Private Benjamin (TV series) from Benjamin and her friends' attempts to evade the watchful eye of their sergeant. Although some of the actors from the film play the same characters on the TV show, (notably Eileen Brennan and Hal Williams, in their roles of Captain Doreen Lewis and Sgt. L.C. Ross respectively) the title role is acted by Lorna Patterson instead of Goldie Hawn. While the series was initially shot on film and featured many outdoor scenes, later episodes were more like a standard sitcom, shot on video on soundstages and complete with a laugh track. In the fall of 1982, Robert Mandan joined
Benjamin S. Ruffin Jr. Benjamin S. Ruffin Jr. Benjamin Sylvester Ruffin (December 11, 1941 – December 7, 2006), also known as Ben Ruffin, was an African American civil rights activist, educator, and businessman in Durham, North Carolina. Growing up during the Civil Rights Movement era, Ruffin’s life experience in Durham has provided him with a black consciousness that helped him analyze and empathize with the difficulty of growing up poor and black in America. This thus motivated, shaped and developed Ruffin’s role as an activist, propelling him to assume leadership positions within organizations that ensured social justice and access to opportunities for blacks in