Series notes
Show type: 1800s Western Drama
Original run of show: February 9, 1977 to December 19, 1978 on NBC
The series was preceded by the 1974 feature film of the same name
The series was followed by the 1982 TV Movie: The Capture of Grizzly Adams
The series was loosely based on the mountain man James 'Grizzly' Adams who lived 1812 - 1860
The series theme song was written and performed by Thom Pace
The series was filmed on location in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico
The animals were provided and trained by the Olympic Game Farm
The production company of the series was named Schick Sunn Classic Productions, INC.
There were complete TV series DVD sets from both Timeless Media and Shout Factory
Series Cast
Dan Haggerty as James 'Grizzly' Adams
Denver Pyle as Mad Jack
Don Shanks as Nakoma
Principle Animals
Ben: grizzly bear
Number Seven: burro (small donkey)
Season 1
1. Adams' Cub
Airdate: February 9, 1977
Production number: 7804
Written by: Arthur Heinemann
Directed by: James L. Conway
Guest Stars
Hank Kendrick as Jed
Lucky Hayes as Mary Bowker
Introducing
Kristen Curry as Eliza
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams and Ben look after a young girl separated from her parents during a trip west, while Mad Jack searches for her parents.
2. Blood Brothers
Airdate: February 16, 1977
Production number: 7803
Written by: Paul W. Cooper
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Star
John Bishop as Robbie Cartman
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams recalls how he met Nakoma the Indian brave who became his "blood brother."
3. Fugitive
Airdate: February 23, 1977
Production number: 7805
Teleplay by: Paul Hunter, Arthur Heinemann
Story by: Hindi Brooks
Directed by: Dick Friedenberg
Guest Stars
Ken Berry as Will Boker
Jason Clark as Marshall
Patrick Wright as Deputy Sam
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams encounters a man in desperate search for a bag he has lost.
4. Unwelcome Neighbor
Airdate: March 2, 1977
Production number: 7801
Teleplay by: Paul Hunter
Story by: Larry Dobkin
Directed by: James L. Conway
Guest Stars
Ronny Cox as Cartman
John Bishop as Robbie
Synopsis: When his unfriendly behavior almost causes him to lose his son, a father learns a valuable lesson about being neighborly in the mountains from Grizzly Adams.
5. Howdy-Do, I'm Mad Jack
Airdate: March 9, 1977
Production number: 7806
Written by: Jim Carlson, Terrance McDonnell
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
Number Six as Burro (uncredited)
Synopsis: Mad Jack is missing, but his burro turns up with Jack's diary in the saddle bag. Grizzly Adams reads Jack's version of their early days together.
6. Adams' Ark
Airdate: March 16, 1977
Production number: 7809
Written by: Samuel A. Peeples
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Star
Don Galloway as Pinkerton
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams is almost caught by a detective searching for him when he risks his life to save the animals caught by an erupting volcano.
7. The Redemption of Ben
Airdate: March 23, 1977
Production number: 7810
Teleplay by: Jim Carlson, Terrance McDonnell
Story by: Samuel A. Peeples
Directed by: James L. Conway
Guest Star
Norman Fell as Mitch Morgan
Featuring
Hayes Stewart
Charles Young
Earl Smith as Frank
Jane Harrison as Sarah
Mary Lou as Skunk (uncredited)
Daniel as Skunk (uncredited)
Edgar as Crow (uncredited)
Samson as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: While Grizzly Adams is recovering from an accident, Ben is captured by an animal trainer who attempts to discipline him through starvation.
8. The Tenderfoot
Airdate: March 30, 1977
Production number: 7807
Written by: Samuel A. Peeples
Directed by: James L. Conway
Guest Star
Charles Martin Smith as Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt
Synopsis: A frail but eager youth named Theodore Roosevelt almost gets killed tying to adapt to the wilderness.
9. The Rivals
Airdate: April 6, 1977
Production number: 7812
Teleplay by: Paul Hunter
Story by: Joyce Perry, Larry Dobkin
Directed by: Sharron Miller
Guest Star
Betty Ann Carr as Sumi
Synopsis: When Mad Jack finds gold in a stream, Grizzly Adams tries to convince him not to stake a claim, fearful that the serene environment would be destroyed.
10. The Unholy Beast
Airdate: April 20, 1977
Production number: 7811
Teleplay by: Ken Dorwood, Jim Carlson, Terrance McDonnell
Story by: Ken Dorwood
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Star
Slim Pickens as Fine Hope
Featuring
George Aguilar as Grey Wind
Hi Jolly as Camel (uncredited)
Synopsis: An Indian, observing an army sergeant traveling on a camel, believes it to be an evil spirit that must be destroyed.
11. Beaver Dam
Airdate: April 27, 1977
Production number: 7802
Written by: Paul Hunter
Directed by: Dick Friedenberg
Guest Stars
Daniel as Skunk (uncredited)
Mary Lou as Skunk (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams tries to convince a misplaced family of beavers to build a dam elsewhere, fearing it will flood his valley.
