Gentle Giant
Cast & Crew
James Neilson
Dennis Weaver
Vera Miles
Ralph Meeker
Clint Howard
Ben
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After he befriends a bear cub on a Florida game reserve, young Mark Wedloe watches in horror as three fishermen led by Fog Hanson kill the animal's mother and take the cub captive. Despite admonitions from his parents, Tom and Ellen, Mark sneaks onto Hanson's property to feed and walk the cub, whom he names Ben. When Hanson catches the child trespassing, Mark is told never to visit Ben again, but after he overhears Hanson planning to kill the cub and sell his meat, Mark takes Ben into the wilderness to set him free. The animal refuses to leave Mark, however, and the Wedloes consent to purchase Ben from Hanson. Sentiment in the town goes against the animal, however, and the family is forced to give Ben to a zoo, but the cub breaks out of his cage while being shipped by boat and swims ashore to a wooded area. Later, Tom becomes a wildlife officer and is transferred to a new home in the Everglades. While searching for poachers, he is charged by a huge bear whom he recognizes as Ben. Fearful that the animal is wild and will have to be killed, Tom stalks it with his rifle; Mark follows and is present when his father confronts Ben. Before Tom can fire, however, a tree falls and pins him underneath. Ben follows Mark's order to push the tree away and leads them to his mate and newborn cubs he was protecting when he encountered Tom. Later, Ben occasionally finds time to visit Mark in spite of his new family responsibilities.
Director
James Neilson
Cast
Dennis Weaver
Vera Miles
Ralph Meeker
Clint Howard
Ben
Huntz Hall
Charles G. Martin
Rance Howard
Frank Schuller
Robertson White
Ric O'feldman
James Riddle
Jerry Newby
Frank Logan
Alfred Metz
Levirne Debord
Crew
Warren Adams
Africa U. S. A.
Neil Andersen
Irene Aparicio
Bruce Bushman
Peter Colbert
Stanley Colbert
Guy Del Russo
Joseph Gannon
Edmund Gibson
Edward Haldeman
Ralph Helfer
Don Ivey
Jack Johnson
Peggy Kunkle
Edward J. Lakso
Samuel Matlovsky
Buddy Nadler
Ivan Tors
Howard Warren
Andy White
John Wilkinson
Howard Winner
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Location scenes filmed at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1967
Released in United States 1967
