On Golden Pond (1981)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writers:

Ernest Thompson (play)
Ernest Thompson (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 January 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A TRIPLE ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER!

Plot:

The loons are back again on Golden Pond and so are Norman Thayer, a retired professor, and Ethel who...

Plot Keywords:

Summer | Cottage | Retired | Marriage | Vacation

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Katharine Hepburn	...	Ethel Thayer
Henry Fonda	...	Norman Thayer Jr.
Jane Fonda	...	Chelsea Thayer Wayne
Doug McKeon	...	Billy Ray
Dabney Coleman	...	Bill Ray
William Lanteau	...	Charlie Martin
Christopher Rydell	...	Sumner Todd (as Chris Rydell)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Troy Garity	...	Young Boy on Jetty (uncredited)

Directed by
Mark Rydell

Writing credits
Ernest Thompson		(play)
Ernest Thompson		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bruce Gilbert	....	producer

Original Music by
Dave Grusin

Cinematography by
Billy Williams

Film Editing by
Robert L. Wolfe

Casting by
Dianne Crittenden
Barry Primus

Production Design by
Stephen B. Grimes		(as Stephen Grimes)

Set Decoration by
Jane Bogart

Costume Design by
Dorothy Jeakins

Makeup Department
Ramon Gow	....	hair designer
Jerry Masarone	....	hair stylist
Thomas Tuttle	....	makeup artist (as Tom Tuttle)

Production Management
Terry Carr	....	production supervisor
Terry Carr	....	unit production manager
Richard Hashimoto	....	unit production manager (as Richard Y. Hashimoto)
Richard L. O'Connor	....	executive in charge of production
James Potter	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Daigler	....	first assistant director
Stephen B. Grimes	....	second unit director (as Stephen Grimes)
Venita Ozols	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Robert L. Clark	....	painter
Emily Ferry	....	property master
Emad Helmy	....	set designer
Matthew Knox	....	assistant propmaster
Donald Krafft	....	lead person (as Donald W. Krafft)
Gary Martin	....	construction coordinator
Ida Random	....	assistant art director
Ken Reed	....	propmaker
William Trobaugh	....	construction foreman

Sound Department
Laurey Condon	....	assistant sound editor
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer
David M. Ronne	....	production sound mixer (as David Ronne)
Kay Rose	....	supervising sound editor
Victoria Rose Sampson	....	sound editor
Pat Suraci	....	boom operator
Brian L. McCarty	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Matt Sweeney	....	special effects supervisor (as Matthew Sweeney)

Stunts
Bobby Porter	....	stunt double
Walter Scott	....	stunt coordinator
Walter Scott	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
Aggie Aguilar	....	gaffer
Paul Caven	....	best boy
James A. Contner	....	camera operator
Adger W. Cowans	....	still photographer (as Adger W. Cowan)
Leonard Lookabaugh	....	key grip (as Len Lookabaugh)
Rexford L. Metz	....	director of aerial photography (as Rexford Metz)
Gary Muller	....	second assistant camera (as Gary A. Muller)
Hank Muller	....	first assistant camera
Peter Norman	....	director of photography: second unit (as Peter R. Norman)
Scott Rathner	....	assistant camera
Jon Fauer	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Victoria James	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Arlene Encell	....	costume supervisor
Tony Faso	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Mark Conte	....	assistant editor
Adam Wolfe	....	apprentice editor
Greg Wong	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Else Blangsted	....	supervising music editor
Dennis S. Sands	....	music recordist (as Dennis Sands)

Transportation Department
William C. Bratton	....	transportation captain
Joe Sawyers	....	transportation coordinator (as Joe R. Sawyers)

Other crew
Ann Bell	....	assistant to director
Carroll Parrott Blue	....	production assistant (as Carroll Blue)
Arthur Cantor	....	producer: Broadway play
Pat Curtin	....	boat supervisor
Richard Dixon	....	location auditor (as Dick Dixon)
Greer Garson	....	producer: Broadway play
James W. Gavin	....	helicopter pilot
Peggy Gilder	....	production assistant
Lew Grade	....	presenter (as Lord Grade)
Charlene Joyce-Willingham	....	production assistant (as Charlene Joyce)
Denise Kurtzman	....	assistant to producer
Marie Melendez	....	assistant to director
Geralyn Miller	....	production coordinator
Phill Norman	....	title designer
Eileen Peterson	....	assistant to producer
Anne Prager	....	production assistant
James Rosenfield	....	location manager
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor
Gayle Simon	....	production assistant
Lydia Telo	....	assistant auditor
Edna Tromans	....	unit publicist
Ellen Adolph	....	manager of production accounting (uncredited)

Thanks
Roger Spottiswoode	....	special thanks
Robert L. Wolfe	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• IPC Films
• Incorporated Television Company (ITC)
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Associated Film Distribution (AFD) (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• C.I.C. (Consorcio Ibérico Cinematográfico) (1982) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Artisan Entertainment (DVD)
• Continental Film (2008) (Croatia) (all media)
• Lions Gate Films (2003) (North America) (all media)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1984) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• New Hampshire Film Bureau  thanks
• People of New Hampshire  thanks
• Pickwick/Maslansky/Koenigsberg Inc.  publicity
• Todd-AO Studios  sound

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Concord, New Hampshire, USA

Company:

IPC Films

Trivia:

Katharine Hepburn is the only movie star to win four Academy Awards (2009) for her leading roles in Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the boat crashes into the rock a panel can be seen sliding over to reveal the hole in the boat.

