Retro Raunch Revisit

GRIZZLY (1976)
Christopher George, Richard Jaeckel, Andrew Prine, Joe Dorsey, Joan McCall, Tom Arcuragi, Charles Kissinger
Directed by William Girdler
Released on May 16, 1976 (Happy 50th Anniversary)
Macho and denim-clad helicopter pilot, Don Stober, is flying 2 Senators high above a National Park, telling them the forested area has been unencroached much since the days of the Native Americans, and is making a case for conservation. Simultaneously, Michael Kelly, the head ranger is briefing his team who in turn rally a group of backpackers for a hike. Meanwhile, his perky photographer girlfriend, Allison, is at the local restaurant lodge owned by her Dad. When 2 female hikers (claiming they've walked 10 miles(!), are savagely killed by an unseen animal except for a swiping paw, they are reported missing and a search for them is conducted. Their mangled bodies (one of which is partially buried) are found and afterwards, the coroner confirms a bear was responsible. This was no camping accident. Charley Kittridge, the park supervisor rakes Michael over the coals saying since bears are supposed to be moved to high country so as not to interfere with the tourist season, this looks like gross negligence by the ranger, warranting an investigation. Both men argue about shutting down the park, the safety of moving hikers off the park's mountain while keeping campers in the lowlands, and of Arthur Scott -- the eccentric outdoors expert who has tagged all the bears. It seems they might have a rogue on their hands so Michael contacts Arthur to have him find out and take care of the problem. A ranger-couple searching for the bear in the woods, split up with the young lady stripping to bra & panties (because she wanted to soak her feet) to emulate a shampoo commercial beneath a waterfall.

The timing for the semi-skinny dip couldn't be worse and it's the last shower she'll ever take as the bear strikes -- complete with killer-POV/gazing distance that mirrors a peep show of every sex maniac ever who murders a woman in her skivvies. Allison tries to cheer up Michael over his frustration with the whole ensuing scrape, and the next day he is taken up in the helicopter by Don to look for the bear. They meet Arthur (out tracking in an deer-pelt cape) who tells them their animal is indeed an outsider: a 15ft near-prehistoric grizzly weighing over 2000lbs. Don & Michael are casually unconvinced and scoff. At a nearby campsite, a woman enters her tent for a little cosmetic fresh-up, and is killed by the barging-in bear as people flee in panic over the sound of her dying screams. Michael consoles the crying boyfriend, and is again blasted by Charley whom also gives Arthur a dose of his bad temper. Charley is one annoying authoritarian: as a stubborn park supervisor who is told that a grizzly is on the loose, he too is dismissive, and still staunchly refuses to close down the park. Michael is pissed off to see hunters in the woods the next day -- one of whom narrowly escapes a confrontation with the bear by throwing his rifle down(!) and tumbling down a river bank into the water to be swept away by the current. Charley states offering a bounty is the best solution, and as to why as park supervisor he is an incessant ballbreaker full of resistance? He doesn't like Michael for being a maverick. Allison wants to join in the bear hunt but Michael gives her a firm 'hell no'! (and from that point forward she goes AWOL for the rest of the movie).

That night, a bunch of hunters try to capture a bear cub to use as bait, but their effort is all for naught as killer bear drops in and makes dinner out of the Teddy Ruxpin. Michael is again pissed, this time at the hunters for their botched insensitivity. Arthur chimes in to say the grizzly is male since they are known to eat their young. Michael, Don, Arthur, and the hunters form a plan to flush out the bear, with Don telling a story about an ancient tribe of grizzlies that once ate an Indian tribe (USS Indianapolis speech, anyone?) Arthur states he'd like to take the bear alive using tranquilizers which causes an argument with a disagreeing Don (with both men descending into each insulting the other's mother), but Michael gives Arthur the OK on condition that he not act alone. At sunrise, the plan is kicked into gear with the male ranger companion of waterfall girl, who is in an observation watchtower overlooking the forest. The bear pays him a visit and in lumberjack mode, knocks down the tower. Killed in the fall, the ranger's body is found and back in Michael's office, predictable Charley again rips Michael a new one by insisting he needs extra help, while Arthur leaves both men to continue their shouting match. An angry Michael yells about closing the park, and condemns the invited media parked outside; accusing Charley of headline-seeking and political opportunism to land himself on Capitol Hill. That night at the ranger station, Arthur goes after the bear solo. In the morning, a young boy is playing with his rabbit in a fenced yard while his Mom is tending to a clothesline inside.

