On Golden Pond is a touching film about growing old and watching your loved ones make their own way into the world, but it is also a film about change and what it takes to embrace it. Norman is the epitome of an old man at his age who doesn’t tend to like change and is so set in his ways that he’ll openly challenge anyone that seeks to contradict him. During their stay on Golden Pond with their soon to be step-grandson Norman does manage to change his ways just enough to accept that some things in life are better when one learns to adapt to the world around them.
All in all it’s a very touching movie.
10. A few of the scenes were truly heartfelt.
The film mirrored the real life relationship that Jane Fonda had with her father Henry so it wasn’t too hard to bring that kind of emotion to the forefront.
9. James Stewart wanted to star in the film.
He expressed interest in the role of Norman but Jane Fonda had already bought the rights to the play.
8. Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn had never worked together prior to this film.
Despite that they showed an amazing amount of chemistry onscreen. You’d have thought they’d been working together for years.
7. Katherine Hepburn did her own diving stunt into the water.
She’d gotten used to swimming cold waters on the east coast and was known to take cold showers on a regular basis.
6. Katherine Hepburn injured her arm before the film started.
She injured it playing tennis and later on tried to pick up a canoe in the film. The scene was edited out, which made her a bit upset.
5. This was the first time that the top-billed actors played a married couple.
It’s been repeated since but up until that point it had never happened.
4. This is the only film that Henry and Jane Fonda made together.
They managed to keep a good distance from one another when it came to the movies, but this one was intended to be something special.
3. The film was originally intended to feature Peter Fonda as well.
There was no way to add him in since he couldn’t be the love interest without things getting extremely weird and disturbing.
2. Henry Fonda was the oldest actor to win an Academy award for Best Actor.
He was 76 when he won the award. That’s an impressive thing to do at any age but managing to win at that age is something unique.
1. This film was shot mostly on location in New Hampshire.
It was filmed primarily around the Winnespausaukee Lake district.
Films such as this tend to come, touch the heart, and then retire back to the shelf where people might pick them up from time to time or else forget about them entirely. The one good thing about them however is that they’ll always be there when you need a pick me up or a nice, nostalgic film to entertain yourself for a while.
