NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY is a fun traditional western with a few horror trappings. Amusingly enough, upon the release of THE REVENANT in cinemas early this year, a couple of TV channels took the opportunity to show other 'bear attack' movies, including GRIZZLY and CLAWS. I took the opportunity to watch this one, a film I'd never heard of previously.What's refreshing is that from the very outset NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY is a well-mounted production with much to recommend it. It has plenty of fine cinematography and great colourful establishing shots of the western terrain. The characters are traditionally drawn (read: stereotyped) but the casting director draws in established talents (Jack Elam, Keenan Wynn) who give assured performances. And the hulking Clint Walker is an excellent choice for the lead, a man you have to believe can go up against a grizzly bear himself.The bear action is quite limited, but that makes it more effective, and the bear himself is a believable performer. The other western staples, like romance and rivalry and of course more than a few fist fights, are present and correct here. NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY will never be the kind of movie to set the world on fire, but it certainly proves to be a fun little watch.

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.

Just a few years after his successful run as Cheyenne Bodie, Clint Walker returns in all his hunky glory as a former lawman attempting to settle down to ranch life with wife Angela (Martha Hyer), two kids and an older niece Meg (Candy Moore). I thought it just a bit too gratuitous that the film makers would have him take his shirt off for the wood chopping scene but I guess the Sixties had their own way of demonstrating sex appeal on screen. I certainly wouldn't mess with a guy having a physique like that.Most of the other reviews here are generally positive for the film as a family friendly movie experience, and though I agree, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the situations and set ups seemed awkward and didn't flow very naturally. A case in point was the jump off the cliff by Cole (Walker) and his son Charlie (Kevin Brodie) when an early confrontation with Satan could have gone the wrong way. And the bear killing Sam (Don Haggerty) was probably uncalled for, I mean why mess with a potential romance for Miss Wilhelmina (Nancy Kulp) like that?But the film had a few nice touches as well. I could be wrong but I don't think Clint Walker ever sang a song during the Cheyenne series run, and whoever came up with the drunken rooster idea deserves a drink on the house. The picture's depiction of family togetherness through good times and bad is a commendable one for present day, and might even have a teachable moment if it keeps just one youngster out there from getting skunked.

Hollywood use to make movies with muscle guys like Clint Walker and Steve Reeves. To my surprised, Clint Walker used to work out because his arms are massive in this movie and his chest must be 52 inches wide at least. The Night of the Grizzly is an older film. I thought the grizzly bear did a great performance and he should have won some type of award for his acting skills because he was very convincing and scary, in this movie. I loved the little girl and Jack Elam's character. The brutal attacks from the grizzly bear is not for children then again, depends on your children. I think this movie should have been rated at least a PG 13. The bounty hunter played a good role and the lady at the general store added a little giggle or two to this blockbuster movie. I bought the Night of the Grizzly movie on DVD, from amazon, I thought it was that good.