Editing Patterson–Gimlin film (section)

==Hoax allegations==

===Patterson and/or Gimlin===
* Patterson and Gimlin both denied that they had perpetrated a hoax, but in a 1999 telephone interview with television producer [[Chris Packham]] for the [[BBC]]'s ''[[The X Creatures]]'', Gimlin said that for some time, "I was ''totally'' convinced no one could fool me. And of course I'm an older man now ... and I think there could have been the possibility [of a hoax]. But it would have to be really well planned by Roger [Patterson]."<ref>Long, 166</ref>
* Author Greg Long uncovered circumstantial evidence, of varying strength, of footprint hoaxing, and possibly even sighting and photo hoaxing, in the Yakima vicinity by Patterson.<ref>Long, 219–20, 389–94</ref> Long argues that this means that he faked the film, too.
:(One possible motive for the Yakima fakery would have been to make Bigfoot seem more real to local millionaire Floyd Paxton, with whom he was acquainted and from whom he hoped to obtain funding for an expedition.<ref>Long, 220–21, 223</ref>)
:The film's proponents' position is that what is seen in the film is unfakable—especially not by a costume beginner like Patterson. For instance, most of Bill Munns' book makes detailed examinations of film features that he argues could not have been created with 1967 special effects technology. He filmed recreation attempts of his own that failed. Daniel Perez, writing in 1992, asserted "If the film is in fact a fake, a costumed man or a machine, surely science could duplicate the film with ease. Twenty-five years later, no one has come close."<ref name="Perez, 21"/> He later asserted, "It has never been convincingly replicated. To any thinking person, that should speak volumes."<ref>Daniel Perez, "The Patterson–Gimlin Film: A Discussion," in ''Fortean Times'', January 2005.</ref>
:Greg Long's response was, "The film they have just isn't going to do it. I'm sorry. That's not evidence."<ref>Bob Heironimus & Greg Long; Internet Interview on Seth Shostak's "Skeptical Sunday" Radio Show; August 1, 2004</ref>
* David Daegling, anthropologist, writes that the "more cynical skeptics" see Patterson's luck as "more than a little suspicious: He sets out to make a Bigfoot documentary, then almost literally stumbles across a Bigfoot." Daegling, however, offers the benefit of the doubt, noting that Patterson's reasoning is sound: In seeking something elusive, he went to where it had been reported.<ref>Daegling, 78</ref> Bluff Creek had also been the site of well-known Bigfoot hoaxer Ray Wallace's activities in 1958. In Patterson's book, he mentions meeting with Wallace once.<ref>Patterson & Murphy, 73–74</ref> Later, Daegling cites certain features in the film and the storyline as suspicious.<ref>Daegling, 143–49</ref>
* Krantz thought Patterson might have perpetrated such a hoax, given the opportunity and resources. (Roger was an accomplished 2-D artist whose drawings and painting of horses and other wildlife showed a detailed understanding of musculature and anatomy.) But he also argued that Patterson had "nowhere near the knowledge or facilities to do so—nor for that matter, did anyone else ... When I talked about some of the more technical details of [[biomechanics]], he (Patterson) showed the familiar blank look of a student who had lost the drift of the explanation, but was still trying hard to pay attention. Yet he must have known all these details to create a hoax. For instance, he could see the anterior position of the front of the [[Tibia|shin]], but how that related to foot [[lever]]age was quite beyond him."<ref name="Krantz, 120"/>
* Peter Byrne, who interviewed Patterson and Gimlin many times, wrote, "both men lacked, primarily, the intellectual capacity essential to the production of a hoax ... termed a masterpiece."<ref>Byrne, 144</ref> Similarly, Daegling writes that "Most acquaintances of Patterson volunteered that neither he nor Gimlin were clever enough to put something that detailed together."<ref name="Daegling, 112"/>

===Philip Morris===
In 2002, Philip Morris, owner of Morris Costumes (a [[North Carolina]]–based company offering costumes, props and stage products) claimed that he made a gorilla costume that was used in the Patterson film. Morris says he discussed his role in the hoax "at costume conventions, lectures, [and] magician conventions"<ref>Long, p 453</ref> in the 1980s, but first addressed the public at large on August 16, 2002, on Charlotte, North Carolina, radio station [[WBT (radio station)|WBT]].<ref>Long, 444</ref> His story was also printed in ''[[The Charlotte Observer]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jameson|first1=Tonya|title=Bigfoot just a big hoax?|url=http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/8637087.htm|access-date=April 27, 2015|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=May 11, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040526144507/http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/8637087.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2004}}</ref> Morris claims he was reluctant to expose the hoax earlier for fear of harming his business: giving away a performer's secrets, he said, would be widely regarded as disreputable.<ref>Long, 453</ref>

