The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975)

This is a good concept of a film, but unfortunately the execution falls flat. Los Angeles family moves abruptly, not because of crime or overpopulation, but SMOG. (that smog will get you every time). They blindly move into an isolated section of the wilderness 25 minutes away from the nearest people. The parents apparently didn't do their homework because their house is a rundown one-room shack that makes Charles Ingalls' house look like a mansion in comparison. But wouldn't you just know, the father is a man-of-all-trades (just like Ingalls), so he's able to build a new house.The entire rest of the film is filled with lots of shouting. And YELLING. And SCREAMING. And ARGUING. And SHRIEKING. Did I mention the shouting, because there is a lot of it. You really think these people would tone it down now that they are just by themselves and would seemingly value their peace and quiet, but I suppose not. Oh, and wild animals. Lots of befriending wild animals and running from wild animals. If you like shouting or wild animals, this is the flick for you.Obviously, there's no large cast with this film. The father does lots of YELLING. The mother is acceptable, if not bland. The daughter alternates between being in a seeming euphoria and positively SHRIEKING at the top of her lungs when she is in danger. The boy is young and has vast difficulty carrying his end of the load.Despite all of this, the movie does have a few redeeming qualities. The scenery provides for some spectacular shots. The movie also does a good job of portraying animals as living things and explaining the value of befriending them or respecting their territory. The father does kill a moose, but explains to his son they had to because they needed to eat and not because the dad wanted to mount its head on the wall.

It's nice to watch this flick every now and then - no cussin', no fussin' - a family where arguments are few and far between-but-although it is praised as a wonderful offering for little and big ones, there are some nervous moments involving some animals who resent the invasion of their turf. The carefully staged scenes involving man vs. animal and/or animal vs. animal could frighten little ones -ooohhh, look daddy, they're beating and biting. What fun.Still, you can't help but enjoy the idea of getting out of the big city and opting for life with Mother Nature and mother bear, the latter justifiably ticked because her cubs have been humanized.The humans in the picture are good folk to watch. Logan, a Brooklyn boy, yet, looks like a rugged mountain man. The wife is pleasant, and the children seem to be having a good time. Like other reviewers, I can't help but wonder why the daughter in this pic was replaced by another daughter in the two follow-ups. There is zilch about her on her web site which contains wonderful information - her name.The movie is certainly watchable, the scenery beautiful and the story - well, it's like a fairy tale.Somebody complained about the speeding in re-building (not building) their humble abode. Shoot, Ty Penningtonhe does it every week. Of course he has a host of experts and several hundred people to help. If Logan is still around they might draft him."The Wilderness Family" is, for the most part pleasant, harmless entertainment unless, of course, you're an animal about to become a dinner.Still, it is far less vicious than city life where you can get snuffed for no good reason.

First off, I am very fond of these movies. They remind me of my childhood and how much I love the outdoors. These movies aren't stellar, Oscar types, but, hey, they work when you want young children to see different animals and people who want a better quality of life. Although the action scenes may startle young ones ( they probably WON'T with all the stuff they see in the "movies" today). And, yes, the movies DON'T show all the important stuff (like how they knew how to build a cabin, etc) but it's a MOVIE, not REAL LIFE. If you want REALITY, I would strongly suggest you watch PBS's "Frontier House". That was GREAT and it CHALLENGED 3 families to live an 1883 lifestyle. No easy way out here, folks! These people were REALLY doing it. Otherwise, I will ALWAYS cherish these movies and when I have children of my own, share them with them.

Ham Larson is a Genius, but this was not the blaxploitation film I thought it was. Not much action neither. The bear is also a genius though, giving a few wonderfully (if not overlooked by the Academy) charming soliloquies. A wonderful film for the whole family. I appreciated the high moral values portrayed in this entertaining film. I don't understand the trick ending, though. I thought Don Knotts was the fish. Anyone????