The Wild Country

Bought this one on Amazon Prime and it made my Day. Good clean Fun with all the elements of a Great Western. Morgan Woodward stellar as the Mean Heavy(Cross). Jack Elam brings his character (Thompson) to Life with the Best. Many close ups of Vera Miles and Steve Forrest as Mom and Dad (Tanner) and The Howard Brothers as THE BOYS ( Read their New Book). The Intention and Obstacle are clear as Story is About a Family that moves West and settles in new Town only to get into Water Rights Fight with Cross led clan.

A family moves from Pittsburgh to Wyoming to become farmers in the late 1800s. They face the expected amount of hardships, including a tornado and a murderous rancher. Wilderness family adventure movies are usually fun to watch. This one doesn't break any new ground, even for 1970, but it'll keep your attention. It's enjoyable even if it's stuff you've seen before. Steve Forrest and Vera Miles are the parents. He's for the pioneer life but she wants to move back to civilization. Ron Howard is the teenage son anxious to be a man. Clint Howard is the annoying little brother who likes to make pets of all the animals. Jack Elam is lots of fun as a goofy mountain man and Frank DeKova has another of his Indian roles he was known for. Dan Haggerty has a blink-and-you'll-miss-him background part. Surprisingly violent for a Disney movie. Tornado scene was very well done. Beautiful scenery is a plus. Worth checking out if you're a fan of such movies.

When I was a child, I caught about the last third of this Disney movie on television, and it made a real impression on me. For decades afterwards, I wondered what the title was, but I couldn't remember it. But just the other day, I caught the entire package on Turner Classic Movies, and I was delighted to finally identify the movie. Seeing the entire thing as an adult, I think I can sum it up by saying that with the movie being an early 1970s movie from the Disney company involving a big city family in the late 1800s moving to the countryside, you can probably predict how most of it will play out. That's not to say that the movie isn't enjoyable, but you should probably be willing to put up with a number of familiar plot turns and characters. Those who do will find some nice scenery, pacing more leisurely than the hyperkinetic family movies made today, and some good messages about working hard and never giving up. It's not a Disney classic, but it's likable enough if this kind of thing is what you want. A word of warning, however: While the movie got a "G" rating back in 1970, there is some surprisingly harsh violence and intense situations that would unquestionably earn the movie a "PG" rating today.

Steve Forrest and Vera Miles star in The Wild Country about a family named Tanner with their two sons Ron and Clint Howard who homestead west from Pennsylvania to Wyoming territory to work a piece of farm land they've bought. At a dirt cheap price I might add.

Of course the reason it came cheap was because a very mean and nasty neighbor played by Morgan Woodward regulates the water flow. The Tanners struggle with Woodward is the main plot line.

Other than that The Wild Country shows a lot of problems that pioneer folk went through in settling the west. Among the many trials they endure is a tornado, admittedly not as well staged as in Twister, but I won't complain.

There are a couple of nice performances from Jack Elam and Frank DeKova as a pair of rustic characters with DeKova once again an Indian who help the Tanners out.

The Wild Country is a nice family product from the Disney Studio.

All Cast and crew members were exceptional. Making a film takes team work. The crew on this film were the best of the best. Location Manager Austin Jewell & Auditor Nick Humphrey provided support and financial know how that made this an easy film to work on. Bob Totten, Director was a genius. Jack Elam was so good that you could almost smell him . Steve Forrest & Vera Miles turned in great acting performances. The Jackson Hole location with the Grand Teton mountains were a big hit with all, made the movie real. Rate this movie a 10 plus. Bob Clatworthy, Art director provided a artistic touch that rates at the top of the list. When we arrived in Jackson Hole in August 1969 and the Grand Teton mountains still had snow on them that lasted until we left. The town people of Jackson Hole were very nice and would help were ever they could. Many were hired as extras and rented vehicles and equipment to the production.