Morris said that he sold an ape suit to Patterson via mail order in 1967, thinking it was going to be used in what Patterson described as a "prank".<ref name="Long, 446">Long, 446</ref> (Ordinarily the gorilla suits he sold were used for a popular sideshow routine that depicted an attractive woman, supposedly from some far-flung corner of the globe, being altered by a sorcerer or scientist into a gorilla or otherwise apelike monster.) After the initial sale, Morris said that Patterson telephoned him asking how to make the "shoulders more massive"<ref name="Long, 448">Long, 448</ref> and the "arms longer".<ref name="Long, 447">Long, 447</ref> Morris says he suggested that whoever wore the suit should wear football shoulder pads and hold sticks in his hands within the suit.

As for the creature's walk, Morris said:

<blockquote>
The Bigfoot researchers say that no human can walk that way in the film. Oh, yes they can! When you're wearing long clown's feet, you can't place the ball of your foot down first. You have to put your foot down flat. Otherwise, you'll stumble. Another thing, when you put on the gorilla head, you can only turn your head maybe a quarter of the way. And to look behind you, you've got to turn your head and your shoulders and your hips. Plus, the shoulder pads in the suit are in the way of the jaw. That's why the Bigfoot turns and looks the way he does in the film. He has to twist his entire upper body.<ref name="SkepticalInquirer2004">{{cite journal|last1=Korff|first1=Kal K.|last2=Kocis|first2=Michaela|title=Exposing Roger Patterson's 1967 Bigfoot Film Hoax|journal=[[Skeptical Inquirer]]|date=July–August 2004|volume=28|issue=4|pages=35–40|publisher=[[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]]|issn=0194-6730}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Morris' wife and business partner Amy had vouched for her husband and claims to have helped frame the suit.<ref name="SkepticalInquirer2004"/> Morris offered no evidence apart from his own testimony to support his account, the most conspicuous shortcoming being the absence of a gorilla suit or documentation that would match the detail evidenced in the film and could have been produced in 1967.

A re-creation of the PGF was undertaken on October 6, 2004, at "Cow Camp," near Rimrock Lake, a location {{convert|41|mi|km}} west of Yakima.<ref>"Bigfoot Hoax Goes in Halls of Hooey," by Leah Beth Ward, ''Yakima Herald'', October 7, 2004, p. 1-A</ref> This was six months after the publication of Long's book and 11 months after Long had first contacted Morris.<ref>Long, 443</ref> Bigfooter Daniel Perez wrote, "''[[National Geographic]]'s'' [producer] Noel Dockster ... noted the suit used in the re-creation ... was in no way similar to what was depicted in the P–G film."<ref>Daniel Perez, "The Patterson–Gimlin Film: A Discussion," in ''Fortean Times'', January 2005, at www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/forteantimes05.htm.</ref>

Morris would not consent to release the video to ''National Geographic'', the re-creation's sponsor, claiming he had not had adequate time to prepare and that the month was in the middle of his busy season.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

===Bob Heironimus===
Bob Heironimus claims to have been the figure depicted in the Patterson film.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sandsberry|first1=Scott|title=A look at Bigfoot film: What do you see?|url=http://www.yakimaherald.com/home/94408-8/a-look-at-bigfoot-film-what-do-you|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150428101008/http://www.yakimaherald.com/home/94408-8/a-look-at-bigfoot-film-what-do-you|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 28, 2015|access-date=April 28, 2015|work=[[Yakima Herald-Republic]]|date=July 10, 2012}}</ref> Heironimus says he had not previously publicly discussed his role in the hoax because he hoped to be paid eventually and was afraid of being convicted of fraud had he confessed. After speaking with his lawyer he was told that since he had not been paid for his involvement in the hoax, he could not be held accountable.

