The Night of the Grizzly (1966)

Although 'Night of the Grizzly' was released by Paramount, it's easy to mistake it as a Disney film! Long on family values and gentle humor, this adventure yarn is the kind of 'live-action' feature that the studio specialized in throughout the fifties. If you don't think a film that kids can enjoy will be your 'cup of tea', you might be in for a surprise! This is a terrific movie!

Ex-Marshal Jim Cole (played with rugged charm by 'Cheyenne' Clint Walker) moves his family onto a small ranch, hoping to get away from the dangers of his previous line of work. His loving wife, Angela (popular '60s star Martha Hyer) is overjoyed by their new life, and the kids soon develop a bond with the beautiful countryside, and the small town nearby.

Not EVERYONE is happy about the arrangement, however; town bigshot Jed Curry (Keenan Wynn) wants Cole's land, and his sons are soon attempting to provoke Cole, in an unsuccessful attempt to force him to leave. When a montrous killer grizzly appears, and starts killing off Cole's livestock, Curry sees his opportunity; as the primary shareholder at the bank, he makes it nearly impossible for the rancher to get loans to replace stock.

The grizzly, nicknamed 'Satan', terrorizes the countryside, killing men, horses, and farm animals, and Cole methodically begins hunting it, in hopes of getting the $750 bounty that would 'save' his ranch!

The arrival of bounty hunter Cass Dowdy (played with cold-blooded menace by Leo Gordon, a veteran screen villain) further muddies the waters; Cole had once arrested him, and Dowdy spent two years in the 'pen', vowing revenge! Adored by the eldest Cole child, Charlie (Kevin Brodie), Dowdy announces he will kill the grizzly and accept the bounty, simply to ruin Cole! The pieces are now in place for a thrilling finale, as Cole, Charlie, and Dowdy confront the enraged beast, in a scene eerily similar to the climax of 'Jaws'!

The film offers a supporting cast of Hollywood 'pros', including Jack Elam ('Cannonball Run'), as bizzare but sweet Hank, who is 'adopted' by Cole's young daughter, Gypsy (the wonderful Victoria Paige Meyerink, in her second film); Nancy Kulp (TV's 'The Beverly Hillbillies') as the spinster owner of the local mercantile store; Ron Ely (TV's first 'Tarzan') and Sammy Jackson (TV's 'No Time for Sergeants') as Dowdy's sons; and Regis Toomey ('Burke's Law'), as the sympathetic banker.

This is a film to cherish, and enjoy, again and again! Gather the family...They'll thank you for it!

I too remember this movie from the mid 1960s. Exciting, well acted and full of good family values, I am glad someone finally decided to have this film released on DVD. With an interview and re-mastered to boot! It's been a long wait, but well worth it.

Clint is still with us and living in Grass Valley CA(visit his website, he often responds to emails).

Walker was certainly the biggest and most imposing actor ever to appear onscreen, not excepting the body-builder types like Arnold and Reeves. He was perfectly proportioned(compare him to 6', 210lb Ely standing together!)Note: He was and still is an avid exponent of exercise and proper eating. He was also very under-rated as an actor. Very natural. Great screen presence(compare to current crop of stars)and he had a terrific speaking and singing voice. Great character actors here,(the REAL actors!) in every scene. Especially enjoyed Jack Elam as a good guy, for a change, and nobody does the baddie like Leo Gordon. Regis Toomey and Keenan Wynn...how could you go wrong?

Gorgeously filmed in the Tetons. Uplifting(except for grizzlies, I suppose) and really worth purchasing. Reminds me of when movies were made for all-age viewing, exciting, and left you feeling good. Thanks, Clint. And may God continue to bless you for many more years to come.

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This is a great family movie picture! I saw this movie when it first came out in 1966 I was 6 years old. Warner Brothers Theater in San Pedro, CA. My older brother took me to go see it. I never forgot it. It has been quite sometime since I had last seen it. I wanted to grow up to be just like Big Jim Cole(Clint Walker). One of his best roles. I was not only scared of the giant Grizzly bear, but also of Cass Dowdy and his dogs. The bad guy played well by Leo Gordon. Great story line, beautiful scenery, good classic life situations and human values. I read a negative remark about the special effects. It was made in the mid sixties! I was totally captivated by this movie. Full of suspense, great actors and supporting cast. Excellent movie for the whole family to enjoy! H.J. Barrera

Read Best Reviews of The Night of the Grizzly (1966) Here

This atypical "family Western" tells a story that was probably more common on the frontier than every cinematic shootout ever filmed. Former lawman Big Jim Cole (Clint Walker, best known as TV's "Cheyenne") inherits his grandfather's small ranch and brings his family to settle on it. His first 24 hours in town aren't promising: he learns that the ranch was originally won from a powerful neighbor, Jed Curry (Keenan Wynn), who still covets it for his sons, Tad and Cal (Ron Ely, Sammy Jackson); he has to use almost all his savings to pay off a loan against it; 12-year-old son Charlie (Kevin Brodie) gets into a brawl with some local boys; five-year-old daughter Gypsy (Victoria Paige Meyerink) gets "skunked"; longtime deputy and friend Sam Potts (Don Haggerty) gets cheated out of $10 by the young Currys and their buddy Duke Squires (Med Flory); and the ranch turns out to be a near-ruin. But Jim is determined: this is good land, he says; with their purebred bull Duncan, he and his wife Angie (Martha Hyer) will raise "some good cattle and maybe ten or twelve more kids." Then comes full spring and the awakening of the neighborhood nemesis, a huge grizzly bear known as Old Satan ("If that beast ain't Lucifer himself he's sure his first cousin," says banker Cotton Benson (Regis Toomey), an early friend of the Coles). Satan's first visit to the Cole ranch results in a dead bull, the panicked flight of Sam's beloved mule Becky, and the injury of the family dog Solomon. Jim and Sam go hunting and manage to hurt and intimidate the animal, but as fall arrives he returns and wreaks even more havoc, not only against them but at other places in the valley. Now the cattlemen put a bounty on the bear, which draws hunter Cass Dowdy (Leo Gordon), formerly a deputy of Jim's, who bears him an old grudge and yearns to see him "busted, flat broke, and beat."

Much of the charm of the movie is in the picture of a close-knit family making a home for itself in a new land, and in the well-drawn, well-acted characters, including Hank (Jack Elam), the town loafer, Wilhelmina "Bill" Peterson (Nancy Kulp of "The Beverly Hillbillies"), who keeps the general store, and Hazel Squires (Ellen Corby), Duke's tiny, feisty mother. It's true that the "bear" in several of the close-ups is obviously a man in a bear suit, but there are also some impressive shots of a genuine grizzly, as well as some gorgeous trans-Divide Wyoming scenery and a generous helping of humor. While there's little man-vs.-man shooting (I won't say none), three fistfights provide some action, and the steadily rising tension between Jim and Angie as the stress tests their marriage, the threat of losing the ranch, and the looming menace of Dowdy keep the suspense going. This would be an excellent movie for "family night" viewing; it's been one of my favorites for over three decades.

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This is one of Clint Walker's best films. Walker portrays Big Jim Cole, a retired Sheriff who brings his family to a new life on a new ranch. But, a local killer Grizzly Bear has other plans when he continues to kill off Jim's livestock. The hunt for the bear is exciting and there are a few good laughs in it as well. Also good supporting performances by Jack Elam, Ellen Corby(Grandma on the Waltons), Ron Ely(T.V.'s Tarzan) and Keenan Wynn. The location where the movie was filmed, the San Bernardino National Forest, is beautiful. A great family film.

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