Sam Eagle Speaker

Sam Eagle Speaker is the main antagonist of Disney's 1974 live-action film The Bears and I.

He was portrayed by the late Valentin de Vargas.

Role
As Bob Leslie hears gunshots and discovers that Sam Eagle Speaker and his hunter friends have killed the mother bear, he decides to care for the cubs and names them Scratch, Patch and Rusty. Pleased with having a family for the first time in his life, Bob embraces his new role as a mother bear and teaches the cubs to survive in the wild. When the young bears raid his food, Bob returns to Oliver’s store and the cubs are attacked by dogs. With the bears safely hiding in a tree, Bob asks Oliver why no one helped him. Oliver says tribal customs uphold the bear as a brother and maintain that it is better for them to be killed than to live in captivity. Although Bob argues that he is only protecting the cubs until they can care for themselves, Sam accuses him of having financial interests. Sam aims his rifle at the cubs and Bob fights him until the chief orders them separated. The chief tells Bob that his interference in the bears’ lives has violated the authority of the Great Spirit. He orders Bob to set the cubs free because their captivity will bring a curse on his people, but Bob secretly continues to care for them.

As park officials arrive to begin demolition of the settlement, the tribe refuses to leave the land. Construction proceeds, but the tribal members retaliate and John calls the Commissioner for backup. Bob warns the chief that the confrontation may lead to violence. Meanwhile, Sam advocates an uprising and attacks Bob. When Bob returns to his camp, Sam shoots Patch and sets the cabin on fire. Across the lake, tribesmen and the park construction crew see smoke and race to put out the flames. Oliver helps Bob bring Patch to the temporary settlement. Working together, the tribesmen and the construction crew control the fire, but Patch’s condition worsens. Bob implores the chief for help, but he says that the bear’s fate is in the hands of the Great Spirit. Bob argues that the incident was caused by Sam, not the Great Spirit.