"The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" (1977) TV series 1977-1978

Creator:

Charles E. Sellier Jr.

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

9 February 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Western

Plot:

An innocent fugitive from the law lives in the wilderness with a grizzly bear companion and helps passers-by in the forest.

Plot Keywords:

Wilderness | Grizzly Bear | Bear | Grizzly Adams | Fugitive

Cast

Dan Haggerty	...	James 'Grizzly' Adams (36 episodes, 1977-1978)
Denver Pyle	...	Mad Jack (36 episodes, 1977-1978)
Don Shanks	...	Nakoma (35 episodes, 1977-1978)

Runtime:

60 min (39 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Park City, Utah, USA

Company:

Sunn Classic Pictures

Trivia:

Ben, the bear was played by Bozo and Mad Jack's mule was Number 7.

Quotes:

Mad Jack: [title sequence narration] They call me Mad Jack, and if there is anybody in these mountains that knows the real story about James Adams, that'd be me. So I'm putting it down in writing just how it happened in hopes of setting the record straight. Well, my friend Adams was accused of a crime he didn't commit...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: King Dinosaur (#3.10)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Maybe

Ahhhh....great memories!

While I know that this show was no emmy-winning fare, it brings backs memories of my youth and gaining an appreciation for nature and all animals.

Somewhere in all of us, lies that Walden-esque desire to abandon the trappings of modern life and live in the wilderness among nature. While this was merely a television program, and undoubtedly fraught with errors and impossibilities (i.e. raising an orphan cub to be your "buddy"), it allowed for soles young and old to live out that Western fantasy, albeit vicarisely. I miss those days curled up with a pillow on my Grandma's floor and imersing myself in Grizzly Adam's world.