The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975)

A family flees the city for the wilderness. They learn to live with nature and more importantly, that when one has family, one has everything.

Director:

Stewart Raffill

Writers:

Arthur R. Dubs (story), Stewart Raffill (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Logan, Susan Damante, Hollye Holmes

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Logan	...	Skip (as Robert F. Logan)
Susan Damante	...	Pat (as Susan Damante Shaw)
Hollye Holmes	...	Jenny
Ham Larsen	...	Toby
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Boomer
William Cornford	...	Pilot
John F. Goff	...	Doctor #1
Herbert F. Nelson	...	Doctor #2

Storyline

City dweller Skip leaves his urban life behind indefinitely to seek fresh air for his daughter's health. His wife begrudgingly sacrifices domestic comforts, while their darling boy Toby, their daughter Jenny, and their dog Crust have the time of their lives roaming in the wild. Meeting wildlife however has its pros and cons, especially as not all bears are nearly as tame as a local glutton and a pair of cubs in need of adoption. They soon learn to love every moment with family- including old man Boomer and animal friends.

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Plot Keywords:

bear | nature | mountain | dog | wilderness | 

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Taglines:

Based on a true story of a modern pioneer family who turned their backs on civilization...never to return.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Goofs

A pot that is on the stove when the family first enters the old cabin was not there the first time the stove is shown.

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Quotes

Skip: I just don't like the way our lives are going. I'm-I'm always unloading on you and the kids, I'm worried about Jenny, I hate my job and I just hate this stinking city.

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Connections

Referenced in Young Sheldon: A Live Chicken, a Fried Chicken and Holy Matrimony (2020)

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Soundtracks

Wilderness Family
Music by Gene Kauer and Douglas M. Lackey (as Douglas Lackey)
Lyrics by Dennis Bachmann
Sung by Lee Dresser

User Reviews

Yuppie Guilt

I saw this film from what my father told me about it; I like watching cheese, and from what he'd said, this is CHEESE. As people started moving into the mid-1970s, they were leaving behind the hippie-dippy daze, getting into more sophisticated drugs, then becoming clean corporate slaves. Everyone began forgetting how wonderful the earth was because they were too busy drilling it for oil or tearing down trees to make room for our growing population. This film's answer?? Make a senseless decision involving your entire family by moving into a wooded area you know NOTHING about where there's no help for miles and you have no skills dealing with wild animals, baking from ABSOLUTE scratch, hunting, etc. We went from the streets of L.A. to the hills of the Rockies in less than two minutes. Were there books taken out of the library on survival techniques in the wilderness? Did the family take shooting lessons? Was there any talk on food, such as how are we going to grow a garden or bake bread or fish or hunt? If there was, we weren't allowed to see it. We are supposed to believe that this family knew all this, that they had a thriving garden in the city, that the woman could bake bread without so much as a wooden spoon, and that the father had been shooting at the neighbor's cat regularly. The only reason the mother and father had had kids is for the cute factor alone, though it fails miserably at the feigned feel of it all. The little boy sounds like he's reading lines but can't read yet, and the daughter seems drugged into a dazed happiness about everything. Their dog Crust (is that honestly his name?? Crust???) must have attacked wild animals at home as well, seeing as he attacks EVERYTHING in this film; it's surprising he doesn't mutilate flowers if they move too much in the wind, becoming a threat to the family. Here are some things that make me refuse to have suspension of belief: ~The father fly-fishes. He is NOT going to feed a family of 4 on fly fishing. That's called sport, not necessity. ~The dog survives brutal attacks of wolves, bears, and MOUNTAIN LIONS. Something is wrong when a domestic dog from the city makes it out alive in those circumstances with barely a scratch. ~How much does a contruction worker make? Enough to ensure a plane to bring supplies every so often? How about when he has no more job and makes no more money? ~A 10 to 13 year old girl would never outrun a bear. ~Just from my own opinion, I would have lost all faith in myself, my family, and my dog to be able to survive in this place with the attitude and lack of planning that this family accomplished.

Reviews of the plot aside, I'm thinking of starting a drinking game. It's called "Take a shot everytime you see the boom mike."

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 1977 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of the Wilderness Family

Filming Locations:

Kamas, Utah, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$31,223,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pacific International Pictures, Wilderness Family Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1