The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (film) |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Richard Friedenberg |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Lawrence Dobkin |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Thom Pace |
| Cinematography | George Stapleford |
| Editing by | George Stapleford |
| Studio | Sunn Classic Pictures |
| Distributed by |
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| Release date(s) | November 13, 1974 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $125,000 |
| Money made | $65 million or $24 million |
| The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (TV series) | |
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Dan Haggerty as "Grizzly Adams" and Bozo the bear as "Ben", 1977
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| 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(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 38 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Schick Sunn Classic Productions |
| Distributor | Viacom Enterprises |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | February 9, 1977 – May 12, 1978 |
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams is a popular story about a man and his animal friends. It started as a movie in 1974. Later, it became a TV show on NBC. The main character, Grizzly Adams, was played by Dan Haggerty. His story was inspired by a real mountain man named John "Grizzly" Adams.
The movie and TV show tell the tale of Grizzly Adams. He was a man who lived in the mountains. He had to run away because he was wrongly accused of a crime. While trying to survive, Adams found a baby grizzly bear cub. He saved the cub and named him Ben. Ben grew up to be a huge bear and Adams's best friend.
Grizzly Adams was always kind to animals. He learned how to earn their trust. He would often help, rescue, and even tame many different kinds of wildlife. At first, Adams was a hunter. But after spending time with animals, he decided never to harm them again.
In the TV show, Adams had two human friends. One was an old mountain man named "Mad Jack," played by Denver Pyle. Mad Jack always had his mule, "Number Seven," with him. The other friend was a Native American man named "Nakoma," played by Don Shanks. Adams, Mad Jack, and Nakoma often helped people who visited the mountains. They also worked to protect the animals living there.
The TV series ended with a special two-hour TV movie on February 21, 1982. It was called The Capture of Grizzly Adams. In this movie, someone trying to catch Adams used his daughter to trick him. She had not been seen since the 1974 film. In the end, Adams was able to prove that he was innocent.
Meet the Characters
This section introduces the main actors and the characters they played in The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.
Human Characters
- Dan Haggerty played James Capen 'Grizzly' Adams. He was the kind mountain man who befriended animals.
- Denver Pyle played Mad Jack. He was an old, wise mountain man and a good friend to Adams.
- Don Shanks played Nakoma. He was a Native American friend who helped Adams.
- John Bishop played Robbie Cartman.
Animal Characters
Many animals were important characters in the show.
- Bozo, a real grizzly bear, played Ben. Ben was Adams's loyal and giant bear companion. He was named after Benjamin Franklin.
- Number 7 was Mad Jack's stubborn but helpful mule.
- Bart the Bear, who later became a famous bear actor, appeared as a bear cub playing young Ben in some episodes.
Sequel Stories
The story of Grizzly Adams continued in other films. Dan Haggerty, the actor who played Grizzly Adams, also starred in two later movies. He played a character named Jeremiah, who was like a modern-day Grizzly Adams. These films were Grizzly Mountain (1997) and Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000).
