'' (
1981 ) was a
Broadway play turned cinematic hit written by playwright
Ernest Thompson . The film tells the story of a summer spent by an aging couple at their summer home on Golden Pond, their daughter who attempts to close the age-old gap between herself and her father, and her new stepson who spends a month on the pond with her parents. Produced by the
British ITC Entertainment production company, it stars
Katharine Hepburn (Ethel),
Henry Fonda (Norman),
Jane Fonda (their daughter Chelsea), Doug McKeon (their step-grandson Billy Ray) and
Dabney Coleman .
The movie was adapted by Thompson from his stage play and was directed by
Mark Rydell , who was also directing a stage play, ''
The West Side Waltz '', in which Hepburn also performed that year.
Ernest Thompson received an
Academy Award in 1981 for his work.
It won
Academy Awards for
Best Actor In A Leading Role (Henry Fonda),
Best Actress In A Leading Role (Katharine Hepburn) and
Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium . It was nominated for
Best Actress In A Supporting Role (Jane Fonda),
Best Cinematography ,
Best Director ,
Best Film Editing ,
Best Music, Original Score ,
Best Picture and
Best Sound .
Before becoming involved with this film, despite their many common acquaintances and long careers in the movies, Henry Fonda and Hepburn had never met. The film was made on
Squam Lake , in central
New Hampshire .
The house used in the film was leased from a New Hampshire physician and was modified significantly for the shoot. The production company was contractually obligated to return the house to its original state after the film wrapped. An entire second floor was added as a balcony over the main living area was requested by the production designer. After the shoot the owner liked the rennovations so much that he elected to keep the house that way and asked the crew not to dismantle the second story. A gazebo and a small boathouse were also relocated during the shoot. Ms. Hepburn did all of her own stunts, including the swimming, for the duration of the shoot. The scene in which Norman (Henry Fonda) and Billy (Doug McKeon) run their boat, the Thayer IV, into the rocks was done repeatedly. The vintage wooden Chris-Craft boats were so sturdy that they kept bouncing off the rocks without any damage. The crew had to modify the boats so they would break away in the wreck. The water level in Squam Lake was so low during the summer of production that Fonda and McKeon could have stood during the scene in which they were supposedly clinging to the rocks for fear of drowning. The water was barely knee deep. Scenes in which Billy takes the boat out on his own were filmed on nearby Lake Winnipesaukee.
In
2001 ,
CBS aired a live television adaptation of ''On Golden Pond'', which was heavily publicized in the press, mainly due to the reunion of former ''
Sound Of Music '' stars
Julie Andrews and
Christopher Plummer .
