Reviews (10)

Superb Family Film!
I loved Benji as a child - I even remember my stuffed Benji doll that I carried around for years! This film is as great now as it was then. I highly recommend this wonderful little movie to everyone everywhere, whether you have children or not!!!

The greatest family movie of all time
I have wanted to review this 1973 family classic for a very long time now, but it has been extraordinarily difficult to review something and someone who was a truly vital part of my childhood. Some of my earliest memories are of this loveable little dog. When the 25th anniversary edition of the film came out in 1998, I finally had the chance to reacquaint myself with my dear old friend, and it was a truly moving experience. All these years later, Benji remains the ultimate family movie experience. It can be quite a sad and touching experience, as well, and my emotional attachment to it has kept me from reviewing it for far too long already. The children (and adults) of every generation need to be acquainted with this film; Benji is the great American dog who has rightly been called America's Most Huggable Hero. I absolutely treasure this film from my childhood, and I want all children to feel the love this movie expresses and epitomizes.

The story of this movie is almost as extraordinary as the film itself. Everybody laughed at Joe Camp when he described the movie he wanted to make. This man who had never even made a movie or worked with animals before was committed to writing, producing, and directing a film told from the viewpoint of a dog. There would be no dubbed voices telling the audience what the dog was thinking; the dog himself would communicate his feelings through his demeanor and facial expressions. Even Frank Inn, Benji's owner, thought the idea was crazy when Camp came to him looking for a dog who could act. It just so happened, though, that Camp spotted Benji and immediately knew he had found his star. Benji was already an older dog who had retired from a distinguished seven-year career on the television show Petticoat Junction. Frank Inn, the man who had rescued Benji from the pound many years earlier, didn't know it, but Benji's greatest performance was yet to come.

In a way, the story of the movie is rather simple. Benji is a stray who is loved by folks all over the neighborhood, yet the place he calls home is a lonely, abandoned house. Every day, he follows the same routine: he first heads to the Chapman house to be fed and loved by young Cindy and Paul (whose father will not allow them to keep a stray dog), then he is off to chase a neighboring cat (whose owner is played by Frances "Aunt Bee" Bavier), wake up old Bill (Petticoat Junction buddy Edgar Buchanan) at the café, entertain a police officer, and rummage for food in the park. One special day, Benji meets a cute little white dog in the park, and the two of them become inseparable. Then disaster strikes; Benji's home is invaded by strangers who kidnap Cindy and Paul and hold them hostage there. Benji goes all over town trying to tell his human friends where the children are, but no one will listen to him. If he is to save the children he loves as well as his new friend Tiffany, he is going to have to come up with a way to make the humans understand him.

The last twenty minutes of this film are among the most powerful cinematic moments I have ever witnessed. Benji turns in one of the greatest performances of all time. Laugh if you will, but I consider Benji's performance one of the ten greatest performances of all time - that includes human as well as animal actors. Two scenes in particular reveal the depth of Benji's acting skills. I cannot describe what happens here without giving away important plot details, but it sends tears pouring down my cheeks no matter how many times I watch it. You can literally read Benji's thought process and intense emotions on his face. While it may not be manly to admit, I actually sob during these climactic scenes. To be honest, I cry many times throughout this movie. I am one of those people who love animals more than people, really, and I can't stand to see an animal sad or hurt. Benji's loneliness at the beginning of the movie touches me deeply, and his joyful relationship with his new little friend Tiffany moves me beyond words. The later scenes, though, include one traumatic moment that almost breaks my heart when it happens.

Obviously, I could sing praises to Benji all day. This is one of the greatest movies of all time; there really is no other movie like it. Joe Camp succeeded fabulously in telling this story from Benji's point of view. Even the most minor human characters express feelings that go far beyond mere words, and the music, while certainly evocative of the early 1970s era, complements and intensifies every scene perfectly. (The theme song I Feel the Love, sung by Charlie Rich, won a Golden Globe award and was nominated for an Academy Award.) In closing, I must mention the fact that Benji was as much a hero in real life as he was in this feature film. This vintage American "mutt" whom Frank Inn rescued from an animal shelter as a puppy really left an impressive mark on this world. He and owner Frank Inn literally toured the world, bringing joy to untold numbers of children. More importantly, he indirectly saved the lives of thousands of dogs waiting and hoping to be adopted from animal shelters. I love Benji as if he were my very own dog; he was a ray of sunlight in my childhood and he remains a true hero to me still. I dearly hope that today's children can get to know and love this dog and this movie as much as I do.

Great movie but very hard to find!
I think Benji is a great film. I use to watch it a lot when I was lil but the state where I live doesn't even have Benji available anywhere. I wonder why it doesn't. Probably because some people got tired of watching Benji or it's not in stock at all anymore. It also doesn't even come on TV that much as it use to. I remember when it use to come on The Disney Channel a bunch and I just kept on watching it and watching it. I never got tried of it. I also like the latest recent movie Benji the Hunted that was great too not as good as Benji though but it's still enjoyable to watch.

