blgraydon — 10 years ago(January 20, 2016 01:25 PM)

I noticed that Dan Haggerty passed last week.
I have an interesting "back" story on the Grizzly Adams films. In March, 1973
I was hired to photograph the very first Griz Adams film. However, the producer, director and "star" was not Dan Haggerty.
His name at this point doesn't matter. On the very first day of filming (we were in the woods around Helper, Utah) the bear attacked him and threw him around and chewed him-up pretty badly. The bear finally let go after the "handlers" moved in and bopped him on the head a couple of times-he then ran off into the woods.
It wasn't the trained bear, "Bart", but a grizzly that had spent his life in captivity.
Before we could get the actor to a hospital, we had to chase the bear around for an hour or so to corral him back in his cage.
That done, we proceeded on to Salt Lake City and the hospital. The actor, producer, director was basically never heard from again. In the remaining months another film producer somehow gained control of the "Grizzly Adams"
property and then went on to produce the movies and television shows that starred Dan Haggerty.
Ah, the thrill of it all!
Bruce Graydon
Fort Collins, CO