'' I'd Climb the Highest Mountain'' is a 1951

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

religious drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Henry King and produced by Lamar Trotti from a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

by Trotti. The story is based on a 1910 novel by Corra Harris about a minister and his wife in southern

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

(specifically Mossy Creek, Georgia) in the early 20th century. The film stars

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrener; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American actress best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Clarence Thornton, Walt ...

and William Lundigan with

Rory Calhoun Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...

, Barbara Bates, Gene Lockhart, Alexander Knox and Lynn Bari. The music score was by Sol Kaplan and the cinematography by Edward Cronjager.

Plot

William Thompson is a minister from the Deep South who has recently married Mary Elizabeth, a city woman. William is assigned a new parish and moves with his wife to a town in Georgia's

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

, where he tends to the spiritual and emotional needs of his small flock. The poverty and isolation of the region, and the everyday problems of local people, put a strain on the couple's faith and marriage. The townspeople have doubts about the new minister he must contend with, as well as helping his city-bred wife adjust to life in the country. As he shepherds his flock through hardships, including an epidemic leading to some deaths, he proves his worth as a pastor.

Cast

as Mary Elizabeth Eden Thompson * William Lundigan as Rev. William Asbury Thompson *

as Jack Stark * Barbara Bates as Jenny Brock * Gene Lockhart as Jeff Brock * Lynn Bari as Mrs. Billywith * Ruth Donnelly as Glory White * Kathleen Lockhart as Mrs. Brock * Alexander Knox as Tom Salter

Production

The movie was shot in Dawsonville, Georgia, in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

, an unusual and out-of-the-way location at the time. Other scenes were shot in Sautee-Nacoochee, Georgia,

Demorest, Georgia Demorest ( ) is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, Habersham County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 2,022 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 1,823 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 cen ...

, and Cleveland, Georgia. On June 1, 1950, Hayward nearly lost her life when she slipped near a waterfall she was photographing. Luckily, William Gray, a studio chauffeur, caught her and they escaped with only minor injuries."Chauffeur Saves Star From Falls", ''New York Daily News'', June 2, 1950, p. 6 (Hayward would actually move to another part of rural Georgia a few years later, settling down to farm and ranch with her second husband when she was not making films. The couple are buried near the town of Carrollton, Georgia.)

References

External links

* * * 1951 films 1951 drama films American drama films Films based on American novels Films directed by Henry King Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state) Films set in Georgia (U.S. state) Films set in the 1910s Films set in the 1920s Films set in the 1930s Films set in the 1940s Films scored by Sol Kaplan Films with screenplays by Lamar Trotti 20th Century Fox films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-US-drama-film-stub