An unbearable 'Gentle Ben'

It aired only two seasons before CBS canceled it in 1969, yet "Gentle Ben" is entrenched in the pop consciousness of my generation. "The Simpsons," our lexicon of cultural literacy, invoked "Gentle Ben" as a symbol of all that was good and decent - and deadly dull - about family television way back when. No surprise, then, that cable's Animal Planet, having already revived the "Lassie" franchise, should turn to the friendly black bear who followed America's Collie on Sunday nights. But apparently some TV executive thinks today's kids lack the attention span for the relatively tame adventures of Ben and his faithful companion Mark (most episodes involved the two getting lost for a few hours). By contrast, the made-for-TV movie that airs at 7 tonight on Animal Planet has been souped up with rifle-toting headhunters, greedy landowners, even a hint of sex. In fact, the slow-moving bear is about the only holdover from the CBS version. Too bad. The people who made this movie simply substituted one set of corny circumstances for another, while removing any of the charm "Gentle Ben" once had. What we get is a pile of something Ben would leave in the woods. In the Animal Planet version, Ben is on the run from a posse led by Corbin Bernsen, who suspects the bear of rustling his sheep. When young Mark (Reiley McClendon) gets wind of this, he runs into the forest, hoping to put himself between Ben and Bernsen's tranquilizer gun. It's a predictable and politically correct story line: Hunters bad, children good. And there's all sorts of second-rate dialogue and scene padding along the way, the most gratuitous being when Mark learns that his uncle (Dean Cain), who is single, has a girlfriend. Mark assures him that he knows all about "sex" - not "the birds and bees," but sex. Is this really necessary in a family film? It seems Animal Planet only wanted the name "Gentle Ben" for its nostalgia value. There's nothing nostalgic, or much entertaining, about this movie. As customary as an Easter egg hunt, television takes its annual post-Lenten plunge into ancient Christian history. "The Tomb of Jesus," airing at 7 p.m. Sunday on the National Geographic Channel (Channel 76 on Time Warner Cable), moves briskly through the 2,000 year history of the place where Jesus was said to be entombed after his crucifixion. National Geographic's cameras are allowed into the rarely filmed corridors beneath Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre that some say are the remains of the tomb. Though you might debate what this means to Christians, this special makes the matter seem vital and urgent. National Geographic Channel once again shows why it's the most impressive addition to the cable lineup since Turner Classic Movies. On consecutive nights, PBS programs take aim at the President Bush's education policy. "Misunderstood Minds" (8 p.m. Wednesday on KCPT and KTWU) reports on a growing recognition of the problems many children have learning in school. New teaching methods, it argues, are needed to help these problem learners. Then "Frontline" (9 p.m. Thursday) casts a skeptical eye on the increase in standardized testing in public schools, an issue near and dear to the Bush administration. Together the shows present a choice between specialization or standardization, and it's pretty clear on which side they come down. Two years ago a 65-year-old woman visiting Jacksonville, Fla., was shot and killed in front of her motel room. The police had their perp within two hours. Yet by the end of "Murder on a Sunday Morning," this week's "America Undercover" film on HBO (9 p.m. Sunday), you may find yourself wondering if the system, rather than justice, was served. Part of an emerging genre that includes fictional shows like "NYPD Blue" and "The Shield," this film focuses on the tactics used by detectives, who are depicted as seeming more interested in speedy convictions than a relentless search for the truth. More midseason TV is coming your way this week. Watch for my capsule reviews of "The Bachelor" (today), "The Court" (Tuesday), "Greg the Bunny," "George Lopez" and "Wednesdays 9:30 (8:30 Central)" (Wednesday) and "AFP: American Fighter Pilot" (Friday). To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com @ART CAPTION:PBS' "Misunderstood Minds" focuses on children's learning difficulties. @ART:Photo @ART CREDIT:PBS