For three generations, the Spencer family has been living in the Snake River area of Wyoming. Old Hannibal Spencer, who is now buried in the family plot, was the first of the family to arrive there, and his son (Donald Crisp) stayed on and raised a family of ten sons. Each of those sons has remained in the area and is now raising a family of his own. The film focuses on the life of son Clay (Henry Fonda), his wife, Livvy (Maureen O'Hara), and their nine children.
Rich in love, but poor in cash, the Spencer family has dreams. Father Clay yearns to build a grand home for his large brood. Whenever possible, he steals time away to work a bit on the dream house. Mother Livvy wants a graduation ring for son Clayboy (James MacArthur), and Clayboy yearns to attend college, a dream that seems as far away as the moon, even with the partial scholarship he has received. For any or all of the family's dreams to be accomplished, much sacrifice will have to be made. How it all plays out---in ways which will sometimes remind you vividly of The Waltons---is the balance of the film.
Filmed on location in the Grand Tetons and the surrounding area, the movie's scenery is incredibly gorgeous. It is also very familiar (and beloved) to me. Living within a day's drive from Grand Teton National Park, our family has vacationed there on four different occasions. The beautiful mountain peaks in the film are ones we have enjoyed photographing ourselves; and the little church in the film is the Chapel of the Transfiguration, which sits at the south end of the park, and which our family has visited on every trip. (With a view like this, can you imagine the difficulty of keeping your mind on the preacher's sermon?! My photo, taken on a 2006 family vacation.)
At times, I thought Spencer's Mountain was a 4-star "like it a lot" film, while at others it was a 3-star "good, enjoyable, like it okay" film. So, while I'm going with 3 stars, it's more like 3.5. The overzealous girlfriend scenes grew a bit tedious, as did some of the hymn-singing. The story is sweet, sentimental, and morally appealing, and the performances of all are solid. Miss O'Hara is her usual beautiful self, and although I'm not much of a Henry Fonda fan, I have to admit, he is terrific in this role. Donald Crisp, in his final film appearance, doesn't have much to do, but he does it well. I think he ended his career on a high note. One of the youngest children is played by Kym Karath, who portrayed the youngest Von Trapp daughter, Gretel, in The Sound of Music. She is a bit precocious here in Spencer's Mountain, but she's also adorable and sweet. I was completely charmed by her.
Out on DVD, Spencer's Mountain should be fairly easy to track down. Additionally, it is on the TCM schedule for this coming, Sunday, August 11th, at 9:30 a.m. ET (as part of Henry Fonda's day in Summer Under the Stars). If you are a fan of The Waltons, you will definitely want to see the film which inspired it.
Happy viewing!!