Weather 
Former Gentle Ben star to discuss her book “William and Mary Brickell: Founders of Miami and Fort Lauderdale” and how these visionaries helped shape South Florida’s industrial boom.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (February 2, 2026) – History Fort Lauderdale, committed to preserving our collective heritage, promoting historical literacy, and fostering a sense of pride and stewardship for the vibrant tapestry of our region’s history, and HistoryMiami, sharing Miami stories for more than 80 years, will present book signings and lectures with Beth Brickell, former Gentle Ben actress, producer, director, and author of “Willam and Mary Brickell: Founders of Miami and Fort Lauderdale” on Saturday, February 21. Brickell will appear at a special breakfast from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. at History Fort Lauderdale (231 SW Second Avenue in Fort Lauderdale) and then at a fireside chat from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. at HistoryMiami (101 West Flagler Street in Miami) where she will discuss the pivotal role William and Mary Brickell played in transforming a frontier settlement into a thriving urban center, offering fresh insight into the forces that fueled South Florida’s growth. Her Broward appearance is part of History Fort Lauderdale’s “Florida Scribes & Stories,” a meet the author series that offers literary and history enthusiasts a chance to speak with local authors, purchase their latest releases and have them signed.
Beth Brickell is an actor, award-winning producer, and writer with numerous stage and screen credits. She is most widely recognized for her 1967–69 leading role on the CBS TV adventure series Gentle Ben, which filmed in Miami also starring Dennis Weaver, Clint Howard and their family pet, a 650-pound black bear named Ben. She’s also appeared in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Marcus Welby, M.D., Bonanza, Hawaii Five-O, and Fantasy Island. In 1972, she appeared in the feature film The Only Way Home, followed by the 1975 movie The Posse and 1977’s Death Game. She has also engaged in film production and investigative journalism, the latter relating to the 1957 disappearance of Maud Crawford.
Brickell ceased acting in order to become a directing fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory in Los Angeles, receiving an MFA in 1978. In the 1980s, she taught for three years at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York and Los Angeles, while also directing. She was writer and producer for the award-winning A Rainy Day (1978) which was broadcast on PBS and Summer’s End (1985) on A&E, Nickelodeon, PBS, and Showtime, which won 16 film industry awards. She also wrote, directed, and produced the lauded 2005 holiday movie Mr. Christmas.
Brickell has served as chair of the steering committee of the Director’s Guild of American Women, was an Emmy Awards panelist, and served on the grants committee for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She is president of the independent company Luminous Films Inc. with several projects in development.
In addition to “William and Mary Brickell: Founders of Miami and Fort Lauderdale” (2011), Brickell authored “The Disappearance of Maud Crawford” (2013), featuring reprints of her investigative series for the Gazette. She subsequently produced three other books relating to her investigation into Crawford’s disappearance.
For the History Fort Lauderdale breakfast which includes food and beverages, tickets are $50 and guests may RSVP to bit.ly/FloridaScribesBrickell2026.
For the HistoryMiami fireside chat, guests may visit historymiami.org/event/builders-of-miami-william-and-mary-brickell/. Members are free; general public tickets are $10.
“William and Mary Brickell: Founders of Miami and Fort Lauderdale” books are $25 each and will be available for purchase separately at each venue or via Amazon.com.
For more information about History Fort Lauderdale, please call (954) 463-4431 or visit historyfortlauderdale.org.
Since 1962, History Fort Lauderdale has been committed to preserving our collective heritage, promoting historical literacy, and fostering a sense of pride and stewardship for the vibrant tapestry of our region’s history. Through dynamic exhibitions, engaging educational programs, and meaningful community initiatives, it strives to connect individuals of all ages and backgrounds with the stories, artifacts, and experiences that shape our shared past, present, and future. Guests to Fort Lauderdale are invited to explore the city’s rich past that is housed in historic buildings on a lushly landscaped campus – the History Museum of Fort Lauderdale situated in the 1905 New River Inn, the 1907 Pioneer House Museum, the 1899 Ivy Cromartie Schoolhouse Museum and the Hoch Research Library, South Florida’s foremost history center housing print resources and newspapers from 1910 – present plus 400,000 archival photos, 2,500 maps and 5,000 architectural blueprints. History Fort Lauderdale is located at 231 SW Second Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Museum tickets are available online at HistoryFortLauderdaleTickets. History Fort Lauderdale is a nonprofit agency supported by memberships, grants and charitable contributions. For more information, call (954) 463-4431 or visit us online at historyfortlauderdale.org. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/ftlhistory and on Instagram @ftlhistory. Subscribe to us on YouTube at youtube.com/user/FTLhistory.
HistoryMiami Museum is Miami’s oldest continuously operating cultural institution and a Smithsonian Affiliate. Through exhibitions, programs, research, and collections, the museum safeguards and shares Miami’s stories, connecting people to the past, present, and future of our community. History Miami is located at 101 West Flagler Street in Miami. For more information, call (305) 375-1492 or visit historymiami.org.
