Bringing a Piece of Hollywood to Plymouth

On Thurs., May 3, esteemed writer, actor, and director Ernest Thompson visited Plymouth State University. Not only is Thompson skilled at what he does but he has the recognition to prove it. Perhaps the most notable recognitions for his work include receiving an Oscar in 1982 for Best Adapted Screenplay of his novel On Golden Pond, a Golden Globe, a Writer's Guild Award and a Broadways Drama Guild Award.

Thompson was introduced by a former intern of his at Whitebridge Farm Productions, to a group of almost 80 people in Hyde 220 on Thursday evening. Upon his introduction, it was obviously stated to the audience that Thompson was indeed the "Author of the famous New England Classic On Golden Pond." Thompson wrote the novel when he was 28, and in 1981 he adapted his story into a movie which was filmed on Squam Lake right here in New Hampshire. It was said that On Golden Pond is considered one of the top 100 love stories of all time and that Thompson himself is considered one of the top inspirational writers of all time.

Though On Golden Pond is noted as Thompson's most famous work, his other credits include directing the 1988 movie 1969 starring Robert Downey Jr. and Winona Ryder, writing and directing the TV movies West Side Waltz and Out of Time, and writing various on and off Broadway productions.

After his introduction, Thompson immediately approached the podium, Academy Award in one hand, his Golden Globe in the other, and jokingly slammed them down in front of him. He playfully accompanied this action with, "Need I say more?" which got an immediate reaction from the audience.

Following this display, Thompson began his lecture by asking the audience a single question, the very question that served as a personal guide throughout his career and kept him motivated to create. He asked simply, "What is your story?"

Thompson feels that as we grow older, our parents, society and all other forms of social constraints "pummel creative urges out of us." Thompson states that his rebellion as a youth was to tell stories, and he pursued this actively once he realized that there was no one that could stop him. "When you are a storyteller, as I am," he stated, "there is no cure for it.

"When I was a kid I had no encouragement to be an artist, I just did it," Thompson reveals. He urges, "If you focus and believe that you have a story to tell, what's stopping you from telling it?"

Today, the outlets for aspiring story tellers are numerous and more accessible than ever before. Thompson stated that, "We live in an age now where you can tell a story, and two seconds later it can be uploaded to a blog or to YouTube." He continues, "And though they may be crappy, they are still being told."

Interwoven with these personal anecdotes and snippets of advice from a man who has followed his passions in life, Thompson revealed excerpts from some of his works that were either still in the creative process, editing, or not yet released to the public.

He read the first chapter of his new novel, had a guest guitarist and vocalist perform a song that Thompson wrote (another creative outlet other than writing plays, screenplays or novels), and watched a scene from two movies starring Thompson that have been produced by Whitebridge Farm Productions.

The audience was given a nice preview of the broad work that Thompson involves himself in, and though On Golden Pond was Thompson's claim to fame, it was interesting to learn that writing novels and screenplays are not his only interests.

When asked about the success of On Golden Pond, Thompson reveals that he "didn't know it would find a home and go on finding a home for 34 years." His biggest accomplishment however, is not the success of the movie; rather he stated that, "I love the feeling that I've contributed something to our culture." And indeed, that is an accomplishment that will stay with Thompson for the rest of his days.

Currently, Thompson still resides in New Hampshire and does a lot of work with Whitebridge Farm Productions which, in addition to producing local movies, offers acting and writing classes, and even has taken on some interns from Plymouth State University.