Benji
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Benji is a fictional canine character created by Joe Camp. He has been the focus of several feature films and other media, beginning with the independently produced 1974 film of that title. Benji is a small, golden, mixed-breed dog with a knack for being in the right place at the right time, usually to help someone overcome a problem.
Casting
The character has been portrayed by several different mixed-breed dogs over the years.<ref name="Dogster">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AH">Template:Cite web</ref> A dog named Ginger played Benji's mom, Daisy.
After the release of Benji: Off the Leash!, Joe Camp told an interviewer that he decided from the beginning to use only rescue dogs:
Breeds
All of the Benji dogs are mutts. Higgins, found as a puppy, had a shaggy, golden-tan coat adorned with white markings.<ref name="EN">Template:Cite web</ref>
Training
Actually, Frank Inn was who discovered Higgins (who was three years old) in 1960, adopted him from the Burbank Animal Shelter, and brought him home to be a pet and show-business dog for his wife Juanita and himself.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inn trained Higgins for roles in such TV shows as The Beverly Hillbillies (10 episodes), Petticoat Junction (all episodes), and Green Acres (three episodes). After a few episodes of Lassie, Inn retired Higgins, but brought him back at age 14 in 1974 to star in Benji.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Inn, also a dog breeder, bred Higgins for more offspring that resembled him. These included daughter Benjean. Higgins died in 1975, and the filmmakers knew they would want future Benjis. Joe's wife, Andrea Carolyn Hopkins Camp (who also served as producer and assistant director on the 1974 Benji, Benji the Hunted, and Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince), ran a training "Benji boot camp" whenever her husband and son came home from the animal shelter with multiple likely candidates. For Benji: Off the Leash!, for example, three dogs were adopted and trained; one dog was given away, Moochie became the new Benji, and Shaggy, his sidekick, was played by a dog nicknamed Lizard Tongue.<ref name="CC">Template:Cite web</ref>
Several animal handlers worked with the various Benjis across the years. Gerry Kerns served as Benji's trainer, and Roger Schumacher as Shaggy's trainer, for Benji: Off the Leash!.<ref name="CC" />
Filmography
Films
- Benji (1974)
- Hawmps! (1976; cameo)
- For the Love of Benji (1977)
- The Double McGuffin (1979; cameo)
- Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980)
- Benji the Hunted (1987)
- Benji: Off the Leash! (2004)
- Benji (2018)
Television
- Benji's Very Own Christmas Story (1978)
- Benji at Work (1980 - short)
- Benji Takes a Dive at Marineland (1981 - short)
- Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince (1983 - series)
Documentaries
- Benji's Life Story (1976)
- The Phenomenon of Benji (1978)
Video games
- Benji: Space Rescue (1983) for C64
Collections
- Benji's Film Festival (2001)