The Benji Thread

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

My mom got us to one movie late as a child. Benji the Hunted. By the time me my siblings and I think a friend or two got there the movie was well started and the dog was already lost in the woods and we had no idea what was going on.

It was so deeply bothering to me as a kid that like 40 years later I still credit that with trying to be at the theater at least 45 minutes before a film starts. An hour if I can help it.


-ZacWilliam, Like why was the dog in the woods? Who was hunting him? Why?

Was going to reply to this in the TFOne thread, but then decided maybe it's better to have its own here.

I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid. I think it came out on home video shortly after my parents and I moved to Mount Airy in 1988, and I just remember being really into it. I think I got a poster and a standee for it from the rental store, neither of which I still have, sadly.

Despite being into it, I had to look it up on Wikipedia to refresh my memory of what it was about.

That led me to find out a couple of other things regarding Benji.

1) They're still making movies about him. Well, if 2018 counts as "still". Prior to that, his last film was in 2004 with "Benji: Off the Leash!" Before that? 1987's "Benji: The Hunted."

2) The character (yes, Benji is a character) was created by Joe Camp, who only died in March of this year.

Incidentally, I don't think I've seen enough Benji movies to know if there's supposed to be any sort of character continuity between them or not. From what I can recall, I was confused by the seeming lack thereof back when I did try to watch some others besides The Hunted.

 

[Caldwin]

I remember watching Benji when I was a kid. I just did an IMDB search and it looks like there aren't as many different movies as my memory made me think. I honestly don't remember anything about the movies though. Sad since I do remember it being a big part of my childhood. It's kinda like Herbie in that respect. I remember watching it as a kid. I remember it being a big part of my childhood. But I don't remember a thing about it.

 

[ZacWilliam1]

I think Benji the Hunted was the only one I saw as a kid but he was enough of a "thing" that I knew who "Benji" was.

What surprised me as an adult was finding out he co-stared in a 1980 Chevy Chase comedy "Oh Heavenly Dog." Where in a weird meta bit Benji (the fictional dog actor) plays the reincarnation of Chase's character. Not the dog Benjean (daughter of the original Benji actor Higgins) who also played Benji, but Benji the fictional dog actor, like Kermit plays Bob Cratchet I guess. I have not seen it and apparently it bombed bad but I admit to being curious.


-ZacWilliam, I recall as a kid thinking the helicopter people in Benji the Hunted were the Bad Guys (because we missed the beginning) and being confused and worried by that.

 

[Axaday]

I saw "Benji the Hunted" at the movie theater. My first childhood dog was named Benji, but I think he was a year older than me, named by my parents. I actually don't remember ever discussing whether he was named after the movie dog.

I can still hear the mountain guy saying "You wanna show me how you did this?" when Benji got his chain strung through a chair or something.

I also had a Commodore game "Benji in Space". The theme music was mi re fa mi mi. re do re. re mi sol fa fa. mi fa sol.

Edit - Benji Space Rescue