Quotes:

Norman: Would you like the room where I first violated her mother?

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions (2002) (TV)

Warm, reflective, touchingly basic human drama, with Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn offering treasured performances in their twilight years.

"On Golden Pond" is simply an old-fashioned testimonial to long-lost youth and facing one's mortality, and, in its simplicity, becomes a life-affirming valentine to those who feel that time has become the enemy - a seemingly ageless, universal perception. If not for the magnificent acting duet between Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn, this lovely, sentient piece would have been ignored by most moviegoers. But buoyed by these two acting legends, it manages to circumnavigate the heavy, mawkish waters -- rising far above and beyond anybody's expectation. Earning a whopping ten Oscar nominations, Ernest Thompson's reflective screenplay won one of those Oscars, but, for me, it's Dave Grusin's soothing, glistening score that is the stronger selling point here, adding immeasurably to the film's ruminative tone and gently rustic surroundings.

Henry Fonda plays brusque, cantankerous Norman Thayer, a one-time college professor approaching his 80th birthday with a mixture of anger, cynicism and fear as he shows signs of losing his faculties. Norman is not a particularly kind or considerate gent. Abrupt, callous, remote, and ill-equipped to offer nurturing support of any kind, living with Norman must have been quite an ordeal for those growing up under his roof. As a means of self-preservation, their only child, Chelsea, has long estranged herself from the family, unable to emotionally come to terms with her unhappy, unhealthy relationship with her father.

Fonda offers the most affecting, endearing performance of his durable career. He manages to use Norman's undesirable traits to his advantage, investing in his character a gruff charm and cynical sense of humor that is totally winning. He melts away the harmful, negative elements, as Carroll O'Connor managed to do for Archie Bunker, and makes Norman not only funny and entertaining, but loveable. As a result, Fonda becomes the glowing centerpiece of `On Golden Pond,' and it is this portrayal, along with his `Grapes of Wrath' Tom Joad, that will remain indelibly etched in our hearts and minds for decades to come.

Kate Hepburn is his Ethel, a loving, pragmatic anchor who obviously has played an important role in the lifetime success of this complicated man. Devoted to a tee, Ethel understands and compensates for the weaknesses of her husband. She valiantly assuages his deepening fears with good-natured kidding, feigned hopelessness, and careful but subtle guidance. She is Dulcinea to his Don Quixote. As a lioness would shield an endangered cub, she has automatically assumed the roles of caregiver, protectorate and confidence booster without pause or grief. Only for Ethel does Norman step out of his shield of emotional armor and display a genuine affection that is lost to others, including himself. Hepburn absolutely radiates with warmth and vitality, providing the film with a necessary center. Though less flashy and substantive, both she and Fonda were Oscared for their work here, with Hepburn winning a record-breaking fourth 'Best Actress' award. Incidentally, this was their ONLY screen pairing, yet they work together as if they've known each other all their lives.

Fifteen-year-old Doug McKeon manages to hold his own among the star power here as a young resentful upstart whose dentist father (Dabney Coleman) is romantically involved with Chelsea. Forced to play out the rest of his summer with the old folks while his father and girlfriend spend quality time together, he learns a delicate lesson or two as he develops an unlikely bond with Norman. Coleman himself has one edgy, amusing scene as he tries to gracefully deal with an overly wry Norman.

Surprisingly, the weakest story link involves Norman's strained relationship with daughter Chelsea, played by Hank's own daughter, Jane Fonda (Oscar-nominated). The familial situation obviously parallels their own real-life lack of connection, but the scenes seem strangely shallow and self-serving as they forge through some mucky emotional moments as if striving for real-life closure. What should have been insightful and compelling comes off forced and distracting, particularly on Jane's part.

Henry Fonda's own physical frailty at the time of shooting adds a special poignancy to the film. Ironically, Hepburn won her second Oscar in 1967 for playing another wifely Rock of Gibraltar in `Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?' The ailing Spencer Tracy died shortly after the completion of that film. Fonda would pass away a few months after winning his only Oscar.

A most welcome and satisfying diversion that touches with its unpretentiousness, `On Golden Pond' is a lovely, lovely little film that should resonate for ages to come.