Spencer's Mountain

I don't know what the other guy was talking about, but I found this movie to be great. Henry Fonda as the head of the family was jovial, but stern. Maureen O'Hara was her usual tough, but beautiful leading lady. The story was engaging, the scenery is breath-taking, and makes one yearn for those old films that made going to the movies an event, something really special. I'm also glad it's finally out on DVD, as my pan and scan VHS copy isn't the greatest. Plot-wise, it followed the life of the Spencer family and their many adventures, if you will. The plots weren't all over the place, it was just documenting the various happenings in the Spencer family. Anyone with a heart will love this movie!

Fun and wholesome story about a Wyoming landowner called Clay Spencer (Henry Fonda) , he is a hard-working man who loves his wife (Mauren O'Hara) and large family. Clay abhorring religion , though allows his wife to raise the children as Christians and keeps promising to build another family house . Spencer runs a loving and attractive family and the kids long for a permanent home . Clay is respected by his neighbors and always ready to give them a helping hand . Meanwhile , his son Clayboy wants to go at University , and the schoolteacher impresses upon Clayboy the following phrase, "The world steps aside to let a man pass, if he knows where he is going" . Problems start when the misfit kiddies join themselves as the free spirits and the undisciplined preppies, along with troubled Clayboy (James MacArthur) who falls in love with Claris Coleman (Mimsy Farmer) . There are various family crisis but it is all very heartwarming .

Henry Fonda's entertaining vehicle with young people and agreeable actors . The film deals with a happy family , the father is a notorious handy man and the mother is a brilliant housewife . Charming tale though stuck with average screenplay based on the Earl Hamner Jr novel . Henry Fonda and Mauren O'Hara ought to keep the familiar order involving in their own home while at the same time occupy the works . Nice work by filmmaker Delmer Daves in demonstrating his skill at all areas : as technical , using all kind of resources for illustrating the interesting as well as enjoyable story with an engaging screenplay , adding great actors , professional filmmaking and correct narration , including his characteristic use of landscape .The picture is pretty entertaining and amusing , the film contains bemusing scenes , zany shenanigans , continuous laughters and various chuckles with lots of fun . Humanity and humor are high in the priorities of the director Delmer Daves who shows a considerable talent recapturing funny situations . Fine settings and adequate local colour , in fact , many locals of Jackson Hole, Wyoming were used as extras for scenes in the movie , such as the graduation of Clayboy . The picture belongs to family sub-genre whose maxim representation is ¨Cheaper by dozen ¨ with Myrna Loy and Clifton Webb and a modern version starred by Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt ; ¨Yours , mine and ours¨ also starred by Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, being recently remade (2005) by Raja Gosnell with Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo . Formidable main cast , very well featured by Henry Fonda and Mauren O'Hara . Secondary cast is frankly good such as Virginia Gregg as Miss Parker , Whit Bissell as Dr. Campbell , Hayden Rorke as Colonel Coleman , Dub Taylor as Percy Cook , Mike Henry ¨Tarzan¨ as Spencer Brother and Victor French of "Little House on the Prairie" as Brother . And film debut of Barbara McNair and final film of Donald Crisp. Besides , there appears as sons ,some young actors who will have an acceptable career as TV or cinema stars such as Verónica Cartwright of ¨Alien¨. Director Delmer Daves' granddaughter, Michele Daves, made her only film appearance to date in this movie, appearing as the youngest Spencer child, baby Donnie . Maureen O'Hara's real-life daughter, Bronwyn FitzSimons, plays the part of the college dean's secretary. Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by Charles Lawton Jr filmed on location in Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Wyoming, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Raymond , California . Rousing and lively musical score by the classical composer Max Steiner .

The motion picture was well directed by Delmer Daves , though results to be excessively maudlin . His films have a special penchant for recapturing a particular atmosphere , many of this movies are about real people but they remain muted in impact . He was a notorious screenwriter , but Daves was especially a expert on Western genre , for the reason he lived a long time of his boyhood with the Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes as he realized the notorious trail-blazing ¨Broken arrow¨ the first movie for many years not treat the Indians as cannon-fodder for the cavalry , which made the picture unpopular in some quarters . He went on directing the suspenseful ¨3:10 to Yuma¨, other pro-Indian as ¨The last wagon¨ and about Modoc Indians as ¨Drum beat¨ , the Shakespearian style of ¨Jubal¨ , ¨Return of the Texan¨ and ¨Cowboy¨ which a fairly spectacle about a long cattle drive . He also realized Noir films such as ¨Dark passage¨ and ¨The red House¨ that is absolutely recommended . From 1959 Delmer Daves becomes embroiled for the remainder of his career with teenage love epics and very popular at the Box-office as ¨A summer place¨, ¨Parrish¨, ¨Susan Slade¨, and ¨Rome adventure¨, and family movies such as ¨The Spencer's mountain¨ . Worthwhile seeing .

