The Adventures of
the Wilderness Family

(1975, U.S.) color 105 minutes
Pacific International Enterprises
Screenplay: Stewart Raffill
Music: Gene Kauer, Douglas M. Lackey
Title song: Lee Dresser
Cinematography: Gérard Alcan
Editing: Bert Lovitt
Animals trained by Lee Sollenberger
Produced by Arthur R. Dubs
Directed by Stewart Raffill

With: Robert Logan ( Skip Robinson), Susan Damante Shaw (Pat Robinson), Jenny Holmes (Jenny Robinson), Ham Larsen (Toby Robinson), George “Buck” Flower (Boomer)

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Plot: While working on a construction job in downtown Los Angeles, Skip Robinson contemplates how life would be in the country – the high mountain ranges of Colorado. Following his daughter Jenny’s medical appointment for allergies, he pleads with his wife Pat about leaving the city to the benefit of the family and she agrees. Next, the film shifts to the Robinsons arriving at their new home in the wilderness via an aircraft, which lands in the lake adjacent to the Californians’ mountain property. After the pilot bids them a fond farewell, the family checks out an abandoned log cabin, which will serve as their home for the next few weeks until a new one is built. In the edifice, they discover a raccoon and a mouse. Then, a black bear decides to greet the newcomers who hurriedly huddle on the log cabin roof to avoid the animal who soon devours their food supplies in a driving rainstorm. Nevertheless, the Robinsons settle into the wilderness way of life, and in doing so, experience a rock slide, attacks from a cougar and a pack of wolves, a mountain man, Boomer, and his mule and a mean grizzly bear named Three Toes. As the movie concludes, the wilderness family prepares for life in the Rocky Mountains full-time. Those adventures will be made into two sequels, The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1978) and Mountain Family Robinson (1979).

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Synopsis: If and when there is a Kiddie Matinee Hall of Fame, The Adventures of the Wilderness Family will certainly be included. For fans of animal/wilderness family films that appeared frequently from 1965 to 1985, The Adventures of the Wilderness Family represents the pinnacle of my favorite movie genre. Producer Arthur R. Dubs would parlay his success with the Robinsons’ initial outing in the Colorado Rockies with several successive films including Across the Great Divide (1976), Sea Gypsies (1978); Windwalker (1980) and the two Wilderness Family sequels.

The film begins with Skip Robinson, played by Robert Logan, serving as a construction worker on a new building in downtown Los Angeles. While working, Skip surveys the smog and hears the honking horns, but deep down, he wants out of city life. Meanwhile, his daughter Jenny, portrayed by Jenny Holmes, suffers from allergies, and during a medical appointment for her, the doctor tells Skip and his wife Pat, played by Susan Damante Shaw, that medication will be needed to treat the ailment. While driving through Westwood in a truck (with Jenny and their son, Toby, portrayed by Ham Larsen, in the rear of the vehicle), Skip shares his mountain dream with Pat who agrees to their selling all their possessions for a move to the open skies and beautiful surroundings of the Rocky Mountains.

As the family sits in the back of a plane admiring the majestic beauty of their new home, the pilot asks if they really are sure if they want to live in this vast wilderness. Undaunted, the Robinsons get out of the aircraft and tell the pilot of their intentions to stay put in their new home regardless of the 99.9 percent that have left before. As soon as their mode of transportation exits, the wilderness family visits their new pad, an abandoned log cabin. Inside, they encounter a raccoon and a mouse. Then, a black bear stops by to welcome the new neighbors and the Robinsons flee to the rooftop while they watch the creature consume their edible supplies. If that was not bad enough, it begins to rain.

Nevertheless, the sun shines the next day, and Pat is treated to a wake up call by a bird, which she befriends in the cabin. Skip and his brood then take to the woods to get the logs to build their dream residence in the Rockies. Shortly thereafter, father and son go hunting, but run into a rock slide that almost does them in. The avalanche, however, kills a bear and leaves her two cubs homeless. Skip and Toby befriend them and surprise Pat and Jenny when they return home.

Toby and Jenny then venture away from home and run into two cougar cubs. With the two cats in tow, the brother and sister arrive at the Robinson homestead with more pets, but Skip and Pat lay down the law. Skip grabs the two cubs and heads to find their mother. Toby and the Robinson dog, Crust, follow in his footsteps. While dropping off the cats, Skip is attacked by the mother cougar, but Crust saves the day. Pat patches up her husband, but she begins to seriously contemplate the dangers of living in the wild. Her intuition would soon come to fruition.

While out with her father, Jenny becomes sidetracked with Crust, and both stray from Skip. A pack of hungry wolves discovers the girl and her pet, and the chase is on. Jenny makes it in the nick of time into a body of water while Crust fends off the white-fanged wolves. Dad saves the day by finding his lost daughter and shooting a few rounds in the air to scare off the animals. Jenny is shaken up, but the arrival of Boomer, the mountain man, played by George “Buck” Flower, and his mule, to the Robinson home provides some comic relief for the family. He tells them about Three Toes, a mean grizzly bear who lives in the north country, and then heads back out from the Robinson homestead chasing his mule.

