Old Yeller (film)

Last updated
Old Yeller
Old Yeller (1957 film poster).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Screenplay by
Based on Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
Produced by Walt Disney
Starring
Cinematography Charles P. Boyle
Edited byStanley E. Johnson
Music by
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
Release date
  • December 25, 1957 (1957-12-25)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.25 million (U.S./Canada rentals) [1]

Old Yeller is a 1957 American Western drama film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney. It stars Dorothy McGuire and Fess Parker, with Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran. It is about a boy and a stray dog in post-Civil War Texas. The film is based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Fred Gipson. [2] Gipson also co-wrote the screenplay along with William Tunberg.

Contents

Old Yeller was released on December 25, 1957, to critical acclaim, and was a commercial success, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 1957 and earning $6.25 million in the United States and Canada. The film's success led to a 1963 sequel, Savage Sam , which was based on a 1962 book by Gipson. In 2019, the film was selected for preservation into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". [3]

Plot

In the late 1860s, Jim Coates leaves his family—wife Katie, teenage son Travis, and small son Arliss—to sell cattle in Kansas. While Jim is away, Travis sets off to work in the cornfield, where he encounters a Black Mouth Cur he names "Old Yeller", as "yeller" is a dialect pronunciation of "yellow" and the dog's bark resembles a human yell. Travis unsuccessfully tries to shoo the dog away, while Arliss defends him. Yeller's habit of stealing meat from smokehouses and robbing hens' nests does not endear him to Travis, but his mother agrees with the idea of Arliss having a dog.

Later, Arliss tries to capture a black bear cub by feeding it cornbread and grabbing it. Its angry mother hears her cub wailing and attacks, but Old Yeller frightens her away, winning over the family. Travis grows to love and respect Old Yeller, who comes to profoundly affect the boy's life.

Bud Searcy and his granddaughter Lisbeth come for supper one day, and Lisbeth takes Travis aside to tell him Old Yeller has been stealing food all over the county. After she and Bud leave, Travis scolds Old Yeller. The next day, Old Yeller proves himself as a cow dog by protecting Travis from Rose, their cow, and restraining her while Travis milks her.

One day, Old Yeller's original master, Burn Sanderson, arrives looking for his dog. Realizing that the Coates family really needs Old Yeller, he agrees to trade him to Arliss for a horny toad and a home-cooked meal. Sanderson later takes Travis aside and warns him of the growing plague of hydrophobia (rabies).

One day, Travis sets out to trap a family of feral hogs. Advised by Bud Searcy, he sits in a tree, trying to rope them from above as Old Yeller corners them. However, Travis then falls into the group of hogs and is attacked by one. Old Yeller defends Travis as he crawls away with an injured leg. Old Yeller is severely injured by the hog and Travis hides him in a large hole. Travis' mother then retrieves Old Yeller and uses mule hair to suture his wounds. As Old Yeller recovers, Searcy warns the Coates family of hydrophobia in the area but Katie chastises him for trying to scare Travis. Searcy leaves, and Lisbeth stays with the Coateses to help them harvest corn. Travis assures Katie that the hogs were not rabid, and both he and Old Yeller recover.

Later, the family sees their cow, Rose, stumbling and foaming at the mouth. Travis confirms that she is rabid and shoots her. While Katie and Lisbeth burn her body that night, a wolf suddenly attacks them. Katie's scream alerts Travis, who runs outside with a rifle, just in time to see Old Yeller fighting off the wolf. Travis successfully shoots the wolf, but not before it bites Old Yeller on the neck. Katie tells Travis that because no healthy wolf would attack near a burning area, the wolf was rabid. Katie then suggests shooting Old Yeller, but Travis insists that they instead pen him in the corn crib to see if he shows symptoms of the disease. After remaining quarantined, the Coateses believe that Old Yeller escaped infection. One night, however, when Travis goes to feed Old Yeller, he notices he has rabies. Travis suspects that Old Yeller may have been infected but says nothing. Later that night, Katie then tells Travis that Old Yeller is suffering and brings the rifle with her, but Travis takes it, reluctantly kills Old Yeller and departs.

Upset over his dog's death, Travis declines a new puppy sired by Old Yeller. Jim then returns with money and gifts for the family. Katie tells him about the dog, and Jim discusses it with Travis. Upon returning to the farmhouse, Travis observes the puppy stealing a piece of meat, a habit inherited from Old Yeller. Travis then accepts the puppy, "Young Yeller", as his new dog.

Cast

Promotional photo of Tommy Kirk and Fess Parker during filming. TommyKirkFessParker.jpg
Promotional photo of Tommy Kirk and Fess Parker during filming.

Comic book adaptation

The film was adapted into a 1957 comic book published by Dell Comics. It was issue #869 of Four Color comic series, and was reprinted in 1965.

