The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Richard Friedenberg |
Written by | Lawrence Dobkin |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | George Stapleford |
Edited by | George Stapleford |
Music by | Thom Pace |
Production company | |
Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Budget | $125,000 [1] |
Box office | $65 million [2] or $24 million [1] [3] |
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams | |
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Dan Haggerty as "Grizzly Adams" and Bozo the bear as "Ben", 1977 | |
Created by | Charles E. Sellier Jr. |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Denver Pyle |
Theme music composer | Thom Pace |
Opening theme | "Maybe" |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 38 |
Production | |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company | Schick Sunn Classic Productions |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | February 9, 1977 – May 12, 1978 |
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams is a 1974 independent feature film produced by Charles E. Sellier Jr. and Raylan D. Jensen for Sunn Classic Pictures. The film's popularity led to an NBC television series of the same name. The title character, played by Dan Haggerty, was loosely based on California mountain man John "Grizzly" Adams (1812–1860).
The film portrays the somewhat fictional Grizzly Adams as a frontier woodsman who fled into the mountains in the year 1853, after he was accused of a murder he didn't commit. While struggling to survive, Adams saves an orphaned grizzly bear cub he adopts and names Ben. The bear, while growing to its huge adult size, becomes Adams' closest companion. Consistently kind and gentle, Adams discovers and demonstrates an uncanny ability to gain the trust of most of the indigenous wildlife of the region, and he helps, sometimes rescues, takes in and tames many species. Originally a hunter, with his learned affection for wildlife Adams resolves never to harm another animal whenever possible.
Adams also gains two human friends, an old mountain man trader named "Mad Jack" who is often featured with his mule ("Number Seven"), and a Native American by the name of "Nakoma". Adams, Mad Jack, and Nakoma help myriad mountain visitors while protecting wildlife at the same time.
NBC aired the series finale of the TV series on February 21, 1982, by way of a two-hour TV movie called The Capture of Grizzly Adams; it presents an ending diverging from the 1974 TV movie portrayal. A hateful rancher, whose partner Adams allegedly killed, uses Adams' daughter Peg, who was not seen or mentioned since the 1974 film, in a ploy to lure the fugitive mountain man back to civilization and kill him. In the end, Adams exposes the rancher for the murder for which he was himself accused, proving his innocence.
In addition to Ben, there were many other named animals in the TV series, the most prominent being Number 7, Mad Jack's ornery mule. Bart the Bear, then a bear cub, made one of his first acting appearances in the series playing Ben as a cub. [4] [5]
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams TV series was created by Charles E. Sellier Jr. and produced through Schick Sunn Classic Pictures, a company based in Park City, Utah and operated by its founding executives, Patrick Frawley, Charles E. Sellier Jr., and Rayland Jenson. Parts of the series were shot in the Uinta National Forest, Wasatch National Forest, and Park City. [6] The low-budget independent studio successfully introduced innovative marketing and promotional methods. Its 1974 Grizzly Adams movie was a runaway success. Produced on a small $140,000 budget, the film grossed over $45 million at the domestic box office [7] and $65 million worldwide. [2] It was the 7th highest-grossing film of 1974. The 43% market share captured by a 1976 airing of the film on NBC led to network executives green-lighting the television series. The series drew a 32% market share, a significant figure to this day. The series also aired at a time when the environmental movement was beginning to flourish.
Bozo was purchased from a Kansas zoo, and trained by R.E. (Bob) Leonard. [8]
The show's theme song, “Maybe,” was written and sung by Thom Pace. The song was released as a single in Europe. It spent nine weeks at number 1 in the single charts in Germany from November 19, 1979 to January 20, 1980. [9] In Switzerland it reached number 2 [10] and in Austria it rose to number 8. [11] In 1980 won Germany's Goldene Europa award for best song. [12] At the beginning of each episode, part of the theme song is sung, while at the end, the entire theme song is sung. "Mad Jack" also introduces the circumstances of Grizzly Adams, referring to him as a "greenhorn", his friendship with Ben and all of the animals. After selling many products bearing the Grizzly Adams brand name, the brand was eventually trademarked by its creator, film producer, Charles E. Sellier, Jr. Following Sellier's death in early 2011, the brand rights were transferred to Grizzly Adams LLC.
Production for the series also took place in Utah, with location work in Arizona and Ruidoso, New Mexico, depending on weather conditions, due to the similarities in terrain. As with the film, animals were provided and trained by the Olympic Game Farm, housed at a second game farm built at Woodland. A scaled-down version of Grizzly Adams' cabin, used to make Dan Haggerty appear taller, is currently located at the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, Washington. [13]
Shout! Factory, under license from CBS Home Entertainment, released both seasons in two region-1, 4-DVD sets: season 1 on November 6, 2012, [14] and Season 2 on February 19, 2013. [15] The same eight discs were reissued as Grizzly Adams: The Complete Series on May 31, 2016.