Adapted from the autobiographical novel by Earl Hamner, Jr., "Spencer's Mountain" is, firstly, a nostalgic look at a way of life from the viewpoint of the writer. Released in 1963, the story undoubtedly had great appeal for those who see that way of life as quintessentially "the American way".

Set in New Dominion, the name is the first clue to the outlook of the residents (and the film's producers). "Dominion" might be translated as a territory under God's authority or control. Religion is one of the subjects of the film. But life in New Dominion has a simplicity that is a central theme.

In this valley that nestles under the Grand Tetons, there are only two churches. There are also few choices of occupation, few neighbors, and few visitors. Residents are connected to the land in an elemental way--mostly through farming, quarrying or via the lumber mill. One unstated but permeating message of the film is the goodness and value associated with such a connection.

The central character is Clay Spencer (Henry Fonda), father of eight and salt of the earth. Living under sparkling blue skies, he and his wife, Olivia (Maureen O'Hara), raise their children to be kind and to have dreams. Another central theme of the film is the value of dreams. The family is dedicated to the purpose of sending the oldest child, Clayboy (James MacArthur), to college.

One of their long-term projects is a dream house set on an idyllic hillside overlooking the valley and the grandeur of the mountains.

As Clay and his family strive for their dreams and negotiate the hardships that intervene in all lives, the viewer is treated to vignettes that are dipped in Disney and Doris Day. Bountiful streams and pastures bursting with fecundity frame a Norman Rockwellian world even homier and more basic than Mayberry. The film has been accused of mawkishness and justifiably so. No chance is missed to sing a hymn, recognize a milepost of life, wave the American flag or jerk a tear from a moment.

But that is not all bad. The film does what it does very well. Henry Fonda's voice almost feels like the bedrock that supports the entire family. The rosy-cheeked cast is the perfect picture of God's grace. The end product feels very iconic and touching, no doubt extracting tears from numerous scenes. I wish the sentimentality had been dialed down a notch--like when "America" is unnecessarily played behind the toasting of Clayboy.

"Spencer's Mountain" was well-designed for audiences in 1963. Even with it's overly sentimental tone, it has a wholesomeness and a respect for values that will appeal to viewers of any era.

Later, the story would be adapted again as TV's "The Waltons".

Leonard Maltin calls the film "mawkish", and he is right on, but it is still great fun. Mimsy Farmer's Claris is a hoot ("friction, friction, friction!")! Excellent use of the Jackson Hole locations, especially the Triangle X guest ranch, which served as the Spencer homestead and is still in operation here. Two trivia notes: Bronwyn Fitzsimmons, who played the college secretary, is Maureen O'Hara's daughter in real life. According to AMC Magazine, Henry Fonda showed some off-screen interest in her that O'Hara had to squash. Fonda did the film even though he thought it was so corny it would set U.S. movie-making back 20 years. Also, you have Wally Cox's character listed as GoodMAN, but the name was actually GoodSON. Highly recommended.

Henry Fonda throughout his career showed a great flair for playing rustic characters and endowing them with dignity. In fact that was his introduction to film when he did the movie version of the play that made him a star, The Farmer Takes A Wife. Of course as Fonda started playing more of a variety of roles he was less and less in rustic settings.

His last role of this type was as Clay Spencer in Spencer's Mountain a feel good family type picture with a rather interesting take on the facts of life. Country folks like the Spencers who deal a lot in livestock are familiar with the breeding process so it's not a huge big deal with them. At least it's not in this film as Mimsy Farmer is ready to finish James MacArthur's eduction in that regard. One of the best scenes in the film is Henry Fonda bringing over his bull to mate with one of Dub Taylor's cows with everybody looking on. I guess they're starved for entertainment in that part of the country.

In fact MacArthur's further education is what drives the film. He's the oldest of Fonda's and Maureen O'Hara's nine children and the first to graduate high school. His teacher Virginia Gregg wants to see him get ahead and go to the university. But the financial and other obstacles are considerable. Even the new minister Wally Cox tutors MacArthur in a needed Latin course.

If the Spencers bear no small resemblance to the Walton family that's because Earl Hammer who created the Waltons also wrote the novel this film was based on. Spencer's Mountain is beautifully photographed in the Grand Teton mountains of Wyoming, just as pretty and more majestic than the Walton's Appalachians. Delmer Daves who directed Spencer's Mountain also directed Jubal a few years earlier, a western also set in the Grand Tetons. The cinematography is just as good, but the resemblance stops there because Jubal is quite the adult western.

Spencer's Mountain marked the farewell performance of Donald Crisp who was 81 years old when he filmed this and had a career going back to the earliest silent films. He was a grand character actor who played an awesome variety of parts. Here he's in his family patriarch persona as Fonda's father married to Lillian Bronson in the film. Crisp won his Oscar as the family patriarch in John Ford's How Green Was My Valley.

Spencer's Mountain did good box office and it's a nice family film. But Henry Fonda's new agent passed on a Broadway play called Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf and signed his client for this. Fonda never forgave the agent, I can't really blame him.