A month after watching the December 28, 1998, Fox-television special ''World's Greatest Hoaxes: Secrets Finally Revealed?'', he went public, via a January 30 press release by his lawyer, Barry Woodard, in a Yakima newspaper story.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wasson|first1=David|title=Bigfoot Unzipped&nbsp;– Yakima Valley man who says he wore suit passes lie-detector test|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18463179.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924185654/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18463179.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|access-date=July 3, 2015|work=Yakima Herald-Republic|date=January 30, 1999}}</ref> He stated, "I'm telling the truth. I'm tired after thirty-seven years."<ref name=SkepticalInquirer2004/> Five days later, a second newspaper story reported that his "lawyer's office has been inundated with calls from media outlets. ... 'We're just sort of waiting for the dust to settle,' he said, explaining he and his client are evaluating offers." He also said, "We anticipate that we will be telling the full story to somebody rather quickly."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wasson|first1=David|title=Bigfoot believers say film no fake|work=Yakima Herald-Republic|date=February 4, 1999}}</ref>

Heironimus's name was first publicly revealed, and his allegations first publicly detailed, five years later, in Greg Long's book, ''The Making of Bigfoot'', which includes testimony that corroborates Heironimus' claims:
* Heironimus's relatives (his mother Opal and nephew John Miller) claim to have seen an ape suit in Heironimus' car. Opal said she saw the suit two days after the film was shot.<ref>Long, 363–64</ref>
* Russ Bohannon, a longtime friend, says that Heironimus revealed the hoax privately in 1968 or 1969.<ref>Long, 414</ref>
* Bernard Hammermeister, another longtime friend, said he was shown an ape suit in Heironimus' car. No date was given by Long for Hammermeister's observation, but it apparently came well after the relatives' observation, as implied by the word "still" in the justification Heironimus gave Hammermeister for requesting his silence: "There was still supposed to be a [[payola]] on this thing, and he didn't have it."<ref>Long, 398</ref>

Long argues that the suit Morris says he sold to Patterson was the same suit Heironimus claims to have worn in the Patterson film. However, Long quotes Heironimus and Morris describing different ape suits in many respects. Among the notable differences are:
* Suit Material: Horsehide vs. Dynel. Heironimus says he was told by his brother Howard that Patterson claimed he manufactured the suit from [[horsehide]].<ref name="Long, 345">Long, 345</ref> When Long asked how heavy the suit was, Bob replied, "It weighed maybe {{convert|20|,|25|lb|kg|0|spell=in|disp=sqbr}}. ... Horsehide would be heavy."<ref name="Long, 345"/> Bob added, "It stunk. Roger skinned out a dead, red horse."

:But Morris reports that the suit was made of [[Dynel]], a lighter-weight synthetic material with little or no odor. Morris said that it was his "standard suit that we sold to all our customers"<ref name="Long, 446"/> that cost $435<ref name="Long, 447"/> (cheaper than the competition).<ref>Long, 445</ref>

:Another contrast is that Howard reported that the horsehide was a "real dark brown" and Long writes that Morris "was using brown Dynel in 1967".<ref name="Long, 449">Long, 449</ref> But Morris wouldn't have wanted a "real dark" brown color, as he chose brown to contrast against the black background of the girl-to-gorilla illusion.<ref name="Long, 449"/>
* Suit: Top-and-Trousers vs. a Back-Zipped Onesie. Heironimus described the suit as having no metal pieces and an upper "torso part" that he donned "like putting on a T-shirt".<ref>Long, 344–45</ref> At Bluff Creek he put on "the top".<ref>Long, 349</ref> Asked about the "bottom portion," he guessed it was cinched with a drawstring.
* Hands and Feet: Suit-Attached vs. Separate. Heironimus described the suit as having hands and feet that were attached to the arms and legs.

:But Morris made a suit whose hands and feet were separate pieces. Long speculates that Patterson riveted or glued these parts to the suit, but offers no evidence to support this idea. If Patterson had done so, he must have done it before Heironimus did his test fitting and walk (because Heironimus describes a three-piece suit—head, torso, and legs, omitting separate hands and feet)—i.e., without adjusting their location to his dimensions. And Heironimus never described being measured beforehand.