12. Home of the Hawk
Airdate: May 4, 1977
Production number: 7808
Written by: Jon Gerald, Jane Mackenzie
Directed by: Dick Friedenberg
Guest Stars
Jack Kruschen as Metcalf
Margaret Willock as Deborah
Synopsis: Grizzly Adam's patience is put to a true test when he is forced to let an ornery stranger and his daughter stay while the father recovers from injuries suffered in a wagon accident.
13. The Storm
Airdate: May 11, 1977
Production number: 7813
Written by: Preston Wood
Directed by: Richard Friedenberg
Featuring
Lois Red Elk as Indian Woman
Lori Sutton as Talitha
Molock as Grizzly Bear (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adam's endurance is put to the test when he risks his life to save a lost Indian girl from an evil spirit.
Season 2
1. Hot Air Hero
Airdate: September 28, 1977
Production number: 7818
Written by: E. Jack Kaplan
Directed by: Richard Friedenberg
Guest Star
Gene Conforti as Andre Gerard
Louis as Rabbit (uncredited)
Louise as Rabbit (uncredited)
Synopsis: Mad Jack, startled by a strange flying craft overhead, shoots down what turns out to be a famous french balloonist who lands in Grizzly Adam's camp.
2. Survival
Airdate: October 12, 1977
Production number: 7815
Written by: Peter Germano
Directed by: Sharron Miller
Guest Stars
James Wainwright as Sam Steel
John Bishop as Robbie Cartman
Daniel as Skunk (uncredited)
Ginger as Baby Deer (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Mary Lou as Skunk (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams loses his memory following an injury and becomes a frightened man struggling to survive in the wilderness.
3. A Bears' Life
Airdate: October 19, 1977
Production number: 7816
Written by: Paul W. Cooper
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Co-Starring
Eugene Standing Bear as Old Medicine Man
Oscar G. Rowland as Jonas
Elaine Daniels as Lavinia
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Ben, the bear, strays from the cabin and winds up as a passenger in an Indian witch doctor's covered wagon.
4. The Trial
Airdate: October 26, 1977
Production number: 7814
Written by: David O'Malley
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
John War Eagle as Chief
Frank L. Martinez as Tumaqua
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: As the accused thief of an Indian chief's fish catch, Ben, the bear, faces banishment from Grizzly Adam's care.
5. The Orphans
Airdate: November 2, 1977
Production number: 7823
Teleplay by: Ray Goldrup, Malvin Wald
Story by: Ray Goldrup
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Introducing
Jo Dee Jetton as Michelle
Tiger Thompson as Eugene
Guest Star
James Griffith as Watts
One Half as Burro (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Junior as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams teaches two runaway orphans a lesson in survival in the wilderness.
6. The Search
Airdate: November 9, 1977
Production number: 7820
Written by: Leonard B. Kaufman, Malvin Wald
Directed by: Richard Friedenberg
Guest Star
Paul Brinegar as Trapper Tom
Synopsis: A lost, helpless cub, stalked by a trapper and a pack of wolves, becomes the object of a desperate search by Grizzly Adams and Mad Jack.
7. Gold Is Where You Find It
Airdate: November 23, 1977
Production number: 7824
Teleplay by: Dick Conway
Story by: Dick Conway, Leonard B. Kaufman
Directed by: Richard Friedenberg
Guest Stars
Forrest Tucker as Ernie
Larry Storch as Wally
Gumption as Raccoon (uncredited)
Roscoe as Mule (uncredited)
Synopsis: Two bumbling greenhorn prospectors scour the wilderness in a frustrating search for gold.
8. Track of the Cougar
Airdate: December 14, 1977
Production number: 7819
Written by: Worley Thorne
Directed by: Sharron Miller
Guest Stars
Sekota as Cougar (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams and Nakoma must find a cougar, once their pet, believed to have gone mad in the wilderness.
9. The Choice
Airdate: December 21, 1977
Production number: 7817
Written by: Leonard B. Kaufman, Malvin Wald
Directed by: Sharron Miller
Guest Star
John Bishop as Robbie Cartman
Ginger as Deer (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams helps a young boy accept the difficult decision of allowing his beloved pet deer go free.
10. Woman in the Wilderness
Airdate: December 28, 1977
Production number: 7822
Written by: Leonard B. Kaufman, Malvin Wald
Directed by: Richard Friedenberg
Guest Star
Tiffany Bolling as Kate
Introducing
Todd Tingey as Totawny
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams tries to prevent a woman from killing a bear she believes is responsible for her father's death.
11. The Spoilers
Airdate: January 4, 1978
Production number: 7827
Teleplay by: Malvin Wald
Story by: Leonard B. Kaufman, Malvin Wald
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
Ken Lynch as Luck Harry
Walter Wanderman as Elijah Bowman
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams, Mad Jack and Nakoma try to find out why fish in Hoot Owl Creek are dying off and animals are falling ill.
12. Marvin the Magnificent
Airdate: January 11, 1978
Production number: 7821
Written by: Jack Jacobs
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Star
Edward Andrews as Marvin the Magnificent
Babe as Bear (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams tries to convince a traveling entertainer that his ailing bear is suffering from confinement.
