Night of the Grizzly is a 1966 western drama film directd by Joseph Pevney from the screenplay of Warren Douglas.
It stars a former lawman Jim Cole (Clint Walker) who has recently moved to the U.S. state of Wyoming to start his new life as a rancher with wife Angela (Martha Hyer) and two children.
But their peaceful existence is threatened by some unwanted neigbors, a giant grizzly bear who is on a rampage, and angry neirhbors who are planning to harm the Cole family.
Will Big Jim able to secure his family from the surrounding dangers?
Night of the Grizzly Filming Locations
The movie sets in Wyoming but the whole filming of Night of the Grizzly was done around San Bernardino National Forest that is located in southern California inside the Western United States.
Most of the outdoor scenes were done in the picturesque surroundings of the Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino, California.
Big Bear Lake and Cedar Lake, both were used for the shooting purposes along with Holcomb Valley where ranch scenes were done.
San Bernardino National Forest
According to United States Dept of Agriculture, the forest covers 823,816 acres of land and has a wide range of ecosystems from confiers to oak woodlands that are home to various plant and animal species.
Filming in such a dense forest in between the animals is a big challenge itself but director Joseph and his team managed to capture all the scenes with perfection.
Pictures of heavy equipments were shared by cinematographers Loyal Griggs and Harold Lipstein that were used in the filming of this action adventure film.
As per our research, some shooting has also taken place around Sierra Nevada Mountain range in the areas of Bass Lake and North Folk.
Bass Lake
According to the government website, Bass Lake is a census designated place in Madera Country, California.
It is situated in the Siera National forest and is known for its clean waters and lush greenery that attracts a lot of tourists from other parts of the US.
This is the place where Jim lives with his family in the movie. The serene environment of Bass Lake provided the perfect backdrop for the filming of Cole family’s house with a surrounding wilderness.
While Bass Lake is a popular recreational spot, North Folk is a lesser known small town located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in the Madera country of California.
Some ranch scenes were done at the Inverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California.
Night of the Grizzly was not the first production that took place around that, the ranch is already popular as a filming site for numerous western films.
The historic ranch has been a popular shooting location since early days of Hollywood where various classic movies have been filmed like Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Crossfire Trail, Bonanza, Wagpn Train, Walker Independence, The Virginian, Tales of Well Fargo, Barry Lyndon, and The Rifleman.
Meet the cast
Night of the Grizzly main cast members are as follows:
- Clint Walker as Jim Cole
- Martha Hyer as Angela Cole
- Kevin Brodie as Charlie
- Don Haggerty as Sam Potts
- Candy Moore as Meg
- Victoria Paige Meyerink as Gypsy
Review
Night of the Grizzly is a classic western adventure that offers a captivating storyline, strong performances, and stunning visuals.
We can say that this movie was far ahead of its time and if the graphic quality was as better as it is today then it would definitely beat the Jurassic Park franchise. The performance of Clint Walker as Jim Cole in the movie is remarkable and highly appreciable.
He nailed the role of a determined and resourceful man in the movie alongside Don Haggerty and other supporting cast.
The action filled encounter of Walker with Satan the bear is a nail-biting moment and the beautiful depiction of the western part of the US is mesmerizing.
Was the bear real in Night of the Grizzly?
Obviously, the bear was fake. It was created under the Paramount studio that looked like a real bear.
Well, that’s the end of this article.
What are your thoughts on this movie of Clint Walker? Let’s start discussing in the comments section below.
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