Original artwork, not a still
You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back up on that horse, and I'm going be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're going to go, go, go.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Ethel gives frightened, forgetful Norman a job: he is still her hero, and she will ride behind him. The line puts the whole marriage into a metaphor and lets Norman answer with a grumble about horses, so neither of them has to say how afraid they are. It has outlived the film as a standard tribute from one old partner to another, and for a generation of caregivers.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for On Golden PondShow the scene
At the Thayers' lakeside summer cottage in On Golden Pond (1981), Norman, about to turn eighty and showing signs of dementia, sets out for the old town road and gets lost in the woods within sight of the end of their lane. He hurries home and tells Ethel he could not remember the road and that nothing looked familiar, and that it scared him half to death. Ethel, played by Katharine Hepburn opposite Henry Fonda's last film role, calls him a poop who is still himself, and says they will go to the old town road after lunch and he will remember it all. Then she says this.
Sources (2)
- On Golden Pond, WikiquoteNorman and Ethel exchangeReference checked
- On Golden Pond (1981 film), WikipediaLead; PlotReference checked
Context reviewed