A classical family movie
After such a long time looking for this DVD, I finally got one. I immediately watched the movie and really enjoyed it. The quality of picture and sound are great, although there is no extra.
This year will be the 30th anniversary of its release. I think there should be 30th Anniversary Edition DVD with addition of extras as well as the release of other Benji's movies on DVD.
I hope that there will be (big) film studio such Disney does this job. And importantly, I look forward to the release of Benji's new adventure this summer!!!

A Classic Film for All Ages
"Benji" is a kid's film which achieves the status of true drama, due to the remarkable acting ability of Higgins in the title role. A schnauzer-cocker-poodle cross, Higgins was found in a shelter and trained by Frank Inn. Before playing "Benji," he guest-starred on tv's "Lassie", "Beverly Hillbillies", and "Green Acres;" had a regular role in "Petticoat Junction" as "Dog;" and carried the title role in the film "Mooch Goes to Hollywood" (1971). "Benji" was true screen triumph for Higgins, worthy of an Oscar. Kudos to his co-star Tiffany, as well, for her engaging personality. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

More than Double, Triple entertainment!
The Double McGuffin is a superb film, and all that I wanted to say is: Don't miss the Double Mcguffin.
Adults sometimes don't like the plot, because many times, they are a little bit stupid, sorry for be rude.
Many people don't see or notice the small information, facts, dialogues and scenes that, in the end of the story, make we understand the essentials and "message" from the authors. I agree with chatatumjr, who said more about Greg Hodges (blond guy) and Dion Pride, who should made a succesful career and didn't, I don't understand it up to now... moreover, the trailer also shows that Double Mcguffin would be his introducing to cinema...

Thank you very much and did, I would be delighted if anyone mail me! I would like to build a Double Mcguffin site soon!

Joe Camp's The Double McGuffin
When this film came out in 1979, I was eleven years old. Then, it was the best film of my young life. Now, it is okay, but a neat trip down memory lane.

Specks (Dion Pride), Homer (Greg Hodges), Foster (Vincent Spano), and Billy Ray (Jeff Nicholson) are all junior high age buddies at a private boarding school. They have frequent minor brushes with the law, easy going Chief "Tally" Talasek (George Kennedy, in one of his most cuddly-likable performances). The boys are boys until Homer finds a briefcase full of cash in the nearby woods. He takes his friends back to the place he hid it- and they find a dead body with a bullet in the head. The boys then take Tally back, and find nothing.

A mysterious man (Ernest Borgnine) begins hanging around town, sporting Homer's found briefcase. As Tally is called in on yet another dead end investigation over the cash free case, the boys begin suspecting the mystery man of something. Since this is a mystery, I cannot give too much away. Our young heroes enlist the aid of school paper reporter Jody (Lisa Whelchel) and nerdy tattletale Arthur (Michael Gerard), and the group sets elaborate traps to collect evidence on the mystery man and his newly arrived henchmen. Eventually, the group must switch from evidence collecting to actually getting Tally to arrest the men before they carry out a political assassination on Elke Sommer's hard to believe foreign prime minister character.

As I said, this was a better film twenty years ago than it is now. The scenes involving the giant bulky school computers are now just funny. Kennedy's explanation of sending a criminal's photo over the wire to Washington, then having results on that suspect in an hour, is so antiquated as to also be humorous. Even the modern boys themselves must use rotary dial telephones. A few scenes here and there run too long, and the climax is clever but not exactly action filled.

On a positive note, I wanted to be just like these kids. Their dormitory room has secret compartments everywhere, hiding everything from a TV and stereo to junk food and a single beer being saved for a special occasion. They run around and solve crimes, with very little physical harm being threatened. Although set at a school, no one seems to go to class- every kid's dream.

Dion Pride and Greg Hodges did nothing else after this, according to IMDB. That is a shame. Pride warbles the film's flimsy songs, but he has great screen presence as the group's unofficial leader. Hodges is a riot as Homer, whether he is trying to hide the briefcase full of cash or reading a Playboy in the background of a dialogue scene. Spano and Nicholson are also good. Gerard, as the always flustered Arthur, is also funny, and threatens to steal the film from Hodges once he is introduced. I can proudly say I had a crush on Lisa Whelchel before she took the good, took the bad, took them both, and then she had "The Facts of Life." She is so cute here, it is criminal.

Kennedy is good, Borgnine is vaguely threatening without scaring youngsters, but Sommer is given nothing to do but be filmed from great distances and briefly flash the camera. Borgnine's henchmen are played with athletic stiffness by Ed "Too Tall" Jones (Go Cowboys!) and Lyle Alzado.

