''The Giant of Thunder Mountain'' is a
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
starring
Richard Kiel
Richard Dawson Kiel (September 13, 1939 – September 10, 2014) was an American actor. Standing tall, he was known for portraying Jaws in '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' Moonraker'' (1979). Kiel's next-most-recognized role is the t ...
(''
The Spy Who Loved Me'') and
Noley Thornton
Noley Thornton is a former television and film actress who was active in U.S. media from 1990 through 1998.
In the early 1990s, Thornton was nominated for a Young Artist Award twice. Once in the category of "Best Youth Actress in a TV Miniseries, ...
(''
Beverley Hills, 90210'').
Bart the Bear
Bart the Bear (January 19, 1977 – May 10, 2000) was a male Kodiak bear best known for his numerous appearances in films, including '' The Bear'' (for which he received widespread acclaim),Prettyman, Brett"Utah's Bart the Bear: Hollywood star, ...
also appeared in the movie. The screenplay was jointly written by
Richard Kiel
Richard Dawson Kiel (September 13, 1939 – September 10, 2014) was an American actor. Standing tall, he was known for portraying Jaws in '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' Moonraker'' (1979). Kiel's next-most-recognized role is the t ...
, Chrystle Fiedler, and Tony Lozito. It was directed by James W. Roberson.
Plot summary
In the town of Weaverton, signs of a circus are being posted. In Zeke MacGruder's barn, a group of boys are holding a meeting. Two brothers, Tommy (Chance Michael Corbitt) and Ben (Ryan Todd) are daring to climb Thunder Mountain, where it is said a giant lives. The boys take the dare and set out up the mountain. They get caught in a thunderstorm and barely escape getting hit by lightning (this is what gives Thunder Mountain its name). They take refuge inside a strange oversized log cabin. Whilst there, they find mysterious carved wooden figures. Suddenly, the giant returns and finds the boys hiding under a table, but they escape with one of the wooden figures and go back to town. When they reach home, they tell their family their amazing story, but no one believes them. The next morning, they set out with another boy, Zeke MacGruder (Daniel Pipoly) who doubts Tommy and Ben have seen the giant. Tommy and Ben's younger sister, Amy (
Noley Thornton
Noley Thornton is a former television and film actress who was active in U.S. media from 1990 through 1998.
In the early 1990s, Thornton was nominated for a Young Artist Award twice. Once in the category of "Best Youth Actress in a TV Miniseries, ...
) follows them, but almost gets caught in a bear trap. The boys tell her to leave but she persists and continues following them.
The three boys watch the giant from the woods. Zeke excuses himself and runs away, but Amy steps out from the woods and introduces herself and her brothers to the giant, Eli Weaver (
Richard Kiel
Richard Dawson Kiel (September 13, 1939 – September 10, 2014) was an American actor. Standing tall, he was known for portraying Jaws in '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' Moonraker'' (1979). Kiel's next-most-recognized role is the t ...
). They help him with his chores including helping him plant young fir trees. The boys volunteer to get water for the trees and go in the cabin to fetch a bucket. When they do so they discover some of Eli's gold nuggets. Tommy puts a few in his pocket, and they go outside and fill the bucket with water. Eli's pet wolf shows up to check out the children and after this the children return to town. Amy discovers Tommy and Ben looking at the gold nuggets and they allow her to have one of them with the promise she won't tell their mother. Amy goes to the general store to buy candy, and offers to pay for the candy with the gold. Hezekiah Crow (
Jack Elam
William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villainou ...
) overhears Amy and says he is an expert in gauging whether a nugget is gold or not, and proclaims the nugget as being 'Fool's Gold.' But in trade he offers her tickets to his carnival, and she bargains for extra tickets. She goes to see Eli and invites him to dinner and gives him one of the carnival tickets.
Eli comes to Wilson's house for dinner, and after dinner he repairs their cuckoo clock. Hezekiah Crow's circus parades through Weaverton, hosted by Zeke's father, Mr. MacGruder (
Ed Williams). The circus's many performers include a juggling act, a trained
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...
, a trained
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
, a
boa constrictor
The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...
, a long-legged clown act, a
camel
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
, a high-jumping acrobat, and two white
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s.
The final act arrives, a trained
black bear
Black bear or Blackbear may refer to:
Animals
* American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species
* Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species
Music
* Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...
act. This reminds Eli of the day that a giant
grizzly bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
(
Bart the Bear
Bart the Bear (January 19, 1977 – May 10, 2000) was a male Kodiak bear best known for his numerous appearances in films, including '' The Bear'' (for which he received widespread acclaim),Prettyman, Brett"Utah's Bart the Bear: Hollywood star, ...
