark's father Tom Wedloe already

2544-436: Was hired after "Ben" had "chewed up" a previous bear trainer), and Vern Debord. Other animal trainers involved in the series included Ron Oxley and Steve Martin. Derrick Rosaire Sr. and Pat Derby have also claimed involvement, although it is not clear whether they worked on the TV series or just on the Gentle Giant pilot film. Bruno and some of the other bears were trained using "affection training", which stressed establishing

2597-459: Was named Morey's Landing and also contains Walt Morey Park, a bear-themed park that features an 8-foot-tall life-size carved wooden statue of Morey's famous fictional bear, Gentle Ben . In 2012, the Gentle Ben statue was stolen from the park by local teens and dumped in a roadside ditch. It was later found and returned to the park. The Wilsonville Public Library has also honored Morey by naming its Walt Morey Children's Room after him, displaying

2650-490: Was recast for the TV series with Beth Brickell . The Boomhauer character appeared in several of the episodes and was played by Clint's real-life father Rance Howard (who also wrote episodes for the show). Other recurring characters included Hank Minegar, a squatter played by Robertson White (who had a different small role in Gentle Giant ) and Willie, a friend of Mark's, played by Angelo Rutherford. Although several black bears were used to play Ben, depending on what behavior

2703-667: Was required for a particular scene, the role was played primarily by Bruno the Bear (who also played adult Ben in the Gentle Giant film). Musician and voice actor Candy Candido provided the voice of Ben. Although the network wanted to have Ben speak like a human on the show, Tors disliked the idea, so Ben made only animal noises. Notable guest stars included Burt Reynolds , Jay Silverheels , Strother Martin , Slim Pickens , Victor French , and Clint Howard's brother Ron Howard . Ralph Helfer's Africa U.S.A. animal ranch provided Bruno and other bears (as well as other animals) used in

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2756-475: Was the favorite bear actor because of his good disposition, broad range of behaviors, facial expressions, and ability to work with children. A bear named Buck, who closely resembled Bruno but was a slightly smaller, younger and more agile bear, was used for scenes requiring the bear to run. According to Clint Howard, Bruno the bear and Buck the bear together did approximately 75 percent of the bear acting work. A bear named Drum frequently appeared in scenes requiring

2809-655: Was to protect game and catch poachers . They also chose to protect streams from pollution. In 1960, their title was changed to "conservation officers", then in 1970, they were renamed "environmental conservation officers", after the Conservation Department and the State Health Department merged to become the "Department of Environmental Conservation". At the same time, the role's status was changed, giving ECOs more legal power than they had previously had. Conservation officers generally have

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