IMDb RATING
7.0/10
3.2K
YOUR RATING
Grand Teton quarryman and family patriarch carefully navigates issues of religion and education in order to eke out a brighter future for his family.Grand Teton quarryman and family patriarch carefully navigates issues of religion and education in order to eke out a brighter future for his family.Grand Teton quarryman and family patriarch carefully navigates issues of religion and education in order to eke out a brighter future for his family.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
William Breen
- Mountain Boy
- (uncredited)
Veronica Cartwright
- Becky Spencer
- (uncredited)
Michele Daves
- Donnie Spencer
- (uncredited)
Martin Eric
- Odell Harper
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to a Henry Fonda interview seen on the DVD version of this movie, many locals of Jackson Hole, Wyoming were used as extras for scenes in the movie, such as the graduation of Clayboy.
- GoofsWhen Clay Spencer is driving to the university he's in what looks like a 1955 Ford F100 truck. When he arrives at the school he's driving a 1956 Ford F100. Then when he gets back to the library he's again driving the older model Ford truck.
- Quotes
Miss Parker: The world steps aside to let any man pass if he knows where he is going.
- SoundtracksAmerica the Beautiful
(uncredited)
Words by Katharine Lee Bates 1904
Music by Samuel A. Ward, 1882
Sung by Barbara McNair
Featured review
Walton's Mountain in Wyoming
"Spencer's Mountain" is an enjoyable family drama with touches of humor throughout. The outdoor scenery is spectacular. The film was shot in Grand Teton National Park, around Jackson Hole, WY, and in California. The movie is based on a 1961 novel of the same title, by Earl Hamner Jr. Some of the characters and experiences in the film are from his background, growing up near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the Great Depression.
Hamner would write another novel in 1970 that further expands on his boyhood growing up as the oldest child in a large family. That book, "The Homecoming: A Novel About Spencer's Mountain," led to the 1971 movie by the same title that in turn spawned the nine-year TV series, "The Waltons."
I don't know why this film was set in Wyoming instead of Virginia, but the expansive shots of the scenery could be one reason. By the middle 20th century, it would have been hard to find shots like that in Virginia that didn't show much more modern development. "The Homecoming" was also shot in Wyoming in 1971, although the story was clearly set in Virginia.
Many people who watched the later film and then the Waltons on TV (1972- 81) didn't know that this movie was part of Hamner's story of Walton's Mountain as well.
The cast of "Spencer's Mountain' is very good. Henry Fonda excelled as Clay Spencer. Another reviewer commented about the types of role he played, and I agree that Fonda was best with this type of role. He also was good with dramatic roles, but he didn't have the stuff for comedy. He was mildly OK in a couple that he made, but not too good in the others. That's probably why he made so few comedies. His forte in Westerns was as the bad guy.
Maureen O'Hara is wonderful as Olivia Spencer and James MacArthur plays Clayboy. That's the role that Richard Thomas had in the later film and the series as John-Boy. The rest of the cast are all quite good.
This is a somewhat different story than what Hamner writes for the Waltons. The special home that Clay starts to build for Olivia, and then the fire that destroys it. It's an interesting and entertaining movie that most should enjoy.
Hamner would write another novel in 1970 that further expands on his boyhood growing up as the oldest child in a large family. That book, "The Homecoming: A Novel About Spencer's Mountain," led to the 1971 movie by the same title that in turn spawned the nine-year TV series, "The Waltons."
I don't know why this film was set in Wyoming instead of Virginia, but the expansive shots of the scenery could be one reason. By the middle 20th century, it would have been hard to find shots like that in Virginia that didn't show much more modern development. "The Homecoming" was also shot in Wyoming in 1971, although the story was clearly set in Virginia.
Many people who watched the later film and then the Waltons on TV (1972- 81) didn't know that this movie was part of Hamner's story of Walton's Mountain as well.
The cast of "Spencer's Mountain' is very good. Henry Fonda excelled as Clay Spencer. Another reviewer commented about the types of role he played, and I agree that Fonda was best with this type of role. He also was good with dramatic roles, but he didn't have the stuff for comedy. He was mildly OK in a couple that he made, but not too good in the others. That's probably why he made so few comedies. His forte in Westerns was as the bad guy.
Maureen O'Hara is wonderful as Olivia Spencer and James MacArthur plays Clayboy. That's the role that Richard Thomas had in the later film and the series as John-Boy. The rest of the cast are all quite good.
This is a somewhat different story than what Hamner writes for the Waltons. The special home that Clay starts to build for Olivia, and then the fire that destroys it. It's an interesting and entertaining movie that most should enjoy.
helpful•82
- SimonJack
- Jan 16, 2017
- How long is Spencer's Mountain?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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![Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara, Mimsy Farmer, and James MacArthur in Spencer's Mountain (1963)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjhkYjM1M2ItMzdlMS00N2QzLWJmMWMtNTQ4MWFmZjM2MDI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUxODE0MDY@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)