I’ve seen On Golden Pond about a dozen times, probably, and I always forget how good Henry Fonda is in it. Katharine Hepburn is excellent in her role too, but Henry Fonda cracks me up with nearly every line. Jane Fonda is kind of obnoxious but she fits the role well, and she's not in the movie much. A little bit near the beginning and again at the end. The movie does such a good job alternating between very funny moments and poignant scenes.
Brilliant movie. Saw it as a twenty-something and it made a big impression on me. Not just the actors and the plot but also the magnificent landscape and that enviable huge station wagon they had. Always imagined myself to see everything with my own eyes. Now that I live on a lake I very often think of that movie. It inspires me.
I liked his line when he looked at the sports headlines on an old newspaper that had been left behind since they last visited their vacation home: "Look at the goddam Orioles!" Hal
"It's me you old poop." I just looked up their ages when they starred in the movie; Hepburn was 74 and Fonda was 76. From IMDb... "The Purgatory Cove" scene was shot in late September. To keep warm in the cold water both Doug McKeon and Henry Fonda had to wear wetsuits under their clothes. However, the water level was so low that they could have easily stood up and been only knee-deep in the lake. Katharine Hepburn was supposed to have a stunt double perform her "dive-in" scene for her, but instead she insisted on doing it herself. She dove into the frigid water without a wetsuit. Apparently, Hepburn was familiar to swimming in cold waters on the eastern coast of the USA and always regularly showered in cold water."
Chelsea: It just seems like we've been mad at each other for so long... Norman: I didn't think we were mad; I just thought we didn't like each other.