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.

Wuchak "Night of the Grizzly" is an outstanding and underrated Western from 1966. As ex-sheriff Jim Cole, Clint Walker embodies the substance of manhood, so rare in our current generation. He models bravery, honor, integrity, fidelity, strength, compassion, self-reliance, mercy, love and respect. He possesses the stamina and boldness to face an array of threats poised to wreck him and his loved ones, including a greedy neighbor who wants his ranch and a rogue grizzly dubbed "Old Satan." He says to his wife: "Angie, there ain't a man alive that doesn't have trouble. How he handles that trouble is what counts. In every man's life there's a Cass or a Satan, one kind or another, trying to whip him, beat him down, destroy him. He can't run away from it. He's got to stand strong and fight! Whatever it is he's got to fight! That's how God made a man."It took forever but -- thankfully -- this was finally released on DVD.The film runs 102 minutes and was shot in the Big Bear region of San Bernardino National Forest, California.GRADE: A

tavm Just watched this obscure western on Netflix streaming. It stars Clint Walker as a former lawman with wife Martha Hyer and children buying a ranch in order to start a new life. But a bear threatens to make things hell for anyone crossing his path...This was quite a thrilling movie, in fact, I was surprised at how much gore there was for a movie made before the ratings system that went into effect a couple of years later. But there was also some good comic relief especially whenever Nancy Culp appeared with her big crush on Dan Haggerty and her singing "Beautiful Dreamer". Also, Keenan Wynn does his trademark bellowing whenever things don't get his way that I always found always made me laugh. He wants the land Walker owns but is more gentlemanly when trying to get it at least in the way he doesn't try to threaten him directly. And then there's Leo Gordon as a former associate of Walker's who ended up doing some jail time because of the latter's testimony against him for killing an innocent person. Really, all I'll say now is I highly recommend The Night of the Grizzly. P.S. I always like to cite whenever a player from my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life, appears in something else. Here, it's Ellen Corby who was the one Jimmy Stewart kissed on the cheek at the end of the run-on-the-bank sequence playing one of Walker's neighbors.

thepenncrew-1 When I first saw this movie I was at the drive-in with my parents. I remember hiding behind the back of the seat scared out of my wits! My father is a gunsmith and I've always had a healthy respect both for guns and wildlife. And I know for a fact that there are things in the woods that are much bigger than I am. And the fact that what occurs in this movie could actually happen without aide of CG or any other technical assistance makes it even scarier. OK, the acting itself could have been better but you have to remember the age of the movie.I hate to think how it would be "gorified" if remade. It was gory enough as it was.