Spencer's Mountain
| Spencer's Mountain | |
|---|---|
| File:Spencersmountain.jpg | |
| Directed by | Delmer Daves |
| Written by | Earl Hamner (novel) Delmer Daves (screenwriter) |
| Produced by | Delmer Daves |
| Starring | Henry Fonda Maureen O'Hara |
| Cinematography | Charles Lawton |
| Edited by | David Wages |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates | December 1, 1963 |
Running time | 118 min. |
| Language | English |
Spencer's Mountain is a 1963 family film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel by Earl Hamner. The novel and film became the basis for the popular television series The Waltons, which followed in 1972. Differing from both the film and novel, The Waltons watered down many of the adult themes, including alcoholism and infidelity. Spencer's Mountain features the majestic scenery of Wyoming's Grand Teton mountain range, as photographed by cinematographer Charles Lawton in CinemaScope.
Plot
The film centers on the trials and tribulations of the Spencers, a Depression-era family living in the Grand Teton Mountains of Wyoming. As the patriarch of a large and growing family, Clay Spencer (Henry Fonda) is fiercely independent, yet dedicated to his family. While he resists the influence of religion, he struggles to remain faithful to his wife Olivia (Maureen O'Hara), to allow his son (James MacArthur) to attend college, and to build a new home for his family.
Differences from the book
The movie is set in Wyoming. The book, like "The Waltons", was set in Virginia. Both the book and the movie were set in the fictitious community of New Dominion, which was based on Earl Hamner's hometown of Schuyler, Virginia. In the movie, the Spencers' attend the Church of God. In the book, they were Baptist. One of the more prominent scenes in the movie and the book is where Clay Spencer attends church for the very first time. In the book, Clay sings out on the hymns and get everyone's attention with his loud, rich voice. The choir director is so impressed, she asks Clay to join the choir. Unfortunately, Henry Fonda was not much of a singer, so this scene was omitted from the movie.
Cast
- Henry Fonda as Clay Spencer
- Maureen O'Hara as Olivia Spencer
- James MacArthur as Clayboy Spencer
- Donald Crisp as Grandpa Spencer
- Wally Cox as Preacher Goodman
- Mimsy Farmer as Claris Coleman
- Virginia Gregg as Miss Parker
- Lillian Bronson as Grandma Spencer
- Whit Bissell as Dr. Campbell
- Hayden Rorke as Colonel Coleman
- Kathy Bennett as Minnie-Cora Cook
- Dub Taylor as Percy Cook
- Ken Mayer as Mr. John
- Susan Young as Shirley Spencer
- Gary Young as Matt Spencer
- Veronica Cartwright as Becky Spencer
- Kym Karath as Pattie-Cake Spencer
External links
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