Benji, star of movies and a television series, was originally named Higgins and was adopted from a Burbank, California animal shelter. Higgins was trained by his owner, Frank Inn, an animal trainer. Higgins first starred in Benji in 1974, by which point he was 15 years old, rather old for a dog! The character of Benji is a loveable mutt with a knack for being in the right place at the right time, generally helping someone out of a tight spot. Higgins, who suffered from arthritis and respiratory problems, retired soon after his first movie. Although an intelligent and hardworking dog, Higgins could become problematic and cranky. The role of Benji has been played by various of Higgins' descendants. Higgins' daughter starred in the CBS television series, Benji, Zax, and the Alien Prince, which aired in 1983.
CJ's first brush with fame came during his successful run, playing himself, in movies. He starred with Clint Eastwood in Any Which Way But Loose in 1978 and Any Which Way You Can in 1980. He joined Bo Derek on the big screen in 1981's Tarzan, the Ape Man.
NBC, impressed with his skills, created a sitcom titled Mr. Smith which aired in 1983. In Mr. Smith, CJ played a circus orangutan that is transformed into a genius when he drinks an experimental potion. He soon learns to talk and read and then teaches himself the finer points of chess, law, medicine, and nuclear physics. When the government takes notice, they set CJ up in a think tank in Washington, D.C. On the show, CJ wore a three piece suit and carried a briefcase, but did not wear shoes.
Born at the Dallax, Texas zoo in 1971, CJ was put up for adoption at the age of seven. He was acquired by animal trainers Boone Narr and Bill Gage. Legend holds that CJ enjoyed milk and cookies before bed and earned a yearly salary of $500,000!
The Beverly Hillbillies was originally broadcast from September 26, 1962 until September 7, 1971 on CBS. The series showcased the exploits of the Clampetts, an Ozark hillbilly family who unexpectedly discovered oil on their land and headed to Beverly Hills with their newfound wealth. Their naïve ways, rooted in commonsense, provided much comic television grist. The Clampett clan included patriarch Jed, his mother-in-law Granny, his daughter Elly May, and his nephew Jethro Bodine. The show was an instant hit and spent its first two seasons as the number one rated show on television. At its height, it attracted 60 million viewers per week.
Elly May was a beautiful young woman and Granny's sole purpose became to find her a husband. Elly May, however, was often more interested in the animals, or "critters" as she called them, that she found and rescued. One such critter was Clyde, a raccoon. Elly May taught Clyde to do all sorts of things, including washing the dishes! The raccoon was provided and trained by Frank Inn.
On Frasier, Eddie was a Jack Russell terrier belonging to Martin Crane, the father of Dr. Frasier Crane, radio psychiatrist. Eddie, beloved sit-com dog, was played by Moose, an energetic dog born in Florida. The youngest (but biggest) in a litter of four puppies, Moose was a badly behaved dog. Because his family could not control his digging, chewing, and shredding, he was given to the manager of Birds and Animals Unlimited, a Florida company that specializes in training animals for television and movies. Moose learned quickly and became part of the "Animal Actors' Showcase" at Universal Studios in Florida. When Moose moved to Hollywood, he landed the part of Eddie at his very first audition.
On Frasier, Moose worked four days per week and took a special bath on filming days because people loved to hug and pet him. He wrote a book, with Brian Hargrove, titled MY LIFE AS A DOG, which was published by HarperCollins in 2000. On his national book tour, Moose traveled in limousines and flew first class. He even had his own frequent flyer card, under the name Mr. Eddie Moose Frasier.
As Moose grew older, the part of Eddie was gradually taken over by his son, Enzo. Enzo and Moose also starred in the movie My Dog Skip with Kevin Bacon, which was released in 2000.
Despite his fame and fortune, Moose remained, according to his trainer, Mathilde de Cagny, "the same old Moose who likes to chase cats."
My Friend Flicka, the CBS television series, ran from September 10, 1956 until February 1, 1957. Based on the somewhat autobiographical novel of the same name, written by Mary O'Hara, the television show followed the movie version, filmed in 1943. The television series was filmed in color, but CBS ran it in black and white. When NBC aired the show a year later, it appeared in color.
