Spencer's Mountain, The Waltons, and Earl Hamner, Junior -

I haven't read "Spencer's Mountain," so I don't know the book. But I have read other's reviews to gather a synopsis. I also researched a little bit on Earl Hamner, Jr.'s life (the Junior is important). I was also a big fan of The Waltons when I was a teenage, Born Again Christian of the Nazarene (and Jesus Freak) variety. I have since learned to be skeptical empiricist and intelligence analyst. I will put my background and skills to work in an effort to enlighten us all.

The movie is based on what has been described as Earl Hamner, Jr.'s semi-autobiographical novel. Earl Hamner, Jr. was born in Schuyler, VA in 1923. Do the math or consult a calendar. He was 18-years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. So, he grew up during the depression in rural Virginia. Schuyler is a small, no, a tiny town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is within waling distance (1940's walking distance, not today) of the Shenandoah Valley. So, while I haven't confirmed this, it is likely that he served in WW2 between high school and college. Then he went to college in the late 1940's to 1950's. He became a television writer in the fifties and published "Spencer's Mountain" in 1961.

The story in the book is set in Virginia and includes a lot more fishing, drinking, card playing, and other manly sins by Clay and the other adult male characters.

I see it this way, Mr. Hamner goes to college on the G.I. Bill and majors in English. He graduates and then starts a career in writing. Spencer's Mountain takes place where he grew up, the foot of the Blue Ridge in Virginia. He writes about the female role models in his life who are mostly old school church biddy types who are simple and quote the Bible a lot and the male role models in his life who are hard working, hard playing country men, also simple and who tolerate the Bible and church people. They conform with the church teachings enough to keep the women satisfied. The story is set in contemporary times because he wants to reach a wide audience and does not think that people are ready to read about the Great Depression.

The movie is set in the Wyoming near the Grand Tetons for studio reasons. Maybe the director wanted to take a vacation near Yellowstone or maybe they had a lot of stock footage of the Grand Tetons. He works with the screen writer to smooth off the hard edges and make the story better family fare. They tone down the carousing of the men and focus more on the family.

He meets success with the novel as well as with his teleplays and the movie is successful, too. By the mid-1960's he is earning a good leaving writing for television, so he has enough influence to write and produce "A Homecoming." That leads to "The Waltons," and he moves both back to the Virginia depression of his youth.

Now, you know how to put this movie in context with the novel of the same name and with the television series. You also have a glimpse at how an intelligence analyst things. More than half of what I wrote above is speculation to fill in the holes between what I can determine for sure. At least I don't need to tell the President categorically that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, or that they don't.