Retro Reel: Benji

Good Times Video, 1973, 87 minutes  

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The past truly was a simpler time. Thirty-five years ago, a scruffy and endearing little mutt appeared on movie screens and stole our hearts, and all he had to do was run by. This is the "Benji" that started it all - five films later (the most recent being "Benji Off the Leash!") and the little dog has attained the status of icon.

Only a winsome creature like this, in such an archetypal story, could have done it. Benji (who was discovered in a shelter by legendary Hollywood trainer Frank Inn) is a smart and happy fellow who just happens to have no home. Instead, he makes the rounds every day to visit all his friends: the policeman, the café owner, the cat he loves to chase, and especially little Cindy and Paul, who adore Benji and want to keep him but face the disapproval of their stern doctor father. Only when Paul and Cindy are kidnapped, though, does Benji get to prove that he is more than worthy of a doctor's fine home - he deserves a medal at least.

Joe Camp's movie is nothing if not pure in heart, which is why it has endured as a family favorite. (It's also a perfect time capsule of early seventies dress, a cool bonus.) When my uncle was looking for a dog to adopt, I asked him his ideal. "I want a dog with personality," he said. "You know, a Benji dog."

The children's housekeeper says of the multitalented mutt, "You've got more independence than most people - and more charm." Truer words were never scripted. Or filmed.

Presence of dogs:
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