Third Man on the Mountain is a 1959 adventure film directed by Ken Annakin for Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Michael Rennie, James McArthur, and Janet Munro. It is based on the novel Banner in the Sky (1955) by James Ramsey Ullman.
Director: Ken Annakin
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions
Distributor: Buena Vista Distribution
Cast: Michael Rennie, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, James Donald, Herbert Lom, Laurence Naismith
US Box Office: $4,250,000 ($79,800,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Adventure, Family
Release Date: November 10, 1959
Plot Summary: In the late 1860s in Switzerland, teenage Rudi Matt (James MacArthur) dreams of being a great mountain guide like his late father. Rudi wants to be the first man to successfully climb to the top of the Citadel, the mountain his father was killed trying to climb, but his uncle Franz (James Donald) refuses to allow Rudi to become a guide. However, Rudi is encouraged to keep climbing by his girlfriend Lizbeth Hempel (Janet Munro), and former mountain guide Teo Zurbriggen (Laurence Naismith). One day Rudi meets the famous explorer Captain John Winter (Michael Rennie), who wants to climb the Citadel as well and needs a guide, finally giving Rudi a shot at making his dream come true.
Production: In July of 1957, Walt Disney purchased the film rights to the novel Banner in the Sky (1955) by writer and mountaineer James Ramsey Ullman. Banner in the Sky was a fictional story loosely based on the first successful expedition to the top of the Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland by English explorer Edward Whymper in 1865. The story’s main protagonist Rudi was completely fictional, though the character John Winter was based on Whymper. The screenplay for the film, which was titled Third Man on the Mountain, was written by Eleanore Griffin. Disney hired British director Ken Annakin to direct the film. Annakin had previously directed the adventure films The Story of Robin Hood (1952) and The Sword and the Rose (1953) for Disney.
James MacArthur was cast as Rudi Matt, the film’s main character. He was the adopted son of actress Helen Hayes. In April of 1957 MacArthur signed a three picture contract with Disney. His first film with the company was western The Light in the Forest (1958). Walt was impressed with MacArthur’s performance in that film so he cast him in Third Man on the Mountain. MacArthur was in college at the time, so he was only available to work on the film in the Summer. Captain John Winter was played by British actor Michael Rennie. Rennie notably played Saint Peter in the epic The Robe (1953), and is best remembered in modern times for playing the alien Klaatu in the iconic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). David Niven was originally considered for the part. Although he only played a supporting role, Rennie received top billing over MacArthur because he was more well-known. Rudi’s girlfriend Lizbeth was played by Janet Munro. Munro had recently signed a five picture deal with Disney and Third Man on the Mountain was her second film with the studio after Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959).
Director Ken Annakin began filming Third Man on the Mountain in late June of 1959. Most of the exterior scenes in Third Man on the Mountain were shot on location in Switzerland, including the mountain climbing scenes. Many of scenes set the Swiss village were shot near Zermatt, a location that Disney was already familiar with because he had taken several Ski Trips there. The festival scene featured fifty-seven local Swiss dancers and singers from the nearby villages of Sierre and Sion. The fictional Citadel mountain was portrayed by the Matterhorn mountain in the Alps.
Storms occasionally interrupted shooting on Third Man on the Mountain and they sometimes required the whole unit to move up to fifty miles away to find a new filming location! All of the film’s 170 cast and crew members who participated in the Switzerland shoot took a mountaineering course for several weeks before filming started. James MacArthur enjoyed mountain climbing and climbed the Matterhorn by himself on one of his days off. Several cast and crew members were injured during the shoot including actor James Donald (Franz) who fell eighteen feet off a crag (but only received minor injuries) and assistant cameraman Pierre Tairraz who fell into a crevasse and broke three ribs. Ken Annakin also suffered a heat stroke. The (much less arduous to film) interior scenes were primarily shot on set at Merton Park Studios in London. Third Man on the Mountain was the fifth Disney film to be shot in Britain following Treasure Island (1951), The Story of Robin Hood (1952), The Sword and the Rose (1953), and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953).
Fun Facts and Trivia: Actress Helen Hayes has an uncredited bit part as a tourist in Third Man on the Mountain. Hayes was the mother of James MacArthur. While visiting her son during filming, Hayes asked Disney if she could be in the film, so he had a small part for her written into the script. Actress Joyce Bulifant, who was married to MacArthur at the time, also briefly appears as a tourist alongside Hayes. “Perilous Assignments,” an episode of the television series Walt Disney Presents was shot alongside Third Man on the Mountain and served as a behind the scenes documentary on the filming of the mountain climbing scenes in Switzerland.
The Citadel mountain from Third Man on the Mountain was the inspiration for “Matterhorn Bobsleds,” a roller coaster attraction at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. During pre-production, Walt Disney sent his lead imagineer Vic Greene a post card of the Matterhorn with the words “Build This” written on the card. Disney’s team quickly designed and constructed Matterhorn Bobsleds, and the ride opened in June, several months before Third Man on the Mountain was released.
Reception: Third Man on the Mountain was released in the United States on November 10, 1959. The film was a box office disappointment and it did not perform as well as Disney’s two previous live action films of 1959: Darby O’Gill and the Little People and The Shaggy Dog. The following year Walt Disney reteamed James MacArthur, Janet Munro, and director Ken Annakin for Swiss Family Robinson (1960). That film was a huge box office hit and was far more profitable than Third Man on the Mountain.
Despite its somewhat poor box office results, Third Man on the Mountain received generally favorable reviews from film critics at the time. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave the film a positive review. He noted that while Third Man on the Mountain wasn’t historically accurate, it was very exciting and featured amazing scenery. Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times had similar praise for the film, he applauded Third Man on the Mountain for its excitement, suspense, and beautiful technicolor footage. Variety praised Disney for successfully combining “high altitude thrills” with a gripping story. The film critics at The Monthly Film Bulletin were impressed by the mountain climbing scenes calling them “impressive and terrifying.” They were more critical of the film’s dialogue and the performances of the supporting cast members, but still noted that Third Man on the Mountain was destined to become a family classic. Clyde Gilmour of Maclean’s also criticized some of the acting performances but had strong praise for the film’s story and the gorgeous mountain technicolor cinematography.
Why You Should See It: Third Man on the Mountain is a strong classic adventure film. Director Ken Annakin did an excellent job shooting the film. The mountain climbing scenes are thrilling, and the film’s music (and deliberate lack of music) heightens the suspense. Third Man on the Mountain features plenty of gorgeous on-location technicolor footage of Switzerland. Most of the actors including MacArthur give good performances. Third Man on the Mountain has an inspirational story and features some good moral moments as well.