Benji is the name of a fictitious dog who was the focus of several movies in the 1970s and 1980s and is also the title of the first film in the series. His character was a lovable mixed-breed dog who had an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time, usually helping a person overcome a problem. Perhaps not as dashing as Lassie (another canine screen star), Benji was shown to have been just as smart. Benji (बेंजी) is a village near the small town Silli (Agastyamuni) of Rudraprayag District, Uttarakhand State in India. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... A healthy mixed-breed dog shows hybrid vigor. ... Lassie filming on location in Florida (photo courtesy State Archive of Florida) Lassie, a female rough collie fictional character has starred in, or been the subject of, many radio shows, movies, TV shows, and books, entertaining generations of children around the world from 1938 to the present. ...

Joe Camp is the creator and director of the Benji films. The first movie, called Benji, was filmed in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area and was released in 1974. The park scenes, as well as the municipal building, were filmed in Denton, Texas. The outdoor scenes were filmed primarily in McKinney, Texas and the house located at 1104 S. Tennessee (now a bed and breakfast) served as the 'haunted house' in the movie. [[ Benji is the first film in a series of nine about the golden mutt named Benji. ... The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: North of Ordinary Location within the state of Texas County Denton County Government  - Mayor Perry McNeill Area  - City 161. ... McKinney is a city in Collin County, Texas (USA), the county seat and second in population to Plano. ...

The real name of the dog who first played Benji was Higgins. Higgins had a role in the TV show Petticoat Junction in the mid 1960s, as did Edgar Buchanan, who also starred in the first Benji movie. Higgins was trained by Frank Inn, who found him in an animal shelter in Burbank, California. He was a small dog with dark golden-brown fluffy hair, black ears, a black muzzle, and big brown eyes. Inn wrote that he belived Higgins to have been a cross between a miniature schnauzer, a cocker spaniel, and a miniature poodle. Higgins made his first movie, Mooch Goes to Hollywood, in 1971. He was 15 years old when he made the first Benji film in 1974 and he did all his own stunts. He retired not long afterward, and, as with Lassie, his progeny replaced him in later movies. Higgins (1959 – 1975) was the uncredited dog actor who played the character of Dog in the television sitcom Petticoat Junction for seven seasons during the 1960s. ... Petticoat Junction was an American situation comedy that was produced by Filmways, Inc. ... Edgar Buchanan (born March 20, 1903; died April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both movies and television, but is probably most familiar as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction and Green Acres television sitcoms of the 1960s. ... Frank Inn (born Elias Franklin Freeman, May 8, 1916 – July 27, 2002) was an American animal trainer. ... Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... The Miniature Schnauzer is a breed of small dog of the Schnauzer type that originated in Germany in the mid-to-late 19th century. ... Cocker Spaniel refers to two different breeds of dogs, both of which are commonly called simply Cocker Spaniel in their countries of origin: American Cocker Spaniel English Cocker Spaniel Categories: | ... The Poodle is a breed of dog; specifically, it is a gundog noted for its ability in the water. ... A mooch is a slang term for a freeloader, or an individual (Adam) who accepts gifts, favors, or whatever it is they can obtain without giving anything in return. ... Lassie filming on location in Florida (photo courtesy State Archive of Florida) Lassie, a female rough collie fictional character has starred in, or been the subject of, many radio shows, movies, TV shows, and books, entertaining generations of children around the world from 1938 to the present. ...

From 1977 to 1987, the part of Benji was played by Benjean. a daughter of Higgins. Benjean starred in three Benji feature films: For the Love of Benji (1977), Oh Heavenly Dog (1980), and Benji the Hunted (1987). She also starred in a children's television special, Benji's Very Own Christmas Story; a television documentary about how dog actors are trained and what they can do Benji at Work (1980); a short film showing her performing an unusual underwater stunt, Benji Takes a Dive at Marineland (1981); and the children's science fiction television series Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince. Benjean looked quite a bit like her father, being of a similar size and dark golden-broawn colour, with dark brown eyes, but her hair was softer and fluffier than his and she had a distinctive irregular patch of white fur around her nose on her muzzle. Her ears were dyed black on the tips to make her look more like the original Benji, and the amount and placement of the dye varied from movie to movie. Benjis second film, he scampers through Athens with secret agents in pursuit, trying to get the formula tatoed on his paw. ... Oh Heavenly Dog is a 1980 comedy film, written by Rod Browning. ... Benji the Hunted is a movie about Benji trying to survive in the wilderness. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince was a childrens science fiction television series by director Joe Camp which aired Saturday mornings on CBS in 1983 with repeats airing in the United States and internationally for a number of years through the 1980s. ...

The most recent Benji movie, Benji: Off the Leash! was released in 2004, and is also known as Benji Returns: Rags to Riches and Benji Returns: The Promise of Christmas. The dog portraying Benji in this movie is actually named Benji, although she is a different kind of dog than Higgins or Benjean, being part Tibetan Terrier, with very long, pale yellow, silky hair. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // / The Tibetan Terrier is not a member of the terrier group, the name being given to it by European travelers to Tibet who were reminded of terriers from back home when they first encountered the breed. ...

A 1980s TV show titled Here's Boomer featured an acting dog that was very like Higgins, the original Benji. The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Boomer was an acting dog who had an hour-long special in 1979 and a short-lived TV series (24 episodes) on NBC in the early 1980s called Heres Boomer. ...

Benji in movies and television

• 1974, Benji (feature film)
• 1977, For the Love of Benji (feature film)
• 1978, Benji's Very Own Christmas Story (TV movie)
• 1980, Oh Heavenly Dog (feature film)
• 1980, Benji at Work (TV movie)
• 1981, Benji Takes a Dive at Marineland (TV movie)
• 1983, Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince (TV series)
• 1987, Benji the Hunted (feature film)
• 2004, Benji: Off the Leash! (feature film)

Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... [[ Benji is the first film in a series of nine about the golden mutt named Benji. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Benjis second film, he scampers through Athens with secret agents in pursuit, trying to get the formula tatoed on his paw. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... TV redirects here. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Oh Heavenly Dog is a 1980 comedy film, written by Rod Browning. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince was a childrens science fiction television series by director Joe Camp which aired Saturday mornings on CBS in 1983 with repeats airing in the United States and internationally for a number of years through the 1980s. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Benji the Hunted is a movie about Benji trying to survive in the wilderness. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In popular culture

• In the Family Guy episode North by North Quahog, Brian refers to himself as Benji.

Family Guy is an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. ... North by North Quahog is the first episode of Season 4 of Family Guy. ... Brian Griffin is a fictional character on the FOX animated television series Family Guy, and is voiced by show creator, Seth MacFarlane. ...

References

http://www.benji.com/JoeCamp/BenjiTrivia.htm