A formal dinner celebrates the grand opening of their new cabin, and following the affair, the film shows the Robinsons enjoying the beauty of the open grasslands, the wildflowers, the majestic mountains and rafting on the river. While they are away, the black bear returns to enjoy some of the leftovers. Upon entering their new residence, they run out, but Skip goes back in and wins the bear’s love. They name him Samson and he becomes the latest Robinson family pet.

Shortly thereafter, Skip and Toby head out for a father and son hunt, and after walking for what seems like hours in the wilderness, they come upon a moose, which is shot. Pat and Jenny have their time together, and they take off to enjoy the beauty of their neighborhood with Crust. Like before, Jenny breaks away from her parent, and ultimately encounters Three Toes. With the help of Crust and Mom, the grizzly is foiled from harming the girl, but the animal will return in their lives soon enough. A distraught Skip tries to find the bear, but is unsuccessful.

Jenny becomes sick and is bed ridden. Toby tells his parents that the radio, their lifeline to civilization, is broken. With his daughter’s temperature rising, Skip takes to the river in a canoe to get help. Pat stays behind to protect the kids. During a terrible wind storm, Crust starts barking. The camera then shows Three Toes’ foot claws underneath the front door. Bedlam pursues with screams from Jenny as Three Toes breaks a window and the front door looking for his next meal. Samson shows up at the right place and time to thwart the grizzly. Pat ultimately shoots Three Toes, and the three Robinsons are spared. Skip too has to get through a wind storm, but finds a doctor who is flown in (with Skip) just after Three Toes is shot. Jenny has suffered from a virus requiring some shots and a couple of days rest. As the medic and pilot depart, Skip tells Pat and the kids that the plane will return tomorrow to take them back to civilization. Pat contemplates it for a brief moment, and then states the family is staying put, to the delight of Skip, Jenny, and Toby. As the film concludes, Boomer returns with his mule to bring some more cheer to the Robinsons.

The film’s music, scored by Gene Kauer and Douglas M. Lackey, provides the perfect backdrop to the rollercoaster adventures of Skip, Pat, Jenny and Toby. Lee Dresser’s two title songs also add to the movie’s soundtrack. All in all, The Adventures of the Wilderness Family is a superb film for all to enjoy and savor.

Notes:

Director Stewart Raffill also served in that position for the wilderness films When the North Wind Blows (1974); Across the Great Divide; and Sea Gypsies. In addition, he has directed numerous movies including Lost in Africa (1994); Grizzly Falls (1999); and Three (2006)

Robert Logan (Skip Robinson) has appeared in several movies including Beach Ball (1965); Across the Great Divide; Sea Gypsies; The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family; Mountain Family Robinson; Kelly (1981); Born to Race (1988); Patriots (1994) and Redboy 13 (1997)

Susan Damante Shaw (Pat Robinson) has performed in the following films: The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family; Mountain Family Robinson; Ladybugs (1992) and No Easy Way (1996). In addition, she has played roles on the following television programs: The Rockford Files (1974); Ellery Queen (1976); and Falcon Crest (1986).

Jenny Holmes’ (Jenny Robinson) only screen role has been in The Adventures of the Wilderness Family.

Ham Larsen (Toby Robinson) also starred in The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family and Mountain Family Robinson. In addition, he had roles in the following television programs: Marcus Welby, M.D. (1975) and Little House on the Prairie (1981).

George “Buck” Flower (Boomer) died on June 18, 2004, at age 66. He appeared in several films including Country Cuzzins (1970); The Daring Dobermans (1973); Gemini Affair (1975); Across the Great Divide; The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family; The Capture of Bigfoot (1979); Mountain Family Robinson; Back to the Future (1985) and Crash Point Zero (2000).

Gene Kauer (Original Music) passed away on June 30, 1983, at age 61. He scored the following movies: Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966); Across the Great Divide; The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family and Sacred Ground (1983).

Douglas M. Lackey (Original Music) has provided music for the following films: The Unkissed Bride (1966); Across the Great Divide; The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family; Pay or Die (1979); Swords of the Space Ark (1981) and Alley Cat (1984).

A native of Moberly, Mo., Lee Dresser (who sings the title songs) has performed as a guitarist and harmonica player for Dolly Parton, Danny Thomas, Merle Haggard and the Oak Ride Boys. A Vietnam veteran, he recorded several singles for Capitol Records in the early 1970s. His songs have been recorded by Pat Boone, the Osmonds, Bobby Sherman, Trini Lopez and Ray Price. In 1957, he formed a rockabilly band, The Krazy Kats, and the musical ensemble had several impressive records including "Beat Out My Love" and "Wiggley Little Mama." Seven years later, the group cut an album, "Movin Out!"

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- Michael P. Kleiman