Camp throws in a few funny inside jokes as well in an otherwise normal directorial routine. A radio has Verne Lundquist analyzing Jones and Alzado's football strategies. A book rack is full of paperback books about the canine icon Benji, who Camp trained and whose films he directed. Little things like this are fun to watch out for.

Orson Welles tells us in the ominous opening narration that a McGuffin is the driving force that propels the suspense forward; the main reason behind the story. Here, it is the briefcase and its constantly changing contents, but also its incredibly fun cast and breezy conspiracy. Although not as good as I remember it being (and what is after twenty years?), "The Double McGuffin" can still be a charming experience. I do recommend it.

This is rated (PG) for mild gore, profanity, very brief female nudity, very brief male nudity, and adult situations.

Totally Incredible!
I am 31 years old, and my sister is turning 34 in a few weeks.We used to watch this movie constantly on HBO when we were much younger.We loved it then, and used to recite the lines of the movie to one another.What an incredible treat to have found it after all of these years!Hopefully Heather will be just as excited when she receives this as part of her birthday present!..."Only a Texan would call Dracus Palms bushes!"

I enjoyed watching it with my two boys.
I was one of the four boys in the film and I had not watched it for a number of years until one of my sons asked to watch it having seen it in a curio cabinet we own. It was fun to see it nearly twenty years removed fromactually doing the film. It was fun to be able to watch it and enjoy itwith my sons. I believe films of this nature-i.e. those made by Joe Camp aswell as the Disney films are wonderful for children, as they not onlyentertain, but show children in problem solving situations. Incidentally,there were things in the movie I only now understand. Go figure.

Fun for kids!!!
I'm 15 and I really enjoyed this movie because for once kids are doing the fun stuff. ... Read more

Amazon.com

No Hollywood studio was willing to buy or distribute this 1974 familyfilmmade in Texas, but it managed to find a considerable audience anyway in theU.S. and become a minor classic under its own steam. While Benji'sproduction values aren't everything they could be, and the acting is at bestuneven, the movie is really held together by the immense charm of theunassuming mutt who plays the title character. He may not look as impressiveas Lassie or Rin Tin Tin, but poor stray Benji (played by a pooch namedHiggins) is as brave and resourceful as they come, especially when a coupleof neighborhood children are kidnapped and in need of rescuing. And whatabout that romantic subplot: Benji falling for a pampered pup from the goodside of the tracks. Director Joe Camp earned himself a profitable franchisewith Benji and its several sequels, but it was this first film and thedebut of a new canine icon that stirs pleasant memories. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Superb Family Film!
I loved Benji as a child - I even remember my stuffed Benji doll that I carried around for years! This film is as great now as it was then. I highly recommend this wonderful little movie to everyone everywhere, whether you have children or not!!!

The greatest family movie of all time
I have wanted to review this 1973 family classic for a very long time now, but it has been extraordinarily difficult to review something and someone who was a truly vital part of my childhood. Some of my earliest memories are of this loveable little dog. When the 25th anniversary edition of the film came out in 1998, I finally had the chance to reacquaint myself with my dear old friend, and it was a truly moving experience. All these years later, Benji remains the ultimate family movie experience. It can be quite a sad and touching experience, as well, and my emotional attachment to it has kept me from reviewing it for far too long already. The children (and adults) of every generation need to be acquainted with this film; Benji is the great American dog who has rightly been called America's Most Huggable Hero. I absolutely treasure this film from my childhood, and I want all children to feel the love this movie expresses and epitomizes.

The story of this movie is almost as extraordinary as the film itself. Everybody laughed at Joe Camp when he described the movie he wanted to make. This man who had never even made a movie or worked with animals before was committed to writing, producing, and directing a film told from the viewpoint of a dog. There would be no dubbed voices telling the audience what the dog was thinking; the dog himself would communicate his feelings through his demeanor and facial expressions. Even Frank Inn, Benji's owner, thought the idea was crazy when Camp came to him looking for a dog who could act. It just so happened, though, that Camp spotted Benji and immediately knew he had found his star. Benji was already an older dog who had retired from a distinguished seven-year career on the television show Petticoat Junction. Frank Inn, the man who had rescued Benji from the pound many years earlier, didn't know it, but Benji's greatest performance was yet to come.

In a way, the story of the movie is rather simple. Benji is a stray who is loved by folks all over the neighborhood, yet the place he calls home is a lonely, abandoned house. Every day, he follows the same routine: he first heads to the Chapman house to be fed and loved by young Cindy and Paul (whose father will not allow them to keep a stray dog), then he is off to chase a neighboring cat (whose owner is played by Frances "Aunt Bee" Bavier), wake up old Bill (Petticoat Junction buddy Edgar Buchanan) at the café, entertain a police officer, and rummage for food in the park. One special day, Benji meets a cute little white dog in the park, and the two of them become inseparable. Then disaster strikes; Benji's home is invaded by strangers who kidnap Cindy and Paul and hold them hostage there. Benji goes all over town trying to tell his human friends where the children are, but no one will listen to him. If he is to save the children he loves as well as his new friend Tiffany, he is going to have to come up with a way to make the humans understand him.

