Celebrities Attend Dedication of Spencer’s Mountain (1963)

Duration: 9:23

Year Published: 1963

Format: 16mm

Sound: silent

Description: This film documents a press junket and celebration of the dedication of Spencer’s Mountain that led up to the premiere of the film, “Spencer’s Mountain,” in Jackson, Wyoming on May 31, 1963. The dedication of the mountain, which overlooks the town of Jackson, was inspired by the 1963 film of the same name. The cast of the film, as well as Miss Wyoming, Jackson Mayor Henry Clissold, Wyoming Governor Clifford Hansen, and U.S. Senator Gale McKee attended the event and are captured in this footage. Scenes of stars Henry Fonda, Maureen O’Hara, Mimsy Farmer, James MacArthur, Bronwyn Fitzsimmons, Joyce Bulifant, Art Linkletter, and Arthur Godfrey are are also included. Austin Television Personality Cactus Pryor was among the 250 members of the nation's press invited to attend the weekend-long event and interview the stars of the film. The group begins the day in a wagon parade, takes a chairlift up the mountain for the dedication, then explores the region, stopping to see a brown bear and hot springs, both common in the area.