Spencer's Mountain
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Movie Reviews of Spencer's Mountain
Movie Review: Cheesy, cornball...wonderful!
Summary: 4 Stars
Don't look for anything deep or earth-shattering in this little romp through early 1960's Americana. But for those who enjoy a little schmaltzy entertainment, this makes for a very pleasant diversion. Henry Fonda seems to take genuine pleasure in delivering the cheesy dialogue and makes himself right at home in the rustic settings. The gorgeous, panoramic Wyoming vistas are certainly part of the film's charm (although if you look sharp, you can occasionally see cars on a highway through the trees). I personally felt that Maureen O'Hara was not well suited for this film. I never sense any chemistry between O'Hara and Henry Fonda, and she in fact seems rather uncomfortable in the part...a discomfort that even her superior acting skills can't cover. On the other hand, the chemistry is wonderful between Fonda's son, Clay Boy (played admirably by James MacArthur, who spends much of the film running for one reason or another) and the quarry boss's daughter, Claris Coleman (Mimsy Farmer in her first film role).
The primary plot line is Clay Boy's desire to go to college, and the poor, working-class Spencer family's efforts to make it happen. Surrounding the primary story are numerous pleasant sub-plots more designed to create atmosphere than to advance the story in any way. By today's standards, the lily-white community (with the strange exception of the woman singing America the Beautiful at the graduation ceremony) and numerous Christian references are extremely dated, part of the white fantasy world of Ozzie and Harriet and Father Knows Best. I watched this film with my daughter when she was about ten, and she found the scene where the grandfather is killed upsetting, so parents be aware. Otherwise, this is a rather sweet and harmless slice of life film and definitely a visual treat.
TRIVIA: Look for a very young Victor French (Mr. Edwards of Little House on the Prairie) as one of the Spencer brothers.
Movie Review: Proto-Walton
Summary: 4 Stars
Anyone familiar with the long running TV series, THE WALTONS, will immediately see some similarities in this film. It was written by the same author but predates the Waltons in terms of its production. Still, there are many similarities as well as a few differences.
The Waltons takes place during the era of the great depression. Spencer's Mountain has the 1950's written all over it although it never gives a particular time. The Waltons takes place near Walton Mountain in the Southeast while this film takes place near Spencer's Mountain in the Grand Tetons. The TV series had John-Boy as the eldest son of the family and the movie has Clay-Boy in the same role. Both of these young men seek knowledge and thirst for education. The patriarch of both families is relatively poor and struggles to provide for the family but is a faithful husband and father with those duties as the top priority. Both are wholesome and a bit of Americana. Somebody who liked the Waltons should like Spencer's Mountain as well.
Henry Fonda plays the lead and does so in a likeable manner. He will sacrifice anything, including his dreams, for the sake of his family. Maureen O'Hara plays the mother. She is a good, church going woman and the anchor of the family. James MacArthur plays the eldest son. He is dutiful but yearns to get away and better himself. He wants to do something besides work in the quarry all his life.
As I said before, it is all very wholesome fare. I don't think it's as good as the Waltons but it is still very good.
Movie Review: Earl Hamner's novel and this Henry Fonda film led to an iconic television series
Summary: 4 Stars
I read the original novel by Earl Hamner Jr. soon after it was published in 1961, but I somehow missed the 1963 movie until now. This is a fine film, heartwarming in an old way without being cliched. It's easy to understand how it inspired "The Waltons" television series, which drew on the novel's characters and its portrayal of American values.
The transfer of the movie's setting from Appalachia to the Grand Tetons surprised this reader of the novel. James MacArthur was too old to play Clay-Boy. When I read the novel, I never imagined that Clay Spencer's wife Olivia looked like Maureen O'Hara. But these are the normal quibbles of a reader when Hollywood reworks literature.
A more substantive observation is that the novel gave more emphasis to Clay Spencer's self-identity as a landowner, even as he worked for wages at the quarry. This perhaps diminished the psychological punch of his sacrifice in selling the land at the end of the film.
The movie is carried by the sheer beauty of the Grand Tetons and by the power of Henry Fonda's memorable performance. He was made for the role.
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Movie Review: Good, old-fashioned movie entertainment
Summary: 4 Stars
Spencer's Mountain
If you like Henry Fonda, if you like The Waltons, you'll like this movie. This movie is much closer to the original book (on which Spencer's Mountain and The Waltons were based) than The Waltons television series.
The only real disappointment I have about the movie is where it ended, i.e. "Clay Boy" on a bus on his way to college.
This is a movie to watch on a cold winter's night wrapped in a blanket or to watch with the family after a big holiday dinner.
Movie Review: DVD Spencer's Mountain
Summary: 4 Stars
My husband and I really enjoyed this movie. Being from Virginia and knowing that the author of the book that the movie was based on was from the mountains of Virginia, we were a little disappointed that the movie makers chose to use the West as its backdrop, although the scenery was spectacular. So are the Virginia mountains. Henry Fonda is his usual crusty old man with the vocabulary to match and there is a great deal of sexual undertoe. I would not want my grandchildren to watch it for those reasons. I will continue to show them the Walton's TV series instead.