No one is saying Art Carney's performance was not good, but his performance was definitely not Oscar worthy. Especially, when one actor was getting praises like "Not since Dustin Hoffman has such a great performance came from a small package!", "Robert Redford has met his match!", and "His uncanny ability to project emotions definitely makes him the new Laurence Olivier!". Who is this mysterious actor I am talking about?
Well that actor was a retired dog actor by the name of Higgins. Who costarred along greats like Buddy Ebsen, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eva Gabor, and June Lockhart. Higgins biggest fame up til 1974 was the uncredited role of Betty Jo's dog in Petticoat Junction.
If you were to ask any director on Petticoat Junction who the best actor on the show was most of them would say Higgins the Dog. Higgins had an uncanny ability to learn tricks, combine them with previous tricks, and display emotion all in one take. Yet by the time Petticoat Junction was done filming Higgins was 13 years old.
Higgins trainer and owner, Frank Inn, decided it was time for his retirement because of age. However one filmmaker had other plans and knew of Higgins's ability. Joe Camp was getting tired of the cheesy family films that were being marketed at that time mostly from Disney with a G raiting. Camp wanted to change that view and make a film people of all ages wanted to see. Camp just needed the right star.
Camp approached Inn with the idea of a smart mutt that develops a relationship with kids, but the father is dead set against them adopting a dog that is not from a breeder. That dog would would have to do something amazing to prove himself worthy of adopting. Inn loved the idea so much that he brought Higgins out of retirement. The film would come to be known as the Golden Globe winning motion picture Benji.
The role Higgins was born for. Higgins fit the part perfectly a mutt that was the mixture of Cocker Spaniel, Poodle, Schnauzer, and Border Terrier. A dog who in real life was rescued from euthanization at animal shelter. It's the story of Higgins's life.
Benji 1974
Directed by Joe Camp
Starring: Higgins the Dog
Tiffany the Dog
Terry Carter
Patsy Garrett
Peter Breck
Christopher Connelly
Deborah Walley
Mitch Slade
Opening thoughts: Benji is a film I watched as a kid that I loved and holds a special place in my heart. I loved the dogs' interactions with humans, the comedy, and at the same time intense suspenseful scenes. There is a scene in which one of the kidnappers kicks Tiffany the Dog that traumatized me as a child. I actually thought a dog was killed on screen in front of my eyes. I still wonder to this day how this film got a G rating with that scene. I still rank this scene as one of my top three most traumatic sequences that I have experienced when watching film.
Plot: Benji is a mutt that lives in an abandoned home that should be demolished. Nobody owns Benji so he is a free a spirit that roams around town with his daily routines of visiting people across town. Almost every person in town loves him the police, the crazy cat lady, the local diner, and two kids by the name of Paul and Cindy.
Those two kids want to give Benji a permanent home, but their father Dr. Chapman is dead set against allowing a mutt into their house because that type of dog may carry diseases that they can spread to humans. Despite desperate pleas and tears from Paul and Cindy, the Doctor will never give in even if that makes him the bad guy. Benji stands no chance of a forever home.
That is alright for Benji because he crossed paths with an escaped Malteese Dog by the name of Tiffany. A high end dog struggling to survive on her own. Benji is in love at first site and takes her underneath his wing on his adventures across town.
One day while the two dogs are at the abandon house, Paul and Cindy are gagged and drug into the place by a bunch of kidnappers led by Mitch.
Benji can tell something is wrong and he needs to get help before the kids get hurt or even worse die.
The issue for Benji is who is going to believe a dog and what challenges must he overcome to find help. One thing is for sure he doesn't want to see another friend get murdered by a bad person.
Can Benji overcome the challenges? Can Benji save the day? Will Benji get his forever home?
Review: OMG 10 years has passed since I last watched this film. I am not going to lie that this film is extremely dated by the clothing, music score, and "I Feel Love" Benji's Theme. Guess what? I really don't care. This film has a certain charm to it that I believe makes Benji a timeless classic.
Outside of a next to nothing budget of 50,000 dollars going against this film that can be seen in the video quality and lack of big Hollywood stars, the film has everything else going for it. A great story that can still be told today for all ages, unique cinematography in which for the most part is told from Benji's height, superb acting from character actors, intense moments that are unforgettable, and acting from Higgins which in my honest opinion is the best display of animal emotions on the screen that I just can't turn the channel if this film pops up on television.
Yeah the "I Feel Love" sung by Charlie Rich is cheesy along with Euel Box's score, but it works. That score and song takes the movie to the next level, because Box makes Higgins's emotions much more relatable to the viewer. Honestly I can read a dog's emotions better than a human at times.
The film gets a rare 9/10 from me
Legacy: What can I say more about this film Higgins and Tiffany were Hollywood's power couple of 1974. Camp was able to revolutionize filming techniques on how animals should be shot. The film on a budget of 50,000 dollars depending where you read made 40 million dollars not a bad return and in today's money that would be a 198 million not bad.
The biggest part of Higgins's and Benji's legacy even though he passed away a year after the film's release was that he changed people's thoughts on adopting dogs from rescue shelters. It was no longer a taboo. That one performance saved millions of animals from being euthanized. Art Carney's performance in Harry and Tonto can't say that. This is why Higgins deserved the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1975 or at least a special oscar awarded to him.
Honestly no other performance by an animal has left this much of an impact on humanity years after the fact.
Higgins's daughter Benjean would play Benji from there on in tv series and further films through Benji the Hunted. Every Benji since then was selected from an animal shelter including for the 2018 remake on Hulu.
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