 Camp observed that four-wall companies had saturated the market for G-rated product; in response to the lowered-down quality of their films, he created "Benji".Higgins appeared on screen with Edgar Buchanan, with whom he had appeared in the TV series "Petticoat Junction"; this was the final film for both.Produced on a budget of $500,000, it grossed $39.6 million in the United States, making it the ninth highest-grossing film of 1974.