The Night of the Grizzly

1966
6.5| 1h48m| en
Details

Marshall "Big Jim" Cole turns in his badge and heads to Wyoming with his family in order to settle on some land left him by a relative. He faces opposition both from a neighbor who wants that land for his own sons, and from a grizzly bear nicknamed "Satan" who keeps killing Cole's livestock.

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Reviews

LouHomey From my favorite movies..
TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
dougdoepke Surprisingly good family drama. From the title, I was expecting something on the order of cheezy horror. True, the real menace here is the grizzly, but his menace is pretty well done in non-cheezy fashion. Jim Cole (Walker) moves his family (Hyer, et al.) onto a run-down ranch on the frontier. Trouble is he has to hock all his belongings to buy the nuts and bolts a working ranch needs. That would be okay if skinflint Jed Curry (Wynn) and his boys weren't trying to get the same ranch. And, by golly, they're hoping the grizzly kills off enough of Cole's livestock that he'll go bankrupt, and they can move in. So it's Cole against the big bear (Satan) who seems impervious to 30-30's. Complicating things is bounty hunter Dowdy (Gordon) who's got a grudge against Cole, and has been hired by Curry to get the grizzly first. If he does, he'll get the reward before Cole does. If this sounds complicated, it is. But the strands weave together pretty well thanks to director Pevney and writer Douglas.Walker's convincing as the steadfast homesteader. No swagger or ego to his character. Hyer plays the doubting wife in pretty blonde fashion, while Elam gets a subdued role as lie-about turned loyal helper, Hank. The values are solidly conservative in God-fearing family fashion, for those who care. Fortunately the salute is not done in a sappy way. Gordon, one of the era's best tough-guys, makes a worthy rival to the towering Walker, even if his ravaged ankle makes a miraculous recovery in his lakeside fist-fight. My only gripe is with Kulp (Wilhelmina or is it 'Bill'). She goes way over the top with her "comedy relief". I guess she figured she'd otherwise be overlooked in a crowded screenplay. Nonetheless, the sum total's a generally rewarding 100- minutes, and a good showcase for the manly Walker.
classicsoncall Just a few years after his successful run as Cheyenne Bodie, Clint Walker returns in all his hunky glory as a former lawman attempting to settle down to ranch life with wife Angela (Martha Hyer), two kids and an older niece Meg (Candy Moore). I thought it just a bit too gratuitous that the film makers would have him take his shirt off for the wood chopping scene but I guess the Sixties had their own way of demonstrating sex appeal on screen. I certainly wouldn't mess with a guy having a physique like that.Most of the other reviews here are generally positive for the film as a family friendly movie experience, and though I agree, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the situations and set ups seemed awkward and didn't flow very naturally. A case in point was the jump off the cliff by Cole (Walker) and his son Charlie (Kevin Brodie) when an early confrontation with Satan could have gone the wrong way. And the bear killing Sam (Don Haggerty) was probably uncalled for, I mean why mess with a potential romance for Miss Wilhelmina (Nancy Kulp) like that?But the film had a few nice touches as well. I could be wrong but I don't think Clint Walker ever sang a song during the Cheyenne series run, and whoever came up with the drunken rooster idea deserves a drink on the house. The picture's depiction of family togetherness through good times and bad is a commendable one for present day, and might even have a teachable moment if it keeps just one youngster out there from getting skunked.
Brett Walter I remember watching this film when I was about three years old the first time, and being scared to death. In fact, every time I watch this film a part of me gets a little scared at the thought of a giant grizzly terrorizing a farm.
dinky-4 Back in the early 1950's, this "family western" might have met with success, but by 1966, television had taken over most of that market, making "Night of the Grizzly" seem a bit soft and old-fashioned for the big screen. For adult viewers, it needs more of an edge to cut through some of its overly-sentimental tone, but most children will probably watch it without complaint. The supporting cast is better than average, (Nancy Kulp being especially enjoyable), and the well-photographed scenery gives the proceedings a pleasing "outdoorsy" quality. And for those interested in another kind of scenery, Clint Walker takes off his shirt at regular intervals, thus giving one and all a look at his famously fabulous chest.