![]() Movie mavens will recognize Clara Blandick as a frightened landlady and Samuel S. Precocious & poignant, Spanky’s character is quite unforgettable.įred Stone & Robert Barrat play the heads of the two feuding clans, one gentle – the other fierce. ![]() Already the star of numerous OUR GANG comedies, the tiny tyke here displays the talent that placed him in the front rank of child movie stars. Special mention should be made of seven-year-old Spanky McFarland, who plays Miss Sidney’s little brother. Cuddly Nigel Bruce is MacMurray’s associate – gruff & grumbly, but with a heart of gold. The marvelous character actress Beulah Bondi appears as Miss Sidney’s mother, one of the first in a decades-long line of stubborn, proud old women she would play her eyes tell of the world of trouble her character has seen on the mountain. All three deliver compelling performances, with a slight advantage going to the gentlemen, as their roles do not require as much shrill, fickle behavior as does Miss Sidney’s. The film’s romantic triangle consists of barefoot mountain lass Sylvia Sidney, her decent, uncomplicated cousin Henry Fonda, and mining executive Fred MacMurray, who, as a newcomer to the backwoods, rebels against the traditions of violence & revenge he finds there. The vividly depicted consequences of mindless, violent behavior give the film a real punch. Mal Vincent has been a longtime culture writer for The Virginian-Pilot.`In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, on THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE,’ a young woman discovers love, but no respite from the violent feud which has torn apart two families.įull of good performances & boasting excellent production values courtesy of Paramount Studios, this fine drama brings to its viewers a not-so-subtle message of peace & tolerance. These are good ol' country folk - the kind you don't often see in the movies. It's the sort of story that, one critic wrote in referring to the novel, "is as comforting as a patchwork quilt and as charming as a country cottage." This is not the kind of movie, or novel, that is going to deal with the problems of organized labor. ![]() The writer stays away from the coal mines and any drama they might suggest. Things also sometimes venture dangerously close to the kind of hillbilly-bashing of things like "Ma and Pa Kettle" and "The Beverly Hillbillies." But, for the most part, it stays believable, although the low budget at times shows. The corn is as high as an elephant's eye even though we are in Virginia, not Oklahoma. Life is tough.įor all of the movie's warmth, the setting sometimes raises an eyebrow. The other wake-up call to the plot is irascible Aunt Alice, who resents Ave Maria - partly because the younger woman got to go on a trip to Monticello and she's never made it farther than Roanoke. After all, he's been in love with her since the sixth grade. We're pulling for Wilson's character, Jack MacChesney. ![]() It made the New York Times' best-seller list and has been followed by three sequels: "Big Cherry Holler," "Milk Glass Moon" and "Home to Big Stone Gap." Noticeably, there's plenty of material here for sequels, or a TV series.Ī tiny bit of suspense surfaces when she threatens to chuck it all and run off to Italy to find her missing father. ![]() Once a writer for "The Cosby Show," she wrote this as a script, yet turned it into a novel. She lives in Greenwich Village, N.Y., but she grew up in Big Stone Gap, and she proves with this movie that she can go home again. Now, Adriana Trigiani is the worthy celeb writer of note. You can't really say that nothing ever happens at Big Stone Gap.įor generations, though, the only thing famous about Big Stone Gap was the fact that the author of "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" lived there. The outdoor drama "Trail of the Lonesome Pine" runs every summer. That's not to say that things don't happen. About the biggest thing that's happened at Big Stone Gap, population 5,634, up until now was the day Elizabeth Taylor choked on a chicken wing and had to be rushed to Lonesome Pine Hospital. ![]()
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