The last twenty minutes of this film are among the most powerful cinematic moments I have ever witnessed. Benji turns in one of the greatest performances of all time. Laugh if you will, but I consider Benji's performance one of the ten greatest performances of all time - that includes human as well as animal actors. Two scenes in particular reveal the depth of Benji's acting skills. I cannot describe what happens here without giving away important plot details, but it sends tears pouring down my cheeks no matter how many times I watch it. You can literally read Benji's thought process and intense emotions on his face. While it may not be manly to admit, I actually sob during these climactic scenes. To be honest, I cry many times throughout this movie. I am one of those people who love animals more than people, really, and I can't stand to see an animal sad or hurt. Benji's loneliness at the beginning of the movie touches me deeply, and his joyful relationship with his new little friend Tiffany moves me beyond words. The later scenes, though, include one traumatic moment that almost breaks my heart when it happens.

Obviously, I could sing praises to Benji all day. This is one of the greatest movies of all time; there really is no other movie like it. Joe Camp succeeded fabulously in telling this story from Benji's point of view. Even the most minor human characters express feelings that go far beyond mere words, and the music, while certainly evocative of the early 1970s era, complements and intensifies every scene perfectly. (The theme song I Feel the Love, sung by Charlie Rich, won a Golden Globe award and was nominated for an Academy Award.) In closing, I must mention the fact that Benji was as much a hero in real life as he was in this feature film. This vintage American "mutt" whom Frank Inn rescued from an animal shelter as a puppy really left an impressive mark on this world. He and owner Frank Inn literally toured the world, bringing joy to untold numbers of children. More importantly, he indirectly saved the lives of thousands of dogs waiting and hoping to be adopted from animal shelters. I love Benji as if he were my very own dog; he was a ray of sunlight in my childhood and he remains a true hero to me still. I dearly hope that today's children can get to know and love this dog and this movie as much as I do.

Great movie but very hard to find!
I think Benji is a great film. I use to watch it a lot when I was lil but the state where I live doesn't even have Benji available anywhere. I wonder why it doesn't. Probably because some people got tired of watching Benji or it's not in stock at all anymore. It also doesn't even come on TV that much as it use to. I remember when it use to come on The Disney Channel a bunch and I just kept on watching it and watching it. I never got tried of it. I also like the latest recent movie Benji the Hunted that was great too not as good as Benji though but it's still enjoyable to watch.

A classical family movie
After such a long time looking for this DVD, I finally got one. I immediately watched the movie and really enjoyed it. The quality of picture and sound are great, although there is no extra.
This year will be the 30th anniversary of its release. I think there should be 30th Anniversary Edition DVD with addition of extras as well as the release of other Benji's movies on DVD.
I hope that there will be (big) film studio such Disney does this job. And importantly, I look forward to the release of Benji's new adventure this summer!!!

A Classic Film for All Ages
"Benji" is a kid's film which achieves the status of true drama, due to the remarkable acting ability of Higgins in the title role. A schnauzer-cocker-poodle cross, Higgins was found in a shelter and trained by Frank Inn. Before playing "Benji," he guest-starred on tv's "Lassie", "Beverly Hillbillies", and "Green Acres;" had a regular role in "Petticoat Junction" as "Dog;" and carried the title role in the film "Mooch Goes to Hollywood" (1971). "Benji" was true screen triumph for Higgins, worthy of an Oscar. Kudos to his co-star Tiffany, as well, for her engaging personality. ... Read more

Amazon.com

What begins as a pleasure trip for Benji and his adopted human family soon turns into a tale of mystery, suspense, and international intrigue in this 1977 sequel to Joe Camp's hit movie, Benji. Without subtitles to decipher the mostly Greek dialogue, kids and grown-ups alike view the action from the limited perspective of this sweet and talented mutt. Here's what Benji knows: 1) Ever since a stranger pressed a tiny metal plate against his paw, a handful of seedy-looking characters (and the occasional Doberman) keep trying to capture him; 2) He's hungry; 3) He misses Mary (the chatty housekeeper played by Patsy Garrett), the kids (whom he rescued from kidnappers in the original), and his lady love, Tiffany (noticeably droopy from an unmentionable "condition"). Not a great situation when stranded a few thousand miles from home. The action chugs along thanks to numerous chase scenes, a smattering of gunplay, and a heroic ending; but the overall effect falls short of the original. (Ages 4 to 9) --Liane Thomas ... Read more