My Friend Flicka chronicled the adventures of Ken McLaughlin, a young boy growing up in rural Montana at the end of the 19th century. Ken and his parents lived on Goose Bar Ranch and struggled to make ends meet on the rough land. Ken's best friend was Flicka, his horse. Flicka was played by an Arabian sorrel named Wahama. Wahama, born on June 13, 1950, weighed 900 pounds. Her stunt double was a hardy horse named Goldie.
Flipper aired on NBC from September of 1964 until May of 1967. The show followed the adventures of a game ranger named Porter Ricks, his two sons--Sandy and Bud--and their pet dolphin, Flipper. The popular television series was a spin-off of the feature film, Flipper, which was released in 1963.
The original Flipper was named Mitzi and she lived from 1958 until 1972, when she died of a heart attack. Flipper was also played by a dolphin called Little Bit. In addition, since Mitzi was not very athletic, a dolphin named Mr. Gipper was her stunt double and he did all of the tail-walking.
Mitzi, Little Bit, and Mr. Gipper were all trained by Milton Santini, who was a commercial fisherman. Mr. Santini started training dolphins when he accidentally injured one in a fishing net.
Gentle Ben, the CBS adventure series that aired from September of 1967 until August of 1969, featured an unusual friendship. The title character was a 650-pound American Black bear. Ben was rescued from a hunter by eight-year-old Mark Wedloe, who lived with his mother and father in the Florida Everglades. Mr. Wedloe was a game warden at the Bear River Game preserve. Ben and Mark got into all sorts of scrapes and dangerous situations but, working together, they always escaped unscathed.
Gentle Ben was based on the children's book written by Walt Morey and was also made into a movie in the 1960s and a made-for-television movie in 2002. Ben was played by Bruno the Bear and even though they share the same name, he is no relation to the bear featured in the Grizzly Adams television show.
Lassie is the iconic animal sidekick and helper. First appearing in a short story written by Eric Knight, in The Saturday Evening Post in 1938, the Lassie phenomenon continues to this day. That Post article turned into a book, Lassie Come Home and then a radio program, many movies, and a long-running television show.
Lassie was aired by CBS from 1954 until 1974. It was originally filmed in black and white and switched to color in 1964. The series won Emmys in 1955 and 1956 for Best Children's Series and the Peabody Award for Excellence in 1956. Because of the number of years the series spanned, Lassie's living arrangements changed over time, but he was always an extremely intelligent, loyal, and loving dog that helped people out of all sorts of difficult situations.
The first Lassie was played by Pal, a Rough Collie. Pal was owned by Frank and Rudd Weatherwax, animal trainers. MGM Studios had cast another Collie to play Lassie in their movie, Lassie Come Home. Legend has it that at the start of filming, the Sacramento River flooded in northern California. Producers decided to use a stunt double, Pal, to get some footage of a dog in the water. Pal performed so far above expectations that the role was recast. As MGM head Louis B. Mayer is reported to have said, "Pal went into the water and Lassie came out."
Lassie was born on June 4, 1940 and died in 1958. Pal's progeny have filled in for their famous father in subsequent movies and television specials.
Mr. Ed, star of the eponymous hit television show, was born in 1949 in El Monte, California. Mr. Ed was a Palomino and began his life as a parade and show horse named Bamboo Harvester.
Mr. Ed the television series was first created as a pilot called The Wonderful World of Wilbur Pope, produced by George Burns. With a few tweaks, the pilot became Mr. Ed and ran from October 1, 1961 until September 4, 1966. The show followed the exploits of Mr. Ed, a talking horse, whose architect owner, Wilbur Pope, used an office in Mr. Ed's stable. To audiences' delight (and Pope's chagrin), Mr. Ed performed feats such as talking on the telephone, riding a surf board, flying an airplane, hosting a birthday party, driving a delivery truck, and meeting baseball great Leo Durocher. Mr. Ed did almost all of his own stunts; when he was unable to do so, a zebra was used briefly as a stunt double. Mr. Ed was voiced by Allan "Rocky" Lane, a former actor in Westerns who was embarrassed to be playing a horse and requested that his name not appear on the show's credits. Later Lane changed his mind, but the producers preferred to keep the credits reading, "Mr. Ed Himself." Mr. Ed was often able to do his scenes in one take. Handlers gave him a mouthful of peanut butter, which he loved so much that he would keep licking his lips until every bit was eaten. The motion simulated him talking!
