"Deep inside the forest is a door into another land,here is our life and home...." "We are staying, here forever in the beauty of this place,all alone." "We keep on hoping..." "Maybe, there's a world where we won't have to run, and maybe, there's a time we'll call our own,living free in harmony and majesty." "Take me home...take me home." ** Now,almost a year ago,I had the good fortune to find Seasons 1 and 2 of the show on DVD,here at my local library. (I've been quite busy since.) It was the mid 1980s when I'd last seen the show in reruns,so naturally I was very excited. The series existed on NBC until just 1 month & 3 weeks shy of 2 years and like most fans,was nothing short of shocked (and even angered) when the show was pulled (unannonuced) in Dec. of 1978. The question on most viewers minds was "Why cancel a show with not only good ratings but good writing,acting and that the whole family can enjoy as well?" (Ever notice they didn't dare pull that with "Litle House On The Prarie" ?)In a time filled with comedies of Norman Lear on CBS,the Gary Marshall sitcoms on ABC,violent police shows. As well as programs meant to show off women's "attributes" more than their acting.... "Grizzly Adams" was family TV at it's best. Adams,Ben The Grizzly Bear,Trapper Mad Jack and Indian friend Nakoma (and guests),were well played and thought out characters. Even Nakoma was not a "stereo-type". The animals in the show seemed almost "charmed" by Charles Adams" as they seemed to understand everything he said and asked of them,when he needed their help. (Cynical people called this "cutesy" and "unrealistic".) The best thing about the series ,is it taught us about what was really important in living. To be glad for each new day that you're alive,to live for others as much as for yourself and to never give up on hope or even sometimes,one's dreams or aspirations. To Haggerty's credit as an actor...The fact that Adams can win over great odds,without killing or any serious violence and still come across 100% convincing is amazing to watch. He plays a man wanted for something he clearly didn't do and having to hide out from a society of laws that were more about vengeance than justice. ...and yet,Adams lives each day as he would any other. To just live life,should he be captured or not. Denver Pyle's "Mad Jack" is great as well. While Pyle can make him as serious as can be,he also makes Jack a great comic relief,who is sometimes upstaged by the animals,especially his mule "Number 7" .Don Shanks' "Nakoma" speaks no English (except in one show when conversing with another younger tribe member,so we know what they're saying). This allows us to pay even more attention to his character and his actions. Plus,it makes for a unique bond of friendship between the three. I could go on but all I can say is in these times of Reality TV,R-Rated sitcoms and crime shows with double the violence of those from the 1970s... Give the 1974 film,this show and 1982's "The Capture Of Grizzly Adams" a look (in that order).It's well worth it if you'd like to see something that's meaningful and again of good quality. Especially for that wonderful theme song,which I posted at the start,"Maybe" by Thom Pace. I think that says it all. (END)

My father was a forest ranger at the Soapstone Guard Station for nearly 30 years. As a child and early teen, the Uinta Mountains, where many of Sun Productions' films and TV series were filmed, was "my childhood back-yard." With my dirt bike allowing me access to miles of travel all around the area, along with my intimate knowledge of the area and any big events occurring in or around it, I was able to watch many, many days of scenes being set-up and filmed.Grizzly Adams with Doug Suess' huge grizzly-bear Ben, was one of my favorites. Doug and his son Clint still live in the Heber City area and have quite a stable of film-ready "wild animals" for hire. Another classic movie filmed in and around the area was Robert Redford's "Jeremiah Johnson." Still classic films... and even fonder memories.

Just recently the TV series was aired again on German TV for an... x number of times. It "realizes" everyone´s dream to just leave this hectic, violent world behind. The plots are simple, which isn´t necessarily negative. As a matter of fact, it is one of the few TV series with little to no violence. It brings back memories of one´s own youth and dreams of a perfect world in which all problems will be solved in a nice way at the end. An entertaining series with good actors, beautiful sights of nature and unforgettable Ben.

While I know that this show was no emmy-winning fare, it brings backs memories of my youth and gaining an appreciation for nature and all animals.Somewhere in all of us, lies that Walden-esque desire to abandon the trappings of modern life and live in the wilderness among nature. While this was merely a television program, and undoubtedly fraught with errors and impossibilities (i.e. raising an orphan cub to be your "buddy"), it allowed for soles young and old to live out that Western fantasy, albeit vicarisely. I miss those days curled up with a pillow on my Grandma's floor and imersing myself in Grizzly Adam's world.