Ben is a 1972 film about a young boy named Danny (Lee Montgomery

Lee Montgomery

Lee Montgomery was a child actor in the 1970s, best known for his role as a lonely little boy who befriends a pack of killer rats in the film, Ben .-Hollywood:...

) and his pet rat, Ben. This film is a sequel to the 1971 film Willard

Willard (1971 film)

Willard is a 1971 horror film starring Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine, directed by Daniel Mann. The movie is based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert, and was nominated for an Edgar Award for best picture...

. The movie is known for its sentimental theme song

Ben (song)

"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name . It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop...

 performed by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

.

Plot

A lonely boy named Danny Garrison befriends Ben, the rat leader of the swarm of trained/telepathic rats found in Willard

Willard (1971 film)

Willard is a 1971 horror film starring Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine, directed by Daniel Mann. The movie is based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert, and was nominated for an Edgar Award for best picture...

. Ben becomes the boy's best friend, protecting him from bullying and keeping his spirits up in the face
of a heart condition.

However, things gradually take a downward turn as Ben's swarm becomes violent, resulting in several deaths. Eventually, the police destroy the rat colony with flame throwers, but Ben survives and makes his way back to Danny. The film closes with Danny, tending to the injured Ben, determined not to lose his friend.

Cast

• Lee Montgomery
  Lee Montgomery
  Lee Montgomery was a child actor in the 1970s, best known for his role as a lonely little boy who befriends a pack of killer rats in the film, Ben .-Hollywood:...
  
  
• Joseph Campanella
  Joseph Campanella
  Joseph Campanella in Lewistown, Pennsylvania is an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 TV and film roles since 1955, including such shows as The Eleventh Hour, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Road West, The Golden Girls and Mama's Family. He also had a role in...
  
  
• Arthur O'Connell
  Arthur O'Connell
  Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films in 1941 and television programs...
  
  
• Rosemary Murphy
  Rosemary Murphy
  Rosemary Murphy is an American actress of stage, film, and television.Murphy was born in Munich, Germany, the daughter of American parents Mildred and Robert D. Murphy, a diplomat...
  
  
• Meredith Baxter
  Meredith Baxter
  Meredith Baxter , also known for some years as Meredith Baxter-Birney, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her acting roles including three television series: Family , an ABC television-network drama, Family Ties , an NBC television-network situation comedy, and Dan Vs. , a...
  
  
• Kaz Garas
• Paul Carr
  Paul Carr (actor)
  Paul Carr was an character actor who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carr acted for some fifty years in television, film, and on-stage.-Beginnings:...
  
  
• Richard Van Vleet
  Richard Van Vleet
  Richard Van Vleet, also sometimes credited as Richard Van Fleet or Rick Van Vleet is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and director....
  
  
• Kenneth Tobey
  Kenneth Tobey
  Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
  
  
• James Luisi
  James Luisi
  James A. Luisi was an American professional basketball player and actor. Luisi is perhaps best known for his role as Lt. Doug Chapman during Seasons 3 through 6 of the television series The Rockford Files.-Career:...
  
  
• Lee Paul
  Lee Paul
  Lee Paul is an American actor who has appeared in many television shows primarily in the early and mid 1970s.-External links:*...
  
  
• Norman Alden
  Norman Alden
  Norman Alden is an American character actor who has performed in television programs and motion pictures since first appearing on The 20th Century Fox Hour in 1957. He provided the voice of Kay in The Sword in the Stone film in 1963 and received Oscar buzz for his role in I Never Promised You a...
  
  
• Scott Garrett
  Scott Garrett
  Ernest Scott Garrett is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the state...
  
  
• Arlen Stuart
• Ric Drasin
  Ric Drasin
  Ric Drasin is an American artist, actor, stuntman, writer, personal trainer, former bodybuilder, and retired professional wrestler...
  
  

Theme song

The film's title theme song, "Ben

Ben (song)

"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name . It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop...

," is performed by Lee Montgomery in the film and by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

 over the end credits. Jackson's recording of the song became a #1 pop hit single. Later included on Jackson's album of the same name

Ben (album)

Ben is the second studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on music charts than Jackson's previous...

, "Ben" won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...

 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song

Academy Award for Best Original Song

The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...

. The song is calm and mellow, which contrasts with the horror content of the film. A live recorded version was released on the 1981 album The Jacksons Live!

The Jacksons Live!

The Jacksons Live! is a live album by The Jacksons, recorded during their North American tour in fall 1981, known as the Triumph Tour, and released in November 1981. The live double album was culled from recordings made in August 1981 on the tour's stops in Buffalo, NY; Providence, RI; Atlanta, GA;...

 and eventually appeared on Jackson's Number Ones album in 2003.

Crispin Glover

Crispin Glover

Crispin Hellion Glover is an American film actor, director and screenwriter, recording artist, publisher, and author. Glover is known for portraying eccentric people on screen such as George McFly in Back to the Future, Layne in River's Edge, unfriendly recluse Rubin Farr in Rubin and Ed, the...

re-recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack of the 2003 remake of Willard.