The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams

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A shortlived, but beloved, 1970s Western series about the adventures of James "Grizzly" Adams, a fugitive who fled to the mountains after being wrongfully accused of a crime.

Along the way, he rescues a orphan grizzly bear cub who becomes his closest companion, Ben. Even as Ben grows into a massive adult, Adams learns that he has an uncanny link to the local wildlife who have no fear of him and interact as part of their world. Adams has human friends too, the trader Mad Jack and Nakoma who are sworn to keep his existence secret.

After the series' initial feature film appearance, the TV series typically as Adams meeting visitors in his mountain home while keeping a wary eye for bounty hunters coming for him. For drama, the series makes it clear that the wilderness is a dangerous place for amateurs to live in and Adams and company often have to come to the rescue when the visitors get in trouble.

The series concluded in 1982 with the Grand Finale TV movie, The Capture of Grizzly Adams, where a bounty hunter uses Adams' hitherto unmentioned daughter to draw him out of hiding. In the end, Adams saves the day and proves his innocence.

Very loosely based on the story of the real James Adams.

Tropes used in The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams include:

• Everything's Worse With Bears: Not with Ben
• Mountain Man
• Nature Hero
• Nature Is Not Nice: Adams and his friends are the first to note that the mountains is a dangerous area to live if you don't know what you're doing.
• Wild Wilderness: No one outside the woods knows Adams or his exploits.