Golden Recall

My wife and I go for massages once a month, which has turned out to be a solid therapeutic routine. As is the case with any spa, the air is diffused with pleasant scents as well as soothing instrumental music. They also overlay a soundtrack of birds, as if to place you in the out of doors. The sensations are designed to relax and they do their job; so well in fact I’d swear I was transported to the shores of a pond.  More on that in a minute.

Candidly, it’s not often I notice the background music in a spa. I focus on breathing deep and keeping my eyes closed instead. But I couldn’t ignore the music when “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables started playing. Whatever playlist the spa chose included a simple rendition of that song; just piano and violin. It was beautiful, and suddenly I was back in the Broadway theater where we saw the show years ago. I would’ve put “Bring Him Home” on “repeat” if I could have.

But we’re not talking about Les Miserables today. We’re talking about a pond. “Bring Him Home” was followed by a nameless instrumental piano piece, and again my mind began to drift. Then I heard the birds. Piano keys.  Birds.  And there I went… back to “On Golden Pond”.

Several instrumental movie soundtracks will reside in my brain forever. Whenever their signature melodies play I’m immediately returned to the film itself. I’m not talking about the bold, orchestral works of John Williams (think Star Wars or Jurassic Park) but rather the simpler repetitive tunes that still somehow define the story on the screen. Chariots of Fire is a good example. Cast Away is another. Leap Year was a so-so movie but the soundtrack is wonderfully catchy. And the music of A Little Romance – Diane Lane’s debut film – was so well done it won 1979’s Oscar for Best Original Score.

So you see, this is how a massage becomes a trip back to On Golden Pond, a movie from almost fifty years ago. The piano plays. The birds sing (even if they aren’t loons). And there it is, that simple poignant story playing out in front of my closed eyes as if I’d just seen the film last week.

Was I ever a fan of Jane Fonda? Not really. I remember her more for her workout videos than her movies. But On Golden Pond was the exception because she’s on screen with Henry Fonda, her father in real life and her father in the movie. The movie is about the struggles of their father-daughter relationship, which surely echoed real life. Add in Katherine Hepburn as the mother character and the bar is raised well beyond the movie itself. The story is good enough, but who from my generation wouldn’t watch Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn in anything together?

Henry Fonda died less than a year after the filming of On Golden Pond. Katherine Hepburn made a few more movies but this was pretty much the conclusion of her career as well. So On Golden Pond is something of a swan song for both. If you have any recollection of the film, try this: Ask Alexa for instrumental piano music. Ask Siri for a soundtrack of birds at the same time. Then close your eyes and relax.  You may be transported back to a golden pond. It’s pretty cool.

Some content sourced from IMDB, the “Internet Movie Database, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.

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Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

19 thoughts on “Golden Recall”

  1. I remember seeing On Golden Pond, enjoying it, but don’t remember the music. The movie soundtrack [outside of musicals] that I remember the most was the one from Working Girl with Harrison Ford & Melanie Griffiths. I’ve no idea why it made such an impression on me, but I now realize it did. Interesting topic, movie soundtracks.

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    1. I can almost hear the soundtrack to “Working Girl” as Griffith sets her eyes on Manhattan from the ferry. I’ll have to pull that one up. The melody from “On Golden Pond” is very distinctive (following the loons). I’ll bet you’d recognize it.

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  2. I wonder if the child actor Doug McKeon fully appreciated the experience of being in the cast with so many legends. I did not remember the score but I liked the movie. I am shocked that I can now relate to the Henry Fonda character.

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    1. You’ve identified another distinctive aspect of “On Golden Pond”: only five actors in the entire movie. (Henry) Fonda is one of those actors where I need to watch more of his films (ditto John Wayne). This is the only one of his I’ve ever seen.

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  3. It’s kind of weird that I’ve never seen that movie. Fun that the Fondas played together. I thought I’d seen almost everything with Katherine Hepburn. We watched African Queen with the kids recently. Such a good one.

    I’m glad you had a happy, reminiscent spa day!

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    1. I wonder how well the movie has aged. I wanted to say “they just don’t make them like this anymore” but of course that’s not true. The themes are timeless; we’re just seeing them through different generations and times.

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  4. I did like “On Golden Pond” … I don’t remember the music, but I do remember the loons and their eerie sounds. What I remember most is Katherine Hepburn’s character calling Henry Fonda’s character an “old poop” several times in the movie. I’m not an old movie fan so I’ve not seen Katherine Hepburn in any other movies, but I can see why she got so many accolades in her day.

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    1. Agreed on Katherine Hepburn (and Henry Fonda). This is the only movie I’ve seen for either of them. They deserve better than that from me!

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  6. Check out “Yours, Mine and Ours” (Fonda with Lucille Ball), “Mister Roberts”, and of course, “12 Angry Men” and “The Grapes of Wrath.” All great (along with so many others!)

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  7. I can’t really remember the music from On Golden Pond, and I tried googling but the only thing familiar was the loons, but I do recall the haunting music from the Titanic with the flutes, and lately I’ve been listening to some Henry Mancini and the music to The Thorn Birds is just so lovely I instantly visualize the Australian outback…..so yea, music and memories….

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  8. I’m going to confess that I have never seen “On Golden Pond”. And I have seen dozens of earlier movies with Henry Fonda or Hepburn. I need to remedy that.

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  9. I never saw “On Golden Pond” either, but have enjoyed other movies with Henry Fonda or Katherine Hepburn. One of our favorite films is “The Lion in Winter” (1968) with Katherine and Peter O’Toole. The writer, James Goldman, won an Oscar for his script; Katherine for her acting. I do not remember the soundtrack! If and when we watch it again, I’ll have to play closer attention. (The lines are so well-written, THAT’s what my attention is focused on!)

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    1. Just read the synopsis, Nancy. Appears to be based on a true story? Now you have me curious, especially with Peter O’Toole as a bonus.

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      1. It’s technically a historic drama, based on the lives of actual people and real events–Henry the Second and his family. From there the screenwriter filled in the plot and dialogue. I think you and your wife would enjoy it!

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