Joe Camp's The phenomenon of Benji

by Frank Inn

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553115669
• ISBN13: 9780553115666
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Bantam
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful tribute by Benji's owner/trainer/best friend

This book can be seen as the ultimate Benji tribute, primarily because it was written by Frank Inn, Benji's owner, trainer, and friend. Benji was a scared little six-week old puppy when Frank Inn saw him at an Animal Shelter and literally saved his life. This book briefly recounts Benji's road to stardom and features a number of pictures of Benji in a variety of settings. Frank Inn was already a well-known animal trainer, and Benji (who was originally named Higgins) turned out to be the smartest animal Inn had ever worked with. Benji was so talented that fame basically found him on two occasions. On the set of Beverly Hillbillies, Paul Henning just so happened to see Inn (who supplied some of Ellie Mae's critters for the show) working with Benji and selected him as the dog for his upcoming series Petticoat Junction. After seven years on television, Benji retired and began leading a normal dog's life. Then rookie filmmaker Joe Camp came calling to ask for Frank Inn's help in making a movie that would tell the story from a dog's point of view, seemingly a crazy idea to many. Walking back to his car, Camp looked over and spotted Benji resting in the shade; he knew then and there that he had the canine actor he was looking for. There is at least one picture included on every page: Benji as a puppy, shots from Petticoat Junction and the first two Benji films, private and behind-the-scenes shots of Benji, photos of Benji and some of his many fans taken during his national and worldwide tours, and photos taken on the night of the world premiere of the original Benji film. Best of all, though, you get shots and photos from the big night when Benji became just the second animal (the first was Lassie) to be inducted into the Animal Actors Hall of Fame; this is basically the most prestigious award possible for an animal and his trainer. This isn't a very lengthy book by any means, and none of the many photos are in color, but Frank Inn's love for Benji and the amount of satisfaction he felt knowing how many lives Benji had brightened in locations all over the globe are palpable and obviously from the heart. No Benji collection is complete without at least one copy of The Phenomenon of Benji.