The Night of the Grizzly

Although the title may sound like one of those nature-gone-wild horror movies of the 1970s, this is actually a 1966 Western starring Clint Walker as former sheriff Jim Cole, who leads his family West to inherit a homestead left by his grandfather. Cole aims to take up a peaceful life of farming and ranching, but—of course—nothing is that simple. Local banker Jed Curry (Keenan Wynn) wants that plot of land for himself, and a brazen grizzly bear (nicknamed Satan by the locals) is devastating the livestock and farms of the area. After the animal kills Cole's entire stock—as well as his former deputy, Sam Potts (Don Haggerty as the classic sourdough sidekick)—Cole risks everything to take the bear on all by himself and earn the reward money to save his farm. The Night of the Grizzly was well reviewed upon its release, and the familial drama aspect still holds up well as the danger mounts and Cole's wife, Angela (Martha Hyer), begs him to just walk away. But the rest looks awfully dated from today's perspective, with its often stiff special effects (including full-size bear animatronics) and silly comic interludes, such as scenes with costar Jack Elam as an amiable town drunk. Extras include an interview with Walker (who calls this film his personal favorite). Optional. (S. Axmaker)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Nov. 1, 2016—Olive, 102 min., G, DVD: $34.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1966's The Night of the Grizzly features a fine transfer and mono audio. Extras include audio commentary by film historian Toby Roan, “The Legend of Big Jim Cole” interview with star Clint Walker (27 min.), the archival interview “At Home with Clint Walker and His Home Gymnasium” (12 min.), archival footage from the world premiere (7 min.), and author C. Courtney Joyner's essay “Blood on the Claw: How Cheyenne Bodie Became a Movie Star.” Bottom line: this classic boasts a much improved video image thanks to a new digital restoration.]