As hard as it is to believe, “Cocaine Bear” with its improbable and exaggerated story, is one of the strangest movies based on real life events.
“Cocaine Bear” (called “Oso Intoxicado” in Mexico) may seem like just a humorous film with hints of horror, but the truth is that director Elizabeth Banks’ production is based on what happened to a real bear.
- Director Elizabeth Banks also stars in the movie “Let’s make a porno”, which you can see on ViX.
‘Cocaine Bear’: the sad true story of the bear on which the film is based
While it is true that ‘Cocaine Bear’ is one of those movies based on true events that changed the story to improve the plot, what happened to the real black bear was sad and its story ended in tragedy.
It all started when ex-military and former member of the Lexington Drug Task Force, Andrew Carter Thornton II, decided to change his career path and became a drug dealer.
As reported by “The Lexington Herald” in November 1982, Thornton was accused of piloting a plane loaded with marijuana from South America to Kentucky, for which he was sentenced to 5 months in prison.
In September 1985, while flying over Knoxville, Tennessee, with a load of cocaine, Thornton’s luck ran out and his career as a dealer ended in tragedy.
Over the Chattahoochee National Forest, Thornton jumped from his plane, loaded with $15 million worth of drug packages, but unfortunately his parachute failed and did not open.
It took two months for authorities to find Thornton’s body and the drugs, but they also made another surprising discovery. Near the 40 packages of cocaine was the lifeless body of a black bear.
A medical examiner who spoke to the media concluded that the 175kg bear had been dead for about a month and was caused by acute cocaine poisoning after consuming several grams of the substance.
‘Cocaine Bear’: The real-life drunk bear became famous
Although unlike the movie where the bear gets addicted to drugs and goes on a spree of attacks and murders, the real bear did none of these things, but his story became known.
Nicknamed “Pablo EscoBear,” the bear, or something similar, is stuffed and on display at the Kentucky Fun Mall wearing a fur hat and a sign identifying it as the Cocaine Bear and detailing its history.
According to the mall’s blog in 2015, the teddy bear was delivered by country singer Waylon Jennings, who previously had it at his Las Vegas home.
Now the taxidermy bear has gained more fame and after the movie based on his case, many people have gone to visit the store where it is displayed, to take a picture with the real drunk bear.
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Source: univision
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
