A dulcimer appears in one of the pictures of the children's book _The Rag Coat_, by Lauren Mills.  It's one of my favorites!

ahhhhhh, thanks Robin.  thanks for looking at us when we only had 8 at home.  That was my first dulcimer, and my first bowed psaltery.  All grown up now....youngest one there was three...now 33.  sigh.  I loved raising our big family and they all still love each other...music being a huge part in raising our family.  They all play one or two instruments and all sing.  An play a LOT of games in more ways then one.  ha.  We're going to have another family reunion this August. aloha, irene

@irene You are a marvel!  What a beautiful family! 

In the poetry of James Still, he included mountain dulcimers sometimes.  As I recall, Mr. Still lived for some years in the Amburgey cabin and worked at Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky.  I highly recommend his writings! 

Irene, that's delightful!

Glenda,

Somehow, over the last 18 or so years, I'd forgotten the tragic end of the movie, and only vaguely remembered the relationships, for some reason remembering mostly the music and the idea of searching out the mountain music.  But after getting your response, I went back and read the plot synopsis in Wikipedia, and now recall what you mean about the personal relationships, both that of the two women running the school and that of the musicologist and the Aidan Quinn character.  I quite understand how that left a bad taste.   

 Jim. Yes I got the name incorrect  it was the "Songcatcher".The movie had many great folk singers and a lot of the wonderful song we love and play sing . Pretty Saro being one of my favorites I guess saying it was not that good wasn't a good way of expressing the way I felt about the movie I did love all the things you talk about . It is worth watching for all the reasons you say . Don probably didn't play more the 10 seconds in the movie.  My disappointment came  near the end  and how the personal relationships ended totally not necessary and ruined the whole move for me.  But yes worth the watch just for the music. 

Are you perhaps thinking of the 2000 movie "Songcatcher" about a musicologist who, in the 1900s, visits her sister who runs a struggling school in western NC?  She gets intrigued by the mountain music and searches out and catalogs some of the mountain musicians. The quality of a movie is of course subjective, but I enjoyed it.   It has some good music in it as the musicologist goes about her search.  The great singer Iris Dement appears in the movie as a mountain musician, and sings Pretty Saro.  Emmy Lou Harris, Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch and Roseanne Cash also provide music.  And as noted, you get to see Don Pedi play.  The plot moves along well enough.  It's got some pretty good drama, IMHO.  If it's available to you , I think it's worth taking a look at, if just for the music. It's available On Demand from my cable company, Comcast. Maybe yours offers it as well. 

Here's my collection of shows/movies I know about featuring mountain dulcimers:

CHRISTY TV SERIES  https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/dulcimentaries/dulcimentary-articles-pt-ii/christy-tv-series/

DANIEL BOONE, AKA FESS PARKER, PLAYED DULCIMER IN 1964 & 1969 EPISODES  https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/dulcimentaries/dulcimentary-articles-pt-ii/daniel-boone-aka-fess-parker-played-dulcimer-in-1964-1969-episodes/

JOHN BOY WALTON PLAYS TWO MOUNTAIN DULCIMERS  https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/dulcimentaries/dulcimentary-articles-pt-ii/john-boy-walton-plays-a-mountain-dulcimer/

Chevy Chase Show: KNOW WHAT I MEAN VERN?  https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/dulcimentaries/dulcimentary-articles-pt-ii/know-what-i-mean-vern/

LAST MAN STANDING  https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/dulcimentaries/dulcimentary-articles-pt-ii/last-dulcimer-standing/

SHEFFEY  https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/dulcimentaries/dulcimentary-articles-pt-ii/sheffey/

ahhhhh, this is the post to put it in.  A day before Christmas I got a DVD of our family playing and singing Christmas songs thirty years ago in Hawaii.  I got somethings wrong in my speaking, but you'll see 8 of our 14 children.  The older ones were gone....one in the Marines, some in school and some married.  Happy new year to you all.       

 Don Pedi played Dulcimer the movie the Tune Catchers set in Appalachian Mountains  Not that good but remember it because of Don.playing dulcimer at a barn dance. 

Several episodes of the TV series Daniel Boone, where Fess Parker actually played (rather than just faking) a dulcimer for his wife.

Several music related TV programs where Cyndi Lauper plays her dulcimer.  Taught by David Schnauffer.  She composes all her tunes on dulcimer. 

On the TV show, "The Waltons", one episode featured the dulcimer. One episode (right word?) of the TV show, "Rainbow Quest", hosted by Pete Seeger, featured Jean Ritchie; another episode featured Richard and Mimi Farina (Richard played dulcimer). In the early '60's, I recall seeing John Jacob Niles once or twice on TV.

The other day I started reading The Urban Fantasy Anthology by Peter S. Beagle and Joe R. Lansdale. The very first story, set in 1970, was "A Bird that Whistles" by Emma Bull about a young banjo player who meets a charismatic, handsome and great musician. I was immediately greeted with a great opening sentence, "The dulcimer player sat on the back steps of Orpheus Coffeehouse." The musician, a fiddle and guitar player, was just trying out the dulcimer, but there were references to "Shady Grove," other folk songs and tuning the banjo to "mountain minor."

Where else have you encountered dulcimers in films or in books?