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After working in nature for so long, Dan Haggerty had difficulty adapting to Hollywood
“I never worked on a soundstage before,” Haggerty said.
Dan Haggerty didn’t just play Grizzly Adams on screen; he took a piece of the character with him throughout his entire life.
Originally based on a real figure, Grizzly Adams began his on-screen journey in the 1974 film, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. The film later led to a television adaptation of the same name, which ran from 1977-1978.
After the series ended, Haggerty wasn’t necessarily living the life of an outdoorsman. Rather, as he explained in The Daily Herald, he was an outdoorsman who happened to be on camera. The actor had grown used to acting outdoors, surrounded by nature and life. By the time he starred in the 1980 television film, Condominium, he was startled by a change in pace.
“I never worked on a soundstage before,” Haggerty said. “I had always worked outside under the blue sky. All of a sudden, I was inside this giant soundstage. All of these guys with black suits on were looking over their shoulders, figuring out if they did the right thing or not by hiring this guy.”
Of course, Haggerty adapted to these changes. A consummate professional, he knew that a change of scenery wouldn’t hurt his career.
“I’ll do whatever the public likes,” said the actor. “Whatever makes them feel comfortable. I feel films are made for entertainment, and somehow or other, entertainment has lost its power because people in the industry are making films for one another instead of making films for the masses.”
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