Wild River

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Wild River, 1960.

TCM's Saturday afternoon host Tiffany Vazquez introduces Wild River, 1960.

Stubborn Ella Garth (Jo Van Fleet) shows TVA-man Glover (Montgomery Clift) the grave of her husband, who told her never to give up the Tennessee River island he claimed, regardless of the new dam and the lake, her daughter Carol (Lee Remick) not exactly helping, in Elia Kazan’s Wild River, 1960.

New Tennessee Valley Authority rep Glover (Montgomery Clift) has just met the Garth brothers (J.C. Flippen, James Westerfield and musician Big Jeff Bess as Joe John), whose mother won’t sell their island so the new dam can be closed to form the lake, in Elia Kazan’s Wild River, 1960.

Joining the narration by Pat Hingle, after footage of 1930’s Tennessee River flooding, we meet Montgomery Clift as Tennessee Valley Authority official Glover, arriving at his new post, meeting Betty (Barbara Loden, wife of the director/producer Elia Kazan), opening Wild River, 1960.

Montgomery Clift as Glover, the new Tennessee Valley Authority man, having noted the “TVA keep off” sign, not quite meeting matriarch Ella Garth (Jo Van Fleet), who refuses to sell her land even though the new dam’s already been built, Lee Remick her near-silent daughter, early in Elia Kazan’s Wild River, 1960.