MovieChat Forums > Cheyenne (1955) Discussion > killer grizzly episode question

killer grizzly episode question


I had nightmares for years as a child after watching a Cheyenne episode where the characters are menaced by a killer grizzly. It's glowing eyes were shown as it stalked its victims. Scanning the titles of the episodes didn't help me locate the episode I'm talking about....can anyone help me identify the right one? I should mention that I'm not confusing this with the Clint Walker movie "Night of the Grizzly." Or at least I'm pretty sure that I am not! My less-than-perfect memory is sure that Walker was playing his Cheyenne character and that it was an hour episode, not a movie. I recall that the grizzly killed a beautiful black horse belonging to a know-it-all girl. (Hey, with a little hypnosis, I might get to the core of this!)

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It sounds like from an episode called (from Season 2):-
Big Ghost Basin (Pretty sure there is a Bear that causes havoc)

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The episode you want is "BIG GHOST BASIN". I will never forget this episode,it scared the hell out of me and my brother. We could not sleep for weeks without the light on and bedroom door open. I was 13 and my brother 9 and I remember it scaring us worse than any other horror show of the time. Gary Lichtenstein

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It's been several months since the last reply to this thread but I had to respond anyway.

Like the rest of you, I will never forget this episode. However, what stands out to me is the way Cheyenne forced a showdown with the grizzly. He takes his rifle, sets himself up a safe height in a tree, has some type of bait below and then waits for the bear to show up. The creepy part was that this sense took place at night, and I seem to remember the only light was from the "campfire" on the ground. I will never forget the suspense this situation created, watching him wait for the killer grizzly to show up. Talk about stirring the viewer's imagination!

Thanks for identifying the episode - does anyone know if this series has ever been sold in a DVD format? It would be worth it just for this one alone, even though the whole series was terrific with Clint Walker as the lead.

It was interesting to be reminded on the site that this show began in 1955 and that another great TV Western, Maverick (starring James Garner) apparently came two years later, in 1957.

These first two may have been the best, even though they were very different (Maverick often survived with his sense of humor and wit rather than brute strength and bravery). It's fun to look back and remember how much we enjoyed them.

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Thanks for helping get this information. I'm with you about buying the entire series just to get that show. "Big Ghost Basin"....I'd have never figured it out. I count that as one of my top 5 scares as a kid. Nice to know that I wasn't the only one!

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Wow..I remember seeing that episode as a 7 year old and running out of the room scared *beep*

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I attribute years of really creative nightmares to that episode. How theraputic it is to learn that little beating hearts all over the land shared the experience!

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I was researching the Cheyenne series looking for the "grizzly" episode and discovered the many entries concerning this one episode. I was six years old at the time it aired. That show scared me for many years. I never forgot about it. I was surprised to see how many people were as petrified as I was. I talked about that one particular episode for years with my childhood friends. I did discover that Season 2 has not been released on DVD but Amazon does list it as a "notify me". There is hope and yes, buying the entire season 2 to re-live that moment would be worth it.

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After years of listening to my father talk about Cheyenne, (plus other TV westerns), and the "Big Ghost Basin" episode. I finally got to see it when GoodLife/AmericanLife TV aired the series from Oct 2001 to the summer of 2007. ALTV only showed the first four seasons which I have all recorded.

Anyway I got to see "Big Ghost Basin" for the first time six years ago. I was 22 then. I thought this was the best Cheyenne episode. I like horror flicks, and this episode ranks right up there with some of the best horror movies too.

The story involes a Grizzly bear that was burned once. And anytime the bear spots someone near a camp fire, the bear killed them and kicked dirt on the fire. You never see the bear until the end.

I recommend this episode to any western or horror fan.

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We are watching the 24-hour marathon of Cheyenne on Encore Western. I saw this thread and figured this particular episode sounded exceptionally good, so I looked it up on the Encore Western website and found that it will be aired Monday, January 5, at 7:00 am and 4:30 pm, Central time. I'm looking forward to seeing it. Hope this helps.

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Had to bump this thread. It sounds so good.

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Put me on the FRIGHT LIST. I saw that episode, called BIG GHOST BASIN, back in high school, and it really scared the living BEEP outta me.

Just shows that we don't need to be constantly slammed over the head with CGI and endless gore. Those two glaring eyes were more than enough.

It's definitely a horror classic, much like the THRILLER series.





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And now you can see it in all it's pristine glory, it's there on the dvd release of Cheyenne season 2. You could even order it from Clint Walker's website and he will sign the dvd for you. The ultimate satisfaction, Big Ghost Basin dvd signed by Clint!

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Count me in as well. Those glowing eyes were absolutely terrifying. I hope to see the episode again for the first time in over 55 years!

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It should air on Encoe Westerns in early August.

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Yes, those glowing eyes were effective. There were 2 similar "Bigfoot" type episodes. If this is the right one, the beast, itself, which looked like a moth eaten bear rug, was a real disappointment,

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I don't know, but "Big Ghost Basin" might actually be based on a "true" story.

A story which Theodore Roosevelt heard and wrote about in The Wilderness Hunter (1893).

I was a lot older when I read it than I was when I saw "Big Ghost Basin", but it still spooked me a lot.

Two trappers decided to try their luck in a valley with a sinister reputation. Only one returned, of course.

So maybe the writer of "Big Ghost Basin" was providing a fictional solution to the identity of the possibly real monster in Roosevelt's story.

Some bigfoot books included the story as as a possible bigfoot encounter.

On Thursday Jan 31. 2013 I put out the trash in two separate operations, both after dark. The first time, looking for trash containers in the back driveway, I heard two large critters moving away and glimpsed one which looked like a deer. No big deal. But when I shined a light down the valley and saw it reflected in two pairs of bright eyes it was a little spooky.

Later, on the second trash run, I saw one bright reflective eye moving away. One eye would be on the side of the critter's head, which is a herbivore's eye placement.

But when I later looked toward where the unseen creature had gone, I saw two bright eyes looking at me. Of course a deer would not have walked toward where a large carnivore was. I was almost certain that it was just the deer looking back to see what I was doing.

The easy way to take the boxes of trash out would be to drago them up the gentle slope of the driveway. Instead I carried them up the stairs inside and out the front door. Because ever since I saw "Big Ghost basin" the glowing eyes in the night rule me.

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This memorable episode airs on Encore Westerns Aug 8, 7:10 ET. Cant wait.

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Just posted elsewhere on this board that I've just ordered Big Ghost Canyon episode in Blu-ray. It's a little expensive, but worth it to me. Hope to be transported back to the night I saw this episode all those decades ago. If you all lived closer, I'd host a viewing party!

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