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    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1960s
    Movies - 1960s Movies - S 2 Mins Read

    Spencer’s Mountain (1963)

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    Spencer’s Mountain opens with America The Beautiful and throughout the film, you hear God Bless America, The Star-Spangled Banner, Shall We Gather At The River, The Garden of Prayer, Graduation March and When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be There. This film *is* Americana: Schmaltz. Family love. Heartbreak. Sacrifice. Triumph. Everything good about America. Everything the critics usually deplore.

    In the shadow of the mountain that bears the family name, hard-working Clay Spencer (Henry Fonda) strives to make a better life for his wife and nine children.

    Although it was a considerable commercial success, Henry Fonda absolutely loathed this cosy melodrama, claiming it “damned near set film-making back 25 years”.

    With Fonda playing the church-hating head of a Wyoming hill family, it’s not immediately apparent that Earl Hamner Jr’s novel also provided the inspiration for that enduringly popular TV show, The Waltons.

    The connection becomes clearer as James MacArthur’s character Clayboy (rather than John Boy) struggles to choose between his education and his inheritance.

    As mom and grandpa respectively, Maureen O’Hara and Donald Crisp provide expert support, and it all comes together under the watchful eye of director Delmer Daves.

    It’s not good cinema but it is a good show.

    Clay Spencer
    Henry Fonda
    Olivia
    Maureen O’Hara
    Clayboy Spencer
    James MacArthur
    Grandpa Spencer
    Donald Crisp
    Preacher Goodson
    Wally Cox
    Claris Coleman
    Mimsy Farmer
    Miss Parker
    Virginia Gregg
    Grandma Spencer
    Lillian Bronson
    Dr Campbell
    Whit Bissell
    Col Coleman
    Hayden Rorke
    Minnie-Cora Cook
    Kathy Bennett
    Percy Cook
    Dub Taylor
    Mother Ida
    Hope Summers
    Mr John
    Ken Mayer

    Director
    Delmer Daves

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