Donn Fendler credited wild berries and a Boy Scout’s “never-give-up attitude” for his survival after he was separated from his family atop Maine’s highest peak when he was just 12 years old. Fendler’s gripping survival story was front-page news in 1939, and the boy’s grit earned him an award from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His memoir — Lost on a Mountain in Maine — has regaled generations of school children in the Pine Tree state. While Fendler battled hunger, fatigue, hallucinations, bugs and leeches, his story has a happy ending. He recalled eating strawberries and checkerberries and sheltering the best he could through chilly nights. He followed a stream and a telephone line, which led him out to a hunting camp near Stacyville, some 35 miles from where he started. The malnourished boy was rescued by Maine Guide Nelson McMoarn and his wife Lena. He was bruised, cut, hungry, without pants or shoes, covered in insect bites, and 15 pounds lighter — but alive. Hundreds of volunteers streamed into the region to help, and messages of support poured in to Fendler's parents. In a 2009 interview, Fendler said “Prayers were sent to my mother by Western Union from moms across the country.” His survival skills were celebrated, and he went on to attend high school, study at the University of Maine, and serve in the U.S. Army for 28 years. He married Maryrose Connolly in 1953 and they had 4 children. He died at the age of 90 in October 2016, after personally recounting his ordeal to hundreds of Maine youngsters over the decades. Now, Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions has made a movie about the story of the underdog. “Adventure stories are a dime a dozen, but Fendler’s resonates, as its about a father and son struggling to connect,” said Stallone. Director Andrew Kightlinger pointed out that the film builds on the book by drawing upon other interviews and archival footage to stress the importance of family and faith. “Every day on set, I would remind people that we’re making a movie about a son who just wants a hug from his father,” said Kightlinger. He went on to explain that Fendler just wanted his father to say he loved him, but he couldn’t do it because he was a very old-fashioned father. “Here’s a movie that reminds people about not just the power of community, but the power of caring about your neighbors.”