Mr. Ed, suffering from a broken leg and other health issues, was quietly put to sleep in 1970. He was nineteen.
The awesome legacy of " began in France on September 15, 1918 when American soldier Lee Duncan found some German Shepard puppies in a bombed dog kennel. He adopted two puppies, naming them " and Nennette, after tiny puppets given to American soldiers by French citizens for good luck. Corporal Duncan had seen German war dogs perform amazing tricks before the war, and he trained his new dogs to do the same types of things. When he returned home to Los Angeles, he got special permission to bring the dogs with him. Sadly, Nennette died soon after arriving in the United States. In Los Angeles, Mr. Duncan took " to dog shows, where he was eventually spotted by representatives from the Warner Brothers movie studio. Recognizing his talent, Warner Brothers went on to produce 26 movies starring " until his untimely death on August 10, 1932. " had sired puppies and one, Junior, took over his father's duties. On a promotional tour, Junior became the first dog to fly commercially. "'s bloodline has continued to this day, first by Lee Duncan with a breeder named Jannettia Brodsgaard Propps and now with her granddaughter, Daphne Hereford. Rin Tin Tin, the television series, ran from 1954 until 1959. The show starred Rin Tin Tin III, who was the only dog listed in the Los Angeles telephone directory!
When Carol and Mike blended their families to create the Brady Bunch, the boys' contributions included a dog named Tiger. First broadcast on September 26, 1969, The Brady Bunch ran for five years. Although it was never a smash success, it has lived on since then in reruns and Brady Family reunion shows. Creator Sherwood Schwartz once posited that its success was due to the fact that it explored age-old, not topical, childhood issues. The Bradys made life look so wonderful that many, many children have wanted to join their clan. In fact, producers created a form letter to send to children to dissuade them from running away from home.
Tiger appeared in many early episodes of the show. Tiger was played by a dog named Tiger in real life. Unfortunately, the dog was run over by a car and died of his injuries before the 4th episode. Producers were able to find a look-alike replacement, but that dog didn't last too long. He was let go because of his alleged unpredictability. Producers tried but couldn't find another, appropriate dog so Tiger was written out of the show. In season one, episode 18, Bobby is heartbroken because Tiger has run away from home.
Trigger, the "Smartest Horse in the Movies" was born in 1932 on the small ranch near San Diego, California owned by Bing Crosby. A golden palomino, Trigger was originally named Golden Cloud. When he was three, Golden Cloud was sold to Hudkins Stables, a Hollywood outfit that rented animals for movie productions. Roy Rogers fell in love with Golden Cloud and bought him for the unheard of sum of $2,500. Rogers' sidekick, Smiley Burnett, suggested the name Trigger after seeing how quick the horse was. Rogers agreed and Triggers' movie and television career took off. He and Rogers starred in many movies and eventually on "The Roy Rogers Show," which NBC aired from 1951 until 1957. In the movies and on the show Trigger amazed audiences by performing 60 tricks, including knocking on doors, hula hooping, counting, untying ropes, and walking on his hind legs. Trigger was so famous that he had his own fan club and sent out photographs "autographed" with his hoof print. He also starred in his own Dell Comic book. During World War II, Roy Rogers and Trigger raised millions for war bonds by touring the country. When Trigger died, at the age of 32, Rogers could not bear the thought of his horse being buried. So, he had expert taxidermists mount Trigger's hide on a plaster cast of him rearing up on his hind legs. The statue can still be found at the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum located in Branson, Missouri.
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