Film Fest: A Grizzly Scene

Rabun County’s woodland critters are many in number with our outdoor neighbors the black bear sometimes tipping the scales at hundreds of pounds.
While a sternly stated “Hey bear!” often will shoo a black bear away from a camper’s knapsack or residents’ trash cans with a feint aroma of leftover pizza, back in 1976 in Northeast Georgia the black bear’s more brazen brown cousin became quite the menace.
For those most as familiar with the brown-bear reference, the movie “Grizzly” was filmed in Rabun County, Georgia and was first shown on the big screen 49 years ago. Grizzlies do not inhabit the Georgia mountains, but for the shooting of this horror flick one very large 18-foot one did call Rabun home for a few weeks.
“Grizzly,” an independent film intended for mature audiences, will be among the movies shown at the Highlands-Cashiers Film Festival that runs from Sept. 18-21 at the Highlands Performing Arts Center, 507 Chestnut St. Over the four days, the film festival also will serve as the host for guest speakers, including Mary Baham, who at 10 years of age, played Scout Finch in the 1962 classic “To Kill a Mockingbird” with Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.
With local Rabun Countians making several cameos throughout the film, “Grizzly” will be played on the big screen on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m. The admission fee for the showing has been paid by a sponsor, so those who attend can see the film for free. 
The movies from the 1930s to present-day will range from horror like “Grizzly;” to independent films; to iconic “The Adventures of Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn; and to family-friendly ones such as “Stuart Little 2.”
For tickets and a schedule of events, visit highlandscashiersfilmfestival.com. Some charges may apply for certain festival events.

Grizzly stars
The star of “Grizzly” was a Kodiak with an actual height of 11 feet. The largest bear in captivity at the time, named “Teddy” who was flown to the Blue Ridge Mountains from Washington state, while the human stars of the movie were Christopher George, Andrew Prine and Richard Jaeckel.
Locals were cast in camp scenes and as individuals in Clayton stores. Among the Rabun residents in the film was Catherine Rickman, the daughter of Frank Rickman, who headed the Georgia Film Commission when “Grizzly” was released.
Famed movie director Quentin Tarantino, who has embraced the genre of cult films from the 1960s and 1970s, once showed “Grizzly” at a Halloween gathering after the group voted to watch the picture that has made $38 million despite being made for $750,000. The theater was packed for the Oct. 31 viewing.
“Grizzly” was the top grossing independent film in 1976.
Heather Lowe, an organizer of the film festival, said an event similar to this was held years ago, but she and others involved see this strong first gathering leading to future festivals. Georgia and its mountains that roll into North Carolina has become an attraction for movie makers.
“I think what is happening here now will attract more films,” Lowe said. “This is a great area.”
“We are hoping this year cements a lasting future for the festival,” she said. “Come and let us entertain you.”
Lowe, a resident of Highlands, said she remembers when Clayton was basically a gas station, pool hall and the Clayton Café, where the menu was written in pencil because it changed each day.
“It was a sleepy little town,” said Lowe, president of the Oxford Group Productions. “It isn’t a sleepy little town anymore.”
Rabun County has been utilized for movies like 1956 “The Great Locomotive Chase;” 1972 “Deliverance;” and more recently “Dog Gone” in 2021.
“This has been a movie area,” said Lowe, an actress, producer and director who moved the region eight years ago.
Lowe was married to Prine, one of the stars of “Grizzly.” Prine, who died in 2022 on Halloween in Paris at the age of 86, maintained close ties to the region.
In the movie, Prine battled the monster grizzly who racked up the victims throughout the film.
Lowe said Prine worked in movies with several icons like Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin and Raquel Welch, but it was being in the 1970 film “Chisum” with John Wayne that had the most impact.
“He said that when he turned around and saw John Wayne, he knew he had made it,” Lowe said of her husband.

Showcasing creativity, community
“Born from a shared love of film, creativity and community, our festival is a grassroots celebration of storytelling in all its forms,” according to the film festival’s website. “In this first year, we’re thrilled to welcome filmmakers and audiences to our small North Carolina town to connect through the power of cinema. With a team of dedicated volunteers, we’re here to uplift emerging voices and create space for meaningful artistic exchange.”
Along with Badham, who will talk about being in “To Kill a Mockingbird” on Thursday, Sept. 18, prior to the showing of the film, other special festival guests are actress, writer, producer and director Illeana Douglas; producer and filmmaker Catherine Wyler; senior film critic Walter Chaw; film industry veteran David Andrews; production designer Bill Brzeski; art director and motion designer Christian Haberken; visual effects and post-production veteran Robert Hoffman; actor and singer William Thomas Francis Miller; Australian actress Radha Mitchell; still-image photographer Steven Poster; figurative sculptor Wesley Wofford; and creative visionary Dabney Day.

Festival schedule
Dozens of independent films scheduled on Sept. 18, 19 and 20.
The special guests who either starred, helped create or have insight are scheduled to present the various featured films.  
Along with “Grizzly” which will be presented by Lowe, the featured films are “Ghost World,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Roman Holiday,” “Donnie Darko,” “Matilda,” “Stuart Little 2,” “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Grace of my Heart,” and “Strangler on the Third Floor.”
Scheduled events include “Exclusive Sneak Preview of The Gardener” which is a film that was shot in Franklin and Highlands. Other events are “A Walk in The Garden Soiree,” “Bogart’s Cocktail Party,” and “‘Best of’ Awards and People’s Choice Award.”
The seminars are “The Art of the Title,” “Q&A with Mary Badham,” “Documentary of William Wyler,” “The World of Technicolor” and “The Advent of Silicone Prosthetic Makeup in Film.”
Musicals on tap are “Matilda the Musical Medley” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream Performance.”

- Enoch Autry
Clayton Tribune