The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams

Theatrical release poster of Life and Times of Grizzly Adams

Grizzly Adams is the main character from The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, a 1974 film. The movie spawned a two-season NBC television series of the same name in 1977 with 39 episodes. The title character was loosely based on an actual trapper, James/John Capen "Grizzly" Adams.

Grizzly Adams (Dan Haggerty) is a woodsman who fled into the mountains when he was wrongly accused of murder. While struggling to survive, Adams discovers an orphaned grizzly bear cub whom he takes in and calls Ben. The bear, despite his huge adult size, becomes Adams' closest companion. Adams has an uncanny link to most of the indigenous wildlife of the region, who have no fear of him. In return, he resolves never to harm another animal whenever possible. In the television series, Adams had two human companions, an old trader named Mad Jack the Mountain Man (Denver Pyle, commonly featured with a mule named "Number Seven") and a Native American named Nakoma (Don Shanks). Together, they helped various visitors while protecting the wildlife.

The series was concluded with a 1982 TV movie called The Capture of Grizzly Adams where a bounty hunter used Adams' hitherto unknown daughter to draw him back to civilization. In the end, Adams proved his innocence.

Production

Grizzly Adams was the creation of Sunn Classic Pictures, a company based in Park City, Utah which employed mostly Mormons and was operated by Christian founder Charles E. Sellier Jr. The studio successfully made up for its lack of experience with lavish marketing and promotional budgets. The 1974 movie was a runaway success, produced on a $140,000 budget but which went on to earn $65 million at theaters. The 43% market share captured by a 1976 airing of this film on NBC caused network executives to greenlight a television series. This series drew a 32% market share, a figure which still remains very significant to this day. The enterprise also came at a time when the environmental movement flourished.

In a 978 interview with TV Guide, Sellier said that the company used extensive market testing to produce the series, which was based on tests showing that audiences liked stories about men and animals in the wilderness; that bears were favorite wilderness animals; and that grizzlies were the favorite type of bear. Actual filming locations for the television series took place in the mountains near Ruidoso, New Mexico.

In late 2006, there was negotiation to produce a full length feature film with Russian actor Denys Volkov portraying the title character. The film is not yet completed, but is believed to be completed in late 2007.

Episode list

1974 film

• The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams

Season 1

1. "Adam's Cub" (9 February 1977)
2. "Blood Brothers" (16 February 1977)
3. "The Fugitive" (23 February 1977)
4. "Unwelcome Neighbor" (2 March 1977)
5. "Howdy-Do, I'm Mad Jack" (9 March 1977)
6. "Adam's Ark" (16 March 1977)
7. "The Redemption of Ben" (23 March 1977)
8. "The Tenderfoot" (30 March 1977)
9. "The Rivals" (6 April 1977)
10. "The Unholy Beast" (20 April 1977)
11. "Beaver Dam" (27 April 1977)
12. "Home of the Hawk" (5 May 1977)
13. "The Storm" (12 May 1977)

Season 2

1. "Hot Air Hero" (28 September 1977)
2. "Survival" (12 October 1977)
3. "A Bear's Life" (19 October 1977)
4. "The Trial" (26 October 1977)
5. "The Orphans" (2 November 1977)
6. "The Search" (9 November 1977)
7. "Gold Is Where You Find It" (23 November 1977)
8. "Track of the Cougar" (14 December 1977)
9. "The Choice" (21 December 1977)
10. "Woman in the Wilderness" (28 December 1977)
11. "The Spoilers" (4 January 1978)
12. "Marvin the Magnificent" (11 January 1978)
13. "A Time of Thirsting" (18 January 1978)
14. "The Seekers" (25 January 1978)
15. "A Gentleman Tinker" (8 February 1978)
16. "The Runaway" (22 February 1978)
17. "The Great Burro Race" (1 March 1978)
18. "The Littlest Greenhorn" (15 March 1978)
19. "The Renewal" (two hours, 22 March 1978)
20. "The Stranger" (5 April 1978)
21. "The Quest" (26 April 1978)
22. "The Skyrider" (5 May 1978)
23. "The World's Greatest Bounty Hunter" (12 May 1978)

TV films

1. Once Upon a Starry Night (19 December 1978, also released in theaters as Legend of the Wild (1981))
2. The Capture of Grizzly Adams (21 February 1982)

External links

• The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams at IMDb
• The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (TV series) at IMDb
• The Capture of Grizzly Adams at IMDb
• GrizzlyAdams.net, a detailed site with behind the scenes photos and episode summaries.