) killed his parents. Amy admires a beautiful doll at a circus booth, and Eli throws balls to knock down pins. The booth is run by one of Hezekiah's sons (William Sanderson), who puts a rod through the pins so they can't be knocked over. But Eli's throw breaks the pins and he expects the carnival man to give Amy the doll, but instead he gives her an inferior doll. Amy is disappointed, and Eli grabs hold of the carnival man and lifts him in the air and then drops him on the ground. Eli hands the beautiful ceramic doll to Amy. A crowd has gathered around Eli and Amy's mother appears and scolds Amy for causing trouble. The crowd shout insults at Eli and Eli crushes the doll's head with one squeeze and warns the town to stay off Thunder Mountain. Amy tries to tell him to stay, but he says that he will not visit a town that's disrespectful to him and storms off. The next scene is at a bar, where several men (including old man Doc) are playing poker. Hezekiah and his two sons plot to go to Eli's cabin to obtain Eli's gold. Meanwhile, at his cabin, Eli burns the wooden statuette he carved of Amy.
Amy goes to see Eli and says she is sorry for what happened in town, and the two are friends again. Eli and Amy go for a walk in the woods and he shows her the biggest tree in the forest 'The General.' Tommy and Ben go to find Amy and at the cabin are accosted by Hezekiah Crow and his two sons. They kidnap Ben, knock out Tommy, and take Eli's gold. Hearing the approach of a posse, they escape out a window in the back of the cabin, leaving Tommy lying unconscious on the floor.
Meanwhile, in the woods, the grizzly approaches and Eli fights it and knocks it out with a tree branch. Amy runs for the cabin and Eli limps along after her. Amy arrives at the cabin and runs to her mother. The posse do not ascertain what is going on and assume Eli has taken Amy's brothers and set out to catch him. While being stalked, Eli is wounded in the leg and has to hide. He hides under a pile of leaves and surprises one of the men of the posse who has caught his leg in his own bear trap. He takes the man's gun and takes the trap off the man's leg. The posse burns Eli's cabin as revenge for their mistaken belief he kidnapped the children.
Amy and her mom return to town with Tommy. The kidnappers go to the MacGruder's house to steal their belongings and Eli tracks them down and frees the MacGruder's and Ben. Hezekiah Crow tries to trick Eli and escapes out a window. Eli follows him and Hezekiah comes face to face in the dark with the true Giant of Thunder Mountain - the grizzly. Caught between Eli and the bear he surrenders to Eli and the posse.
The movie concludes with the town asking Eli if he would become their sheriff, and promise to rebuild his cabin. Eli says he must return to the mountain, but leaves as their friend.
Cast
*
Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomin ...
as Narrator / The Elder Amy
*
Richard Kiel
Richard Dawson Kiel (September 13, 1939 – September 10, 2014) was an American actor. Standing tall, he was known for portraying Jaws in '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' Moonraker'' (1979). Kiel's next-most-recognized role is the t ...
as Eli Weaver
* Lynne Seus as Ma Weaver
*
Doug Seus as Pa Weaver
*
Marianne Gordon
Marianne Gordon (born 23 July 1946) is an American actress. Her filmography includes supporting roles in ''How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' (1965), '' Rosemary's Baby'' (1968), ''Little Darlings'' (1980), '' The Being'' (1983) and '' The Giant of Th ...
as Alicia Wilson (as Marianne Rogers)
*
Noley Thornton
Noley Thornton is a former television and film actress who was active in U.S. media from 1990 through 1998.
In the early 1990s, Thornton was nominated for a Young Artist Award twice. Once in the category of "Best Youth Actress in a TV Miniseries, ...
as Amy Wilson
* Chance Michael Corbitt as Tommy Wilson
* Ryan Todd as Ben Wilson
*
Jack Elam
William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villainou ...
as Hezekiah Crow
*
William Sanderson
William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and had regular roles on several television series such as Larry on ''Newhart'' (1982–1990), E. B. ...
as Percey Crow
*
George 'Buck' Flower
George Albert "Buck" Flower (October 28, 1937 – June 18, 2004) was an American actor, writer, producer, assistant director, production manager, and casting director. He was sometimes credited as Ernest Wall, Buck Flower, George "Buck" Flower ...
as Oliver Crow
*
Ellen Crawford
Ellen Ann Crawford (born April 29, 1951) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Nurse Lydia Wright on '' ER'' from 1994 through 2003 and then again in 2009 for the series finale.