The rabbit escapes but is brought back by the boy who unknowingly leaves the gate door open. [Sorry little fella, this ain't Yogi Bear here to steal picnic baskets. Or Winnie the Pooh or Paddington in search of honey. Or Smokey the Bear to warn you about fire. Or Baloo from THE JUNGLE BOOK ready to sing 'The Bare Necessities'. Or TV's Gentle Ben visiting from the Everglades]... The kid screams as he is scooped up in a bear hug causing Mom to run outside, armed with a broom to fend off the grunting & growling beast. The bear rips the boy's left leg off below the knee and Mom is killed. With the mutilated kid in the hospital and Mom in the morgue, a shocked Charley is finally removed, and Michael tells the media that greed -- and they -- are to blame for incompetence & turmoil in addition to the bear's reign of terror. The park is finally closed, along with all hunters banned. The next day, Michael and Don grab weapons and use a gutted deer carcass hanging from a tree as a trap before setting off in another helicopter search. The bear is chased through the woods (yellow barrels, anyone?) but it disappears, and returns to claim its Bambi steak. Arthur looks for the elusive bear on horseback and finds the deer remains which he drags behind him as a lure. The bear ambushes him, decapitates the horse with one smack(!), and half-buries him. Unconscious Arthur attempts to Lazarus himself from his shallow mini-grave but the bear comes back and finishes him for good. Michael and Don find his body, and when they take chase in the air, they spot the animal in a patch of open field and land in a clearing.

The bear shoves the helicopter causing it to spin which ejects Don. Don shoots the bear with a shotgun but to no avail and is killed. Michael shoots it with a rifle but also to no avail. Not to fret however, he grabs a bazooka (the US Forest Service had access to that?) and blows the big bad bruin to a Rambo-style, fiery kingdom come. We conclude with Michael sadly walking past its burning remains, back towards Don's body. [The novel by Will Collins featured a different conclusion with Don surviving his attack, and Michael using a flamethrower]. Filmed in Georgia, GRIZZLY for the longest time has been called a shameless JAWS-on-land ripoff, blatantly trying to capitalize on that phenomenon's success, one year after its blockbuster release. [Michael was Chief Brody; Allison was Ellen Brody; Arthur was Hooper; Don and his helicopter were Quint and his boat; Charley was Mayor Vaughn; the 2 female hikers were a doubleshot of Chrissie Watkins; the little boy was Alex Kintner; the local yokel hunters were the throngs of fishermen attracted to the $10,000 reward; and Harvey Flaxman (the movie's writer & producer) has a cameo as a reporter, just as author Peter Benchley did]. Inspite of the truth to the exploitation accusation, and widely bashed by critics, this B-movie was still a surprising success that resulted in a box office of $39 million worldwide, from its low budget of $750,000. It was also the most profitable indie film of 1976, and remained so -- all-time -- until 1978 when a little picture called HALLOWEEN took its crown away.

The movie's overkill and "smile, you sonofabitch!" ending is gonzo terrible-riffic, and yet fitting for the crescendo of all the bear's carnivorous maulings. With nice scenic aerial photography, several spots of bad acting, and as one of the first bear copycats in the 'when animals attack' category -- as quickie offerings also saw CLAWS (1977), and PROPHECY (1979) -- what looks like ursine baloney for its campiness, mechanical furry arms, stuntmen in bear suits, and acrylic paint-looking blood, is nevertheless still quite earnest and fondly remembered. And then there's the bear itself which kept changing in size thus never looking as giant as described. The poster also wrongly has it at 18ft, and its fierce cover art looks more of a conjuring of the bear that mega-trounced Leonardo DiCaprio in THE REVENANT. So overall, is the movie underappreciated and even underestimated, while being cheapish, thinly written, and unoriginal? Yes. Is it unwatchable? Definitely not. GRIZZLY is roaring and formulaic fun with its cheesy charm, some corny puns to think about (great pause, grisly demise, bearing thoughts), and a monster who has a real sinister knack for silently popping in from outta nowhere. [There was an attempt to film a sequel in 1983 titled GRIZZLY 2: THE PREDATOR about another bear attacking an outdoor concert. Shot in Hungary, and starring George Clooney, Charlie Sheen, Laura Dern, Louise Fletcher, and John Rhys-Davies, the film was shelved due to fx problems, but a bootleg workprint (showing the movie has not aged well) was released in 2007].