Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film

Aftermath

Krantz writes (Krantz, 1992) that "Patterson had the film developed as soon as possible. At first he thought he had brought in proof of Bigfoot’s existence and really expected the scientists to accept it. But only a few scientists were willing to even look at the film, and most of them promptly declared it a fake. It was then incorporated as the centerpiece of the documentary film that Patterson had set out to make in the first place." This film was a modest financial success after it was shown in local movie houses around the Pacific Northwest. This was a muted triumph, however: Patterson sold overlapping distribution rights for the film to several parties, which resulted in costly legal entanglements.

Though there was little scientific interest in the film, Patterson was still able to capitalize on it. Beyond the documentary, the film generated a fair amount of publicity. Patterson appeared on several popular talk shows to show the film and promote the documentary: on Merv Griffin's program, with Krantz offering his analysis of the film, and also on Joey Bishop’s talk show (Long, 258).

While Patterson sought publicity, Gimlin was conspicuous by his absence. He only briefly helped to promote the film (Long, 265), and avoided discussing his Bigfoot encounter publicly for many subsequent years. He would later report that he’d avoided publicity after Patterson and promoter Al DeAtley had broken their agreement to pay Gimlin a share of any profits generated by the film (Long, 159-160).

Krantz reports that “A few years after the film was made, Patterson received a letter from a man in Thailand who assured him a sasquatch was being held in a Buddhist monastery. Patterson spent most of his remaining money preparing an expedition to retrieve this creature,” only to learn it was a hoax. Patterson died of Hodgkin's disease in 1972, still swearing to the authenticity of the film.