Long speculates that Patterson modified the costume, but only by attaching Morris's loose hands and feet to the costume,<ref>His only comments are in items 7 and 12 of "Q & A&nbsp;– The Making of Bigfoot," by Greg Long, April 6, 2004,  where he wrote, "We know Roger Patterson owned a tool shed and worked in leather, clay, and wood. Modifying the suit parts—such as gluing or riveting the hands to the cuffs of the suit, as well as the feet to the leg cuffs—was well within his skill set."</ref> and by replacing Morris's mask.<ref>Long, 459</ref>

Some film proponents<ref>Murphy (2005), 242–43</ref><ref>Murphy (2008), 93</ref><ref>Daegling, 143, paraphrasing Green</ref> say that Heironimus' arms are too short to match that of a Bigfoot and that he was a few inches shorter than the creature on the film (up to {{convert|14|in|cm|abbr=out|disp=or}} shorter).<ref>Murphy (2009), 90–91</ref>

:But Heironimus said that he wore football shoulder pads,<ref name="Long, 448"/> which might explain why the shoulders and arms appear to be out of proportion to the rest of the body. However, Heironimus disclaimed the use of arm-extending sticks in his costume<ref>author Greg Long: "Bob told me about two nights ago there were no sticks in the arms." Speech to the Int'l. Bigfoot Society in Portland, OR, March 27, 2004, at the 1:45 mark; videotaped by IBS official Patti Reinhold and available from her.</ref> and said that he wore "gloves, a little bit longer than my actual hands were . ... "<ref>3rd ''XZone'' radio interview with Rob McConnell, August 23, 2007</ref>

===Ray Wallace===
After the death of [[Raymond L. Wallace|Ray Wallace]] in 2002, following a request by [[Loren Coleman]] to ''[[The Seattle Times]]'' reporter Bob Young to investigate, the family of Wallace went public with claims that he had started the Bigfoot phenomenon with fake footprints (made from a wooden foot-shaped cutout) left in Californian sites in 1958.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Bob|title=Lovable trickster created a monster with Bigfoot hoax|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20021205/raywallaceobit05m/lovable-trickster-created-a-monster-with-bigfoot-hoax|access-date=April 27, 2015|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=December 5, 2002|archive-date=July 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711030354/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20021205&slug=raywallaceobit05m|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Mark Chorvinsky, editor of ''Strange'' magazine, promoted Wallace's claim that he tipped off Patterson exactly where to look for a Bigfoot.<ref>See, for instance, "New $10k Bigfoot Photo Investigation 1993," by Mark Chorvinsky, at http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/10K-photograph.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923185050/http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/10K-photograph.htm |date=September 23, 2015 }}</ref> Chorvinsky wrote, "'Roger Patterson came [over] dozens of times pumping me on this Bigfoot,' Ray Wallace explained to researcher Dennis Pilchis in 1982. 'I felt sorry for Roger Patterson. He told me he had cancer of the lymph glands and he was desperately broke and he wanted to try to get something where he could have a little income. Well, he went down there exactly where I told him. I told him, 'You go down there and hang around on that bank. Stay up there and watch that spot.{{'"}}<ref name="Strange 1997"/><ref>"Some Thoughts About the Patterson Bigfoot Film on its 30th Anniversary," by Mark Chorvinsky, at http://www.strangemag.com/pattersonfilm30th.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040409014541/http://www.strangemag.com/pattersonfilm30th.html |date=April 9, 2004 }}</ref> David Daegling summarized Chorvinsky's argument and concluded that Wallace "had a degree of involvement" with the Patterson–Gimlin film, and that this gave grounds for suspicion of it.<ref>Daegling, 117–18</ref>
* Loren Coleman has written that Patterson was an early Bigfoot investigator, and that it was only natural that he sought out and interviewed older Bigfoot-event principals, which included Wallace, because of the 1958 Bluff Creek track incidents. Coleman has asserted that Wallace had nothing to do with Patterson's footage in 1967, and has argued in an analysis of the media treatment of the death of Wallace that the international media inappropriately confused the Wallace films of the 1970s with the Patterson–Gimlin 1967 film.<ref>Coleman, 2007</ref>
* Meldrum has written extensively about Wallace, his allegations (continued by his family after his death), and the significant problems with them in his book, ''Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Meldrum|first1=Jeff|author-link1=Jeffrey Meldrum|title=Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science|date=2007|publisher=[[Forge Books]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0765312174}}, 55–71</ref>

===Books on the subject===
The major hoax allegations are summarized and criticized in:
* Two of Christopher Murphy's books.<ref>Murphy (2005), 240–52</ref><ref>Murphy (2009), 100–03</ref>
* Loren Coleman's ''Bigfoot!: The True Story of Apes in America''.<ref>Coleman, 97–110</ref>
* David Daegling's ''Bigfoot Exposed.''<ref>Daegling, 116–18, 140–41</ref>