I just vaguely remember this show, but unless I’m totally mistaken, B.J. was a poofy-haired, allegedly rugged trucker type guy and The Bear was a…chimp? Why would they name a chimp “Bear”? Would you name a dog “cat”?
Why not “A.J. and the Ape” or “C.J. and the Chimp” or “M.J. and the Monkey”? Was there an in-story explaination?
Fenris
Well, In My Humble Opinion, it is much like naming a cat Cujo.
Don’t forget that there was a Sheriff Lobo also in the series.
It was late 70s-early 80s TV, it was not the Golden Age of Television.
Wait a minute–you’re talking about a TV show centered around the adventures of a truck driver and his pet monkey, plus seven lady truck drivers, all fighting against a goofball sherriff named Lobo, and all you’re worried about is the logic behind the monkey’s name???
BTW, B.J. was short for Bobby Joe. He was played by Greg Evigan (of “My Two Dads” and “Tekwar” fame–and I use the word fame loosely).
(A.J. and the Ape)
B.J. and the Baboon
(C.J. and the Chimp)
D.J. and the Dwarf Lemur
E.J. and the Euoticus elegantulus
F.J. and the Francois’ Leaf Monkey
G.J. and the Gibbon
H.J. and the Howler Monkey
I think that they had already made up the opening credits, t-shirts, etc. and the negotiations w/ that bear on ‘Grizzly Adams’ fell through. Also, I think on the pilot, a non-SAG bear mauled the original actor that played B.J. I think it was Herve Villechaize.
B.J. was portrayed by Greg Evigan (later of My Two Dads with Paul Reiser).
Bear was portrayed by a chimpanzee named Bear. The name Bear was used so that the chimp would respond when called. Using a different name would have been confusing to the animal.
BTW, did you know that best of all he did not pay property tax?
Jeffery
Well, I’ll be damned. I always figured that “Bear” referred to Sheriff Lobo, as a highway cop was called a “bear” in CB jargon.
There was a chimp?
If only they had that bear-proof armor with the flame resistant coating and glove that sprays Bear Mace.
Sheesh, you people. Whatever the chimp’s name was in real life is irreleveant. On the show he (the chimp) was named after famed football coach Bear Bryant (don’t you remember the hat Bear wore?). I even remember the episode where I learned this. A guy asked B.J. why the chimp was named Bear, and B.J. answered that he was named “after Bear Bryant, the greatest football coach of all time.” The other guy then argued (correctly, of course) that Vince Lombardi was better. 
Oh, and ** BobT** – sez you it wasn’t the golden age of television! I for one think we need more shows about rebel-without-a-cause truck drivers and bevies of scantily clad nubile female truck drivers on the air. Sure beats Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
My response to the 1977-1982 era of TV can be summed up in one word:
Supertrain
Yeah? Well…um…geeze, I can’t argue with that one. The Love Boat set on a futuristic railway, I believe it was? I will go away quietly now…
Thanx for the explaination. I always thought that since ‘bear’ was CB lingo for police that BJ was denegrading police as being monkeys by calling Bear ‘Bear’.
Regarding the question in the OP, ‘Would you name a dog “cat”?’, I actually knew people who named their dog “Kitty”. It was actually kind of funny the 1st time when they’d call “Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!” and the dog would come running. After the 1st time, it was just dumb.
My sister-in-law’s family has a dog named “Bear”. They just thought it fit him because he’s such a big dog.