The Season sets do not include the 1974 film The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, which led to the series. The Season 2 set does include Once Upon a Starry Night, which aired just after the regular series ended in 1978, but not The Capture of Grizzly Adams, which aired in 1982.
On November 12, 2013, CBS Home Entertainment released The Capture of Grizzly Adams on DVD in Region 1. [16]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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1 | 1 | "Adam's Cub" | James L. Conway | Arthur Heinemann | February 9, 1977 | 704 |
2 | 2 | "Blood Brothers" | Jack B. Hively | Paul W. Cooper | February 16, 1977 | 703 |
3 | 3 | "Fugitive" | Richard Friedenberg | Story by : Hindi Brooks Teleplay by : Paul Hunter & Arthur Heinemann | February 23, 1977 | 705 |
4 | 4 | "Unwelcome Neighbor" | James L. Conway | Story by : Larry Dobkin Teleplay by : Paul Hunter | March 2, 1977 | 701 |
5 | 5 | "Howdy-Do, I'm Mad Jack" | Jack B. Hively | Jim Carlson & Terrence McDonnell | March 9, 1977 | 706 |
6 | 6 | "Adam's Ark" | Jack B. Hively | Samuel A. Peeples | March 16, 1977 | 709 |
7 | 7 | "The Redemption of Ben" | James L. Conway | Story by : Samuel A. Peeples Teleplay by : Jim Carlson & Terrence McDonnell | March 23, 1977 | 710 |
8 | 8 | "The Tenderfoot" | James L. Conway | Samuel A. Peeples | March 30, 1977 | 707 |
9 | 9 | "The Rivals" | Sharon Miller | Story by : Joyce Perry & Larry Dobkin Teleplay by : Paul Hunter | April 6, 1977 | 712 |
10 | 10 | "The Unholy Beast" | Jack B. Hively | Story by : Kenneth Dorward Teleplay by : Kenneth Dorward and Jim Carlson & Terrence McDonnell | April 20, 1977 | 711 |
11 | 11 | "Beaver Dam" | Richard Friedenberg | Paul Hunter | April 27, 1977 | 702 |
12 | 12 | "Home of the Hawk" | Richard Friedenberg | Jon Gerald & Jane MacKenzie | May 5, 1977 | 708 |
13 | 13 | "The Storm" | Richard Friedenberg | Preston Wood | May 12, 1977 | 713 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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14 | 1 | "Hot Air Hero" | Richard Friedenberg | E. Jack Kaplan | September 28, 1977 | 718 |
15 | 2 | "Survival" | Sharon Miller | Peter Germano | October 12, 1977 | 715 |
16 | 3 | "A Bear's Life" | Jack B. Hively | Paul W. Cooper | October 19, 1977 | 716 |
17 | 4 | "The Trial" | Jack B. Hively | David O'Malley | October 26, 1977 | 714 |
18 | 5 | "The Orphans" | Jack B. Hively | Story by : Ray Goldrup Teleplay by : Ray Goldrup & Malvin Wald | November 2, 1977 | 723 |
19 | 6 | "The Search" | Richard Friedenberg | Leonard B. Kaufman & Malvin Wald | November 9, 1977 | 720 |
20 | 7 | "Gold is Where You Find It" | Richard Friedenberg | Story by : Dick Conway & Leonard B. Kaufman Teleplay by : Dick Conway | November 23, 1977 | 724 |
21 | 8 | "Track of the Cougar" | Sharon Miller | Worley Thorne | December 14, 1977 | 719 |
22 | 9 | "The Choice" | Sharon Miller | Leonard B. Kaufman & Malvin Wald | December 21, 1977 | 717 |
23 | 10 | "Woman in the Wilderness" | Richard Friedenberg | Leonard B. Kaufman & Malvin Wald | December 28, 1977 | 722 |
24 | 11 | "The Spoilers" | Jack B. Hively | Story by : Leonard Kaufman & Malvin Wald Teleplay by : Malvin Wald | January 4, 1978 | 727 |
25 | 12 | "Marvin the Magnificent" | Jack B. Hively | Jack Jacobs | January 11, 1978 | 721 |
26 | 13 | "A Time of Thirsting" | Jack B. Hively | Brian Russell | January 18, 1978 | 725 |
27 | 14 | "The Seekers" | Richard Friedenberg | Story by : Christopher Jean-Pierre De Tocqueville & Brian Russell Teleplay by : Brian Russell | January 25, 1978 | 726 |
28 | 15 | "A Gentleman Tinker" | David O'Malley | Brian Russell | February 8, 1978 | 730 |
29 | 16 | "The Runaway" | Jack B. Hively | Malvin Wald & Jack Jacobs | February 22, 1978 | 729 |
30 | 17 | "The Great Burro Race" | Jack B. Hively | Dick Conway | March 1, 1978 | 733 |
31 | 18 | "The Littlest Greenhorn" | Richard Friedenberg | Malvin Wald & Jack Jacobs | March 15, 1978 | 732 |
32 | 19 | "The Renewal" | Jack B. Hively | Malvin Wald & Jack Jacobs | March 22, 1978 | 736 |
33 | 20 | "The Stranger" | Jack B. Hively | Leonard B. Kaufman | April 5, 1978 | 728 |
34 | 21 | "The Quest" | Chris Munger | Story by : Kirby Timmons and Malvin Wald & Jack Jacobs Teleplay by : Malvin Wald & Jack Jacobs | April 26, 1978 | 734 |
35 | 22 | "The Skyrider" | Allan Eastman | Story by : Dick Conway & Fenton Hobart Jr. Teleplay by : Dick Conway | May 5, 1978 | 735 |
