Features / Giveaways!

When The Hollywood Reporter asked Jane Fonda in 2011 to identify her proudest moment, the second-generation film star offered, “Certainly producing On Golden Pond and giving the Oscar to my father five months before he died was very special.”  Indeed, Jane had purchased the rights to Ernest Thompson’s stage play in order to give her father a final big-screen hurrah.  On Golden Pond, produced by and co-starring Jane, netted three Academy Awards – for Henry Fonda, his equally legendary co-star Katharine Hepburn, and Ernest Thompson – out of ten nominations.  One of those nominations was for Dave Grusin’s original score.  Now, Varese Sarabande has recently reissued the 1981 MCA Records soundtrack album – and we want YOU to win a copy!

On Golden Pond starred Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn as Norman and Ethel Thayer, an elderly New England couple visited by their only daughter, Chelsea (Jane), from whom Norman has been somewhat estranged.  (The situation mirrored the reality for Henry and Jane Fonda.)  Chelsea has brought along her fiancé Bill (Dabney Coleman) and his son Billy (Doug McKeon).  Soon, everyone’s lives are irrevocably changed as they learn about friendship, love, and family.

Dave Grusin (The Graduate, Heaven Can Wait, The Champ) was well-versed and lauded as a film composer as well as a jazz artist.  For this low-key story, he crafted a gently melodic score of quiet beauty and intensity, with moments of bright happiness (“New Hampshire Hornpipe”) and dramatic darkness (“Purgatory Cove”) alike.  Though some tracks are very much of their era (the breezy “Lake-Song”), others (such as the main theme) are timeless in their construction and performance.  Grusin emphasized piano and resisted the urge to orchestrate in too lush or symphonic a fashion, befitting the intimacy of the film.  Because the score was so short, the decision was made for the soundtrack album to intersperse almost every cue with dialogue excerpts from the movie performed by Henry and Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Dabney Coleman, and Doug McKean.

Varese’s reissue marks the first CD appearance of the original On Golden Pond album with its radio drama feel.  For the occasion, it’s been newly remastered by Chas Ferry and Daren Chadwick, and includes a 6-page booklet with Jim Lochner’s liner notes.

We would like On Golden Pond to be YOURS.  To enter to win ONE OF TEN COPIES, simply LIKE our Facebook page, and head over to Varese Sarabande’s FB page and do the same! Just leave us a comment on the ON GOLDEN POND post on our FB page.  Let us know: Why would you like to win?  Do you have any favorite memories of any of the stars of the film?  Once you like both pages and comment anything you’d like to share about On Golden Pond, you’ll automatically be entered to win!

If you’ve entered our previous giveaways and have already liked BOTH The Second Disc and Varese’s Facebook page, you can still win: simply enter a comment on our thread to be entered! Only one entry per person. Remember, BOTH FB pages must be “LIKED” and a comment left on our page in order to win!

Don’t have Facebook?  We’re not leaving you out in the cold! Just send an e-mail to theseconddisc AT gmail DOT com with the subject line “ON GOLDEN POND” plus your name and mailing address, and you’ll also be entered to win!

The contest ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on the evening of Sunday, May 7, at which time 10 random winners will be selected. Contest open to all. Only one entry per person either via Facebook or email. All winners at sole discretion of The Second Disc. U.S. residents only, please.  This contest is NOT affiliated with or endorsed by Facebook.  Winner will be notified the week of May 8 via Facebook and The Second Disc, so remember to check back!  Good luck!

On Golden Pond is available now from Varese Sarabande at the links below!

Dave Grusin, On Golden Pond: Music and Dialog from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (MCA LP 6106, 1981 – reissued Varese Sarabande 302 067 486 8, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. On Golden Pond – Main Theme
2. First Call (Norman)
3. Career Opportunities/Back Porch Confessional (Norman and Ethel)
4. Illicit Sex Question (Norman and Bill Ray)
5. New Hampshire Hornpipe
6. Lake-Song
7. Early Bird (Ethel and Chelsea)
8. Purgatory Cove (Norman and Billy)
9. Father-Daughter Relationship (Chelsea and Norman)
10. Season’s End (Ethel and Norman)
11. On Golden Pond – Epilogue