13. A Time of Thirsting
Airdate: January 18, 1978
Production number: 7825
Written by: Brian Russell
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
Fancy as Bobcat (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams and his friends are threatened with a dwindling water supply and a raging forest fire due to the dry spell.
14. The Seekers
Airdate: January 25, 1978
Production number: 7826
Teleplay by: Brian Russell
Story by: Christopher Jean-Pierre De Tocqueville, Brian Russell
Directed by: Richard Friedenberg
Guest Stars
Keenan Wynn as Sargent Monhan
John Bishop as Robbie Cartman
Daniel as Skunk (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Mary Lou as Skunk (uncredited)
Thunderbolt as Horse (uncredited)
Synopsis: After giving his life savings to a dishonest stranger in exchange for farmland, a retired cavalryman sets out into the wilderness to find it.
15. A Gentleman Tinker
Airdate: February 8, 1978
Production number: 7830
Written by: Brian Russell
Directed by: David O'Malley
Guest Stars
Walter Burke as Patrick McGinty
Al Hansen as Devan McGinty
Little Long Ears as Burro (uncredited)
Lady Agnes as Goose (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Kiss and Kate as Goat (uncredited)
Lucky as Dog
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams befriends a poor and starving man after Mad Jack mistakes him for a leprechaun.
16. The Runaway
Airdate: February 22, 1978
Production number: 7829
Written by: Malvin Wald, Jack Jacobs
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
Roger E. Mosley as Isaac
Cooper Huckabee as Mr. John Ransom
Daniel as Skunk (uncredited)
Mary Lou as Skunk (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams teaches a runaway slave the true meaning of freedom.
17. The Great Burro Race
Airdate: March 1, 1978
Production number: 7833
Written by: Dick Conway
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
Jack Elam as Gus
Fran Ryan as Gerty
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Wilbur as Burro (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams helps Mad Jack win back the burro he lost to an old rival.
18. The Littlest Greenhorn
Airdate: March 15, 1978
Production number: 7832
Written by: Malvin Wald, Jack Jacobs
Directed by: Richard Friedenberg
Guest Stars
Henry Beckman as Nathaniel Morgan
Polly as Parrot (uncredited)
Sally as Chimp (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams teaches a retired sea captain and his mischievous pet chimp the importance of friendship between man and beast.
19. The Renewal
Airdate: March 22, 1978
Production number: 6841
Written by: Malvin Wald, Jack Jacobs
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
Patrick Wayne as Brad
Ned Romero as Silver Fox
Rudy Ramos as Watani
John G. Bishop as Robbie Cartman
Brian Erickson as Andrew
Betsey as Cow (uncredited)
Cleo as Sheep (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Mary Lou as Skunk (uncredited)
Louie as Rabbit (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams and Mad Jack help Nakoma's tribe recover their sacred hawk.
Notes: This episode had a running time of 90 minutes.
20. The Stranger
Airdate: April 5, 1978
Production number: 7828
Written by: Leonard B. Kaufman
Directed by: S. Travis
Guest Stars
Mark Slade as Captain Ulysses S. Grant
Todd Tingey as Totani
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams takes steps to stop Ulysses S. Grant's mountain survey when it threatens the wildlife.
21. The Quest
Airdate: April 26, 1978
Production number: 7834
Teleplay by: Malvin Wald, Jack Jacobs
Story by: Kirby Timmons, Malvin Wald, Jack Jacobs
Directed by: Chris Munger
Guest Stars
John David Carson as Elmer Bludgett
Royce D. Applegate as Army Corporal
George as Bear (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Martha as Bear (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams tries to talk a government man out of placing a bounty on wildlife in the area.
22. The Skyrider
Airdate: May 5, 1978
Production number: 7835
Teleplay by: Dick Conway
Story by: Dick Conway, Fenton Hobart Jr.
Directed by: Allan Eastman
Guest Star
Russ Tamblyn as Milton Wright
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Susie as Donkey (uncredited)
Synopsis: Mr. Milton Wright comes to the high mountain country trying to achieve human flight in his bird-like "glider" invention.
23. The World's Greatest Bounty Hunter
Airdate: May 12, 1978
Production number: 7831
Teleplay by: Dick Conway
Story by: Dick Conway, Carl Jamesson, Lee Francis
Directed by: S. Travis
Guest Stars
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Synopsis: Delirious with fever, Mad Jack believes he is a bounty hunter intent on collecting the reward for the capture of his good friend and escaped fugitive James "Grizzly" Adams.
24. Once Upon a Starry Night
Airdate: December 19, 1978
Production number: 6840
Written by: Brian Russell, James Simmons
Directed by: Jack B. Hively
Guest Stars
Ken Curtis as Uncle Ned
Jack Kruschen as Frost-bite Foley
Special Guest Star
Don Galloway as Sam
and
Diane McBain as Jenny
Featuring
Linda Arbizu as Debbie
Steven Robertson as Billy
Blizzard as Burro (uncredited)
Daniel as Skunk (uncredited)
Joshua as Raccoon (uncredited)
Mary Lou (uncredited)
Synopsis: Grizzly Adams and Mad Jack try to help two children reunite with their parents for Christmas.
Notes: This episode had a running time of 90 minutes.