Crawford has also performed on stage, in ''A Touch ...
as Agnes Macgruder
*
Danuel Pipoly
Danuel Pipoly (born 11 March 1978) is an American former actor, most famous for starring as Piggy in the 1990 film adaptation of ''Lord of the Flies''. He received two award nominations as a result of his work with ''Lord of the Flies'', incl ...
as Zeke Macgruder
*
Ed Williams as Mr. Macgruder
*
Foster Brooks
Foster Brooks (May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of a lovable drunk in nightclub performances and television programs.
Early life
Brooks was born in Louisville, Kentucky on ...
as Doc (Townsman)
*
John Quade
John William Saunders III (April 1, 1938 – August 9, 2009), better known by the stage name John Quade, was an American character actor who starred in film and in television. He was best known for his role as Cholla, the leader of the mot ...
as Carl (Townsman)
*
James Hampton as Jesse
* Dennis Fimple as Henderson (Townsman)
* Burt Marshall as Mobbs (Townsman)
* Myra Chason as Customer (Townsman)
The Townsmen
* Warren Sweeney
* Robert Foster
* Jeff Till
* Ron Hardee
* George Davis as George 'The Poker Player' (Saloon Patron)
* Charles P. Bernuth as Poker Player #1
* John Herklotz as Poker Player #2
* Beverly Stern as Blonde Floozy
;The Boys Club
* Joshua Mitchell
* John Thornton
* Bennett Kiel
* Brad McPeters as Posse Man #1
* John Cunningham as Posse Man #2 / Vigilante
The Vigilantes
* Paul Johnson
* Bart Brown
* Kim Wood
* Bob Nelson
* Kenny Linder
* Ron Forbes
* Paul Fairbanks
* Cleo Blackburn
* Townser Leonar
* Gary Preston
* Dustin Fischer
* Wayne White
* Robert Seastron
* Jerry Westfall
* Ray Preston
Animals
*
Bart the Bear
Bart the Bear (January 19, 1977 – May 10, 2000) was a male Kodiak bear best known for his numerous appearances in films, including '' The Bear'' (for which he received widespread acclaim),Prettyman, Brett"Utah's Bart the Bear: Hollywood star, ...
as The Bear
*
Tai (elephant)
Tai (November 4, 1968 – May 7, 2021) was an Asian elephant. She was best known for portraying Bo Tat in the film ''Operation Dumbo Drop'' (1995), Vera in '' Larger than Life'' (1996), and Rosie in ''Water for Elephants'' (2011). Her name was der ...
as Circus Elephant (uncredited)
* Josef the Lion as Circus Lion (uncredited)
Production notes
The film was shot in
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
and
North Fork, California
North Fork (formerly Brown's and Northfork; Mono wa?ahhpY', "cedar grove") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census it had a population of 3,250. It is part of the Mad ...
. It was released in the U.S. in March 1991, and at the
Cannes Film Market
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...
in France, in May 1991. The films production company was American Happenings and Herklotz Enterprises. The distributors were
Castle Hill Productions
Castle Hill Productions was an independent television and film distribution company handling classic and independent films whose library spans eight decades.
History
Founded in 1978 by Julian Schlossberg, Castle Hill Productions revived and re ...
and Plaza Entertainment, with special effects by FX West.
The real-life owners and trainers of
Bart the Bear
Bart the Bear (January 19, 1977 – May 10, 2000) was a male Kodiak bear best known for his numerous appearances in films, including '' The Bear'' (for which he received widespread acclaim),Prettyman, Brett"Utah's Bart the Bear: Hollywood star, ...
(who played the bear),
Doug
Doug is a male personal name (or, depending on which definition of "personal name" one uses, part of a personal name). It is sometimes a given name (or "first name"), but more often it is hypocorism (affectionate variation of a personal name) which ...
and Lynne Seus, have cameos in the film as Eli's father and mother in a flashback.
Reception
Due to appreciative coverage by the
Film Advisory Board
The Film Advisory Board (FAB) is a member-supported organization founded in 1975 by Elayne Blythe (1919–2005). The FAB's "Award of Excellence" was developed to award quality family-oriented and children's entertainment in both print and elec ...
and religious publications that noted the film's Christian themes, the marketing attempted to push the notion that it was "critically acclaimed." However, the film's limited release was largely unnoticed, and there was no instance of acclaim by a major critic or publication. Some retrospective reviews have noted the film's reliance on contrivance and "stock" filmmaking approaches.
It grossed only $126,911 at the U.S. box office.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giant Of Thunder Mountain
1991 films
1991 drama films
American vigilante films
Films scored by Lee Holdridge
1990s vigilante films
1990s American films