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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 1952
Released: July 8, 2003 |
| Our Price: $4.77 |
| Used Price: $3.90 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
CLAYBOY'S SCHOOLTEACHER IMPRESSES UPON CLAYBOY THE FOLLOWINGPHRASE,THE WORLD STEPS ASIDE TO LET A MAN PASS, IF HE KNOWS WHERE HE IS GOING
Description of Spencer's Mountain:
Long before Henry Fonda played an irascible patriarch in On Golden Pond, he played an equally crusty family man in this warmly rustic, 1963 drama Spencer's Mountain, based on an Earl Hamner Jr. novel that later inspired the television series The Waltons. Fonda plays Clay Spencer, a fiercely independent, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed Wyoming laborer who believes in God but rejects (to his tiny community's consternation) organized religion. Scraping together enough money to build a new house for his wife (Maureen O'Hara) and nine children, Spencer runs into an obstacle to both his plans and family pride when his college-bound son (James MacArthur) romances the daughter of Spencer's boss. Director Delmer Daves whips up a kind of morose schmaltz out of the earnest material, but it's Fonda's grit and heartland integrity that carry the day and establish some self-effacing wit. Some nice features here, including interviews with Fonda and a short documentary, "Spencer's Mountain: Grand Teton Premiere." --Tom Keogh
Spencer's Mountain Reviews:
OK - Not a Waste but not a MUST See Either 
2009-12-22 - Some disclaimers - I never was a fan of Fonda OR O'Hara. They are OK - but I didn't buy this movie because of them. I bought it because it was based on Earl Hamner's book.
Others have compared this to the Waltons, and others have griped that it's not fair to do so. I think it's a good "rough draft" for The Waltons - The Waltons is the fine finished work.
I was most put out by the insipidness of the characters. The kids were just underdeveloped caricatures...Henry Fonda was unnatural as was O'Hara. She did not look at all like someone who was a poor mountain wife....but the biggest waste IMHO was the lack of use of the grandparents. In the TV show, Grandma and Grandpa Walton were awesome. In this movie, the grandparents are flavorless and colorless, much like something that needs more salt and spice.
The story was OK. I was having a difficult time coming to grips with what exact time period we were in - if it was supposed to be the Depression then I think the only thing that made it seem like that was the fact that the Spencers had no car and an ancient wood burning stove in the kitchen. (no mention made of anything to give us a time frame but when they went to the college town, I saw 1950s type cars, and the wardrobe was definitely post war years; probably late 50's early 60's.) This is frustrating because part of the charm and draw for The Waltons, for me, was the time period - the period clothing, the old fashioned cars and radios and other period specific elements. It seems to me that this film was thrown together poorly and expected to be a success simply because of Fonda and O'Hara.
If you think of it as a "rough draft" for a greater, later work then this is a good film. I'm glad I purchased it, and will watch it again, but only to find all the items that later turn up in the seasons of The Waltons. LOL
Spencers Mountain Review 
2009-12-13 - Classic Henry Fonda movie. This movie was actually the inspiration for the Walton's TV series. Great family movie.
Spencers Mountain
2009-10-18 - I have wanted this movie for a long time and finally I have it. If you liked the Waltons you will love this movie. Great cast. Beautifully emotional movie. What a shame they don't make movies like this anymore!
Perfect movie for family viewing!
2009-10-13 - The TV series 'The Waltons' was based on this book/movie. Excellent family viewing. I highly recommend it!
excellent review
2009-08-26 - I received the product in excellent condition, but at this time, I have not had a chance to watch the video to check for the quality of the picture. If it is like everything else that I have ordered from Amazon, the film will be in excellent condition also.
