An Evening with Ernest Thompson-Two Films and a Talk

The Constituent-Written and directed by On Golden Pond Academy Award winner Ernest Thompson, this short film is adapted from his one-act play by the same name. In it, Chas Potter, a small-town New Hampshire voter, for decades has written no-holds-barred letters to his senator in Washington, D.C. The content of his missives may be more profane than profound but there’s no mistaking the constituent’s patriotic concern, culminating in an uproarious confrontation when the senator has finally had enough and comes calling. The story is more timely than ever. And even funnier. And it’s crazy funny. And unexpectedly moving. And even reassuringly optimistic, proving that authentic human connection can still trump our political differences. Well, maybe not trump, but at least can serve as an invitation to cross the mythical bridge and reassure us that we have more in common than we realize. Filmed on a paper-thin budget on location in rural New Hampshire, The Constituent stars two veteran theatre, film and television actors, Ernest Thompson and NYPD Blue Emmy winner Gordon Clapp (in roles Burgess Meredith and Ned Beatty originally played on TV), with a lovely and tender cameo by Ernest’s frequent costar Lisa Bostnar.

Watch Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnvsHbZTl1k

On Golden Pond-On Golden Pond is a 1981 drama film directed by Mark Rydell from a screenplay written by Ernest Thompson, adapted from his 1979 play of the same name. It stars Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda (in his final theatrical film), Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman and William Lanteau. In the film, Norman (Henry Fonda), a crusty, retired professor grappling with many effects of aging, has been married for many years to upbeat, feisty Ethel (Katharine Hepburn), and has had a remote, difficult relationship with their daughter, Chelsea (Jane Fonda). At their summer home on Golden Pond, Norman and Ethel agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and an unexpected relationship blooms.

On Golden Pond was released theatrically on December 4, 1981, to critical and commercial success. Reviewers highly praised Rydell's direction, Thompson's screenplay and the performances of the cast. The film grossed $119.3 million domestically, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1981 in North America. It received ten nominations at the 54th Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, and won three: Best Actor (Henry Fonda), Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Watch Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y85sfYVOS84

Ernest Thompson’s work has won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, Writers Guild and Broadway Drama Guild Awards and been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy and a British Academy Award. His plays have been seen in theatres around the world, his most enduring, On Golden Pond, translated into 30 languages and presented in more than 40 countries. Current projects include an On Golden Pond Broadway revival, directed by and starring the author, true also of his new one-man play, Archie Parish’s Parting Words, now on tour in the Northeast, the short film The Constituent, and the long-awaited sequel, Home On Golden Pond. His novel Out Clause arrives on March 3, 2026. With his writer wife Kerrin Thompson, he established Rescind Recidivism, a prison writing program giving inmates a chance to feel creative as well as human, capable and worthy.

Learn more at www.ErnestThompson.us.