Agent Zero here with something I have to get off my chest: I fell in love with Bigfoot in a movie theater.
The year was probably 1974, and I was just a kid. I don’t remember much about how I knew there was going to be a movie about this creature showing at the Sunset Theater–obviously I heard from the kids at school. I do remember that just about every boy in my class went.
I don’t remember much about the movie, either. It was one of those eery ’70s documentaries (think Chariots of the Gods or In Search of Noah’s Ark) with forboding narration and sensationalist “plot” . The Patterson Film was the highlight, of course. If you don’t recognize the name, I know you recognize the image–this is the famous film clip of Sasquatch walking through the deep woods of Northern California. The camera is bouncing and the 16mm film is grainy. Then, as the camera stabilizes, Bigfoot turns and looks at the camera. Freeze-frame.
I was smitten at that moment.
All kids love strange creatures, but there was something unique about this one. For one thing, it looked cool–huge and hairy and ape-like (but not an ape). But better yet, no one believed it really existed. And here was what looked like real evidence. Could it be true–the world might not be as mundane as I feared? At a solid eleven years old, the sheen of early childhood was wearing off, and I was afraid that the magic that accompanied those nascent years might be receding with it. But here was evidence that all was not lost. The universe is mysterious after all! (How little I knew.)
That night, they gave out postcard-sized photos of that freeze-framed shot from the film, and I carried it around with me for weeks. We examined it on the playground. We read the back. “Bigfoot,” it said, “is also called Sasquatch and Omah.” We practiced saying those names. (Interestingly, I don’t hear “Omah” very much these days.)
As an adult, I’ve come nearly full-circle. See, I stopped believing in the Patterson Film for a while. Roger Patterson, who shot it, was a Bigfoot fiend himself, and so it seemed the odds were pretty good he’d faked it. Also, it was just a guy in a monkey suit, right? How obvious.
Since that time, though, I’ve learned some things–too many things to cover here, but I can summarize. If that’s a guy in a monkey suit, for instance, then quite a number of legitimate scientists think he did one hell of a job. Bigfoot’s stride matches the stride of a simian, not a human. It would be difficult (although not impossible) for a human to replicate it. If it’s a suit, it has a lot of detail (breasts, foot pads, a herniation) and no apparent flaws.
There is at least one serious scientist working full-time on the problem of Bigfoot. And yeah, he’s taken seriously enough by his peers. Dr. Jane Goodall, noted primatologist, is a believer. Without spilling the beans of a future post, Bigfoot, in my mind, stands a pretty good chance of being a paranormal phenomenon that might just turn out to be real.
But even if someone (somehow) proves that he’s not, I will always love him. He’s just that cool.
PS: if you’re wondering which movie it was that I saw — I’m not 100% sure. I don’t remember the title, but I have reason to believe it was Bigfoot: Man or Beast?. I’m trying to get a hold of the DVD, and maybe then I’ll know for sure.
Tags for this post: 16mm film, bigfoot, bigfoot man or beast, chariots of the gods, cryptozoology, documentary film, in search of noahs ark, jane goodall, monkey suit, northern california, omah, paranormal, patterson film sasquatch
Technorati tag links for this post: 16mm film, bigfoot, bigfoot man or beast, chariots of the gods, cryptozoology, documentary film, in search of noahs ark, jane goodall, monkey suit, northern california, omah, paranormal, patterson film, sasquatch
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