Gentle Ben [SEP] original network
Giant".
Producer Ivan Tors made the film "Gentle Giant" (originally titled "Gentle Ben") for Paramount Pictures based on Morey's book, and partially funded by CBS. At that time, Tors was focusing on films and television shows involving animals and directed at a family audience. He had previously had popular hits with the 1963 film "Flipper" about a boy's friendship with a wild dolphin, which led to a television series of the same name, and with the 1965 film "Clarence,
being sent to the network, but was not successful.
In spite of its short lifespan and cancellation, the show continued to run regularly in syndication, including outside the United States. Personal appearances by "Gentle Ben" at circuses and events continued to be popular into the 1970s. In October 1969, after the cancellation of the show, "Gentle Ben" the bear even received a personalized invitation from Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. to a celebrity party in Fort Lauderdale.
1960s television series "Gentle Ben" Controversy