36 | 23 | "The World's Greatest Bounty Hunter" | S. Travis | Jim Carlson & Dick Conway & Terrence McDonnell | May 12, 1978 | 731 |
37 | 24 | "Once Upon a Starry Night" | Jack B. Hively | Brian Russell & James Simmons | December 19, 1978 | 737 |
Theatrically released as Legend of the Wild. [17] |
Dan Haggerty also played Jeremiah, a modern-day version of Grizzly Adams, in the films Grizzly Mountain (1997) and Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000).
Gentle Ben is a bear character created by author Walt Morey and first introduced in a 1965 children's novel, Gentle Ben. The original novel told the story of the friendship between a large male bear named Ben and a boy named Mark. The story provided the basis for the 1967 film Gentle Giant, the popular late 1960s U.S. television series Gentle Ben, a 1980s animated cartoon and two early 2000s made-for-TV movies.
Daniel Francis Haggerty was an American actor who was best known for playing the title role in the film and television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.
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Thomas Michael Pace is an American singer-songwriter, who is best known for the song "Maybe", which became the theme of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.
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Donald L. Shanks is an American actor and stuntman, known for his role as Michael Myers in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Nakoma, the Native American friend of the title character in the 1977 television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.
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Grizzly Rage is a 2007 Canadian television horror film produced by RHI Entertainment that premiered in Canada on the video-on-demand channel Movie Central On Demand on June 7, 2007. It aired in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel on September 16, 2007. Filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the film is the 2nd title in the Maneater Series produced under an agreement with Syfy. Featuring a cast of four, the film focuses on a group of teenagers who struggle to survive in a restricted forest while an enraged grizzly bear hunts them relentlessly seeking retribution for killing its cub.
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Sunn Classic Pictures, also known as Sunn International Pictures, Schick Sunn Classic Pictures, and Taft International Pictures was an independent U.S.-based film distributor, founded in 1971. The company was notable for family films and documentaries, and was purchased by Taft Broadcasting in 1980.
Charles Edward Sellier Jr. was an American television producer, screenwriter, novelist and director, best known for creating the American book and television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. He was also known for directing the notorious Christmas themed slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night He also wrote and produced more than thirty films and 230 television shows during his career, which spanned four decades.
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a 1980 American made-for-television film produced by Sunn Classic Pictures as a part of their Classics Illustrated series. It was filmed partly in Park City, Utah and shown on NBC. It starred Jeff Goldblum as Ichabod Crane, Meg Foster as Katrina von Tassel, and Dick Butkus as Brom Bones. It was directed by Henning Schellerup and produced by Charles Sellier, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the movie.
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The Adventures of Frontier Fremont, released in the UK as Spirit of the Wild, is a 1976 American Western adventure film directed by Richard Friedenberg, starring Dan Haggerty and Denver Pyle. The Adventures of Frontier Fremont, a family based movie, tells the story of Jacob "Frontier" Fremont. Fremont, originally from St. Louis, gives up his job as a tinsmith in favor of a life as a mountain man. In the mountains he befriends and protects many local animals. Denver Pyle co-stars as "the old mountaineer". Three of the stars, Dan Haggerty, Denver Pyle and Don Shanks, also appeared together in the TV series The Life And Times Of Grizzly Adams.
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"Maybe" spent nine weeks at number one on the German charts, and even won "best song" at 1980's Goldene Europa awards (Germany's version of the Grammys).