In 1959 Japan also released a comic adaption, drawn by Leiji Matsumoto. It is considered very rare nowadays. [4]

Reception

Box office

During its initial theatrical run, Old Yeller earned $5.9 million in box office rentals from the United States and Canada. [5] The film was re-released in 1965, and earned an estimated $2 million in domestic rentals. [6]

Critical reaction

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised the film's performers and called the film "a nice little family picture" that was a "lean and sensible screen transcription of Fred Gipson's children's book". He further described the film as a "warm, appealing little rustic tale [that] unfolds in lovely color photography. Sentimental, yes, but also sturdy as a hickory stick." [7] Time magazine felt the "action, in short, is exciting for everybody, but all too often the dialogue is only for the very young", but they heralded the film as being "for the kids that adults will stay to enjoy themselves. Old Yeller propounds a major tenet of Disney philosophy: a dog should be a dog, and a boy should act like a man." [8]

Harrison's Reports wrote the film "is fine entertainment for all, even though it has a special appeal for the children". [9] John L. Scott of the Los Angeles Times praised the two child actors for "their naturalness and ability", as well as Spike the dog, writing that he "may be well be the next movie star dog". In summary, he wrote that "[t]he production is not a great one; but it will bring families back to the theater." [10]

Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [11]

Legacy

Old Yeller went on to become an important cultural film for baby boomers, [12] with Old Yeller's death in particular being remembered as one of the most tearful scenes in cinematic history. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 22 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.20/10. The critical consensus reads: "Old Yeller is an exemplary coming of age tale, packing an emotional wallop through smart pacing and a keen understanding of the elemental bonding between humanity and their furry best friends". [13] One critic cited it as "among the best, if not THE best" of the boy-and-his-dog films. [14] Critic Jeff Walls wrote:

Old Yeller, like The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars , has come to be more than just a movie; it has become a part of our culture. If you were to walk around asking random people, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who did not know the story of Old Yeller, someone who didn't enjoy it or someone who didn't cry. The movie's ending has become as famous as any other in film history. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Lady and the Tramp II: Scamps Adventure</i> 2001 American direct-to-video animated film

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure is a 2001 American animated direct-to-video musical romance film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and the sequel to Disney's 1955 animated feature film Lady and the Tramp. This film was released on February 27, 2001, 46 years after its predecessor in 1955. It involves Lady and Tramp's only son, Scamp, who runs away from his home and joins a gang of stray dogs. He also ends up in a romantic affair with one of the gang's members, Angel.

<i>Old Yeller</i> 1956 novel by Fred Gipson

Old Yeller is a 1956 children's novel written by Fred Gipson and illustrated by Carl Burger. It received a Newbery Honor in 1957. The title is taken from the name of the yellow dog who is the center of the book's story. In 1957, Walt Disney released a film adaptation starring Tommy Kirk, Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire, Kevin Corcoran, Jeff York, and Beverly Washburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Kirk</span> American actor (1941–2021)

Thomas Lee Kirk was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, Swiss Family Robinson, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, as well as the beach-party films of the mid-1960s. He frequently appeared as a love interest for Annette Funicello or as part of a family with Kevin Corcoran as his younger brother and Fred MacMurray as his father.

<i>101 Dalmatians II: Patchs London Adventure</i> 2003 American animated direct-to-video musical adventure comedy drama film

101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure is a 2003 American animated direct-to-video adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and Walt Disney Pictures, with distribution by Walt Disney Home Entertainment. It serves as the sequel to Disney's 1961 animated feature film One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It was directed by Jim Kammerud and Brian Smith, with them also writing the screenplay from a story by Kammerud, Dan Root, Garrett K. Schiff, Smith and Temple Mathews and produced by Carolyn Bates and Leslie Hough. It was released on VHS and DVD on January 21, 2003, and features the voices of Bobby Lockwood, Barry Bostwick, Martin Short, Jason Alexander, Susanne Blakeslee, Kath Soucie, Jeff Bennett, and Jim Cummings. Critical reception was positive, with the film garnering DVDX awards for best animated feature, best director, best editing, and best musical score. Disney re-released the film on September 16, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Gipson</span> American author (1908–1973)

Frederick Benjamin "Fred" Gipson was an American writer and screenwriter. He is best known for writing the 1956 novel Old Yeller, which became a popular 1957 Walt Disney film. Gipson was born on a farm near Mason in the Texas Hill Country, the son of Beck Gipson and Emma Deishler. After working at a variety of farming and ranching jobs, he enrolled in 1933 at the University of Texas at Austin. There he wrote for the Daily Texan and The Ranger, but he left school before graduating to become a newspaper journalist.

<i>See Spot Run</i> 2001 film by John Whitesell

See Spot Run is a 2001 American comedy film directed by John Whitesell and starring David Arquette, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Joe Viterelli, Angus Jones, Anthony Anderson, Steve Schirripa, and Paul Sorvino. It is about a mailman who takes in a stray bullmastiff, the titular Spot, only to discover he is a trained FBI dog who escaped from a witness protection program and is targeted for attacking a crime boss.

<i>Savage Sam</i> (film) 1963 film by Norman Tokar

Savage Sam is a 1963 American Western film sequel to Old Yeller based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Fred Gipson. Norman Tokar directed the live-action film, which was released by Walt Disney Productions on June 1, 1963. It did not enjoy the success of the original.

<i>Air Buddies</i> 2006 film by Robert Vince

Air Buddies is a 2006 American sports comedy film directed by Robert Vince. It is the sixth film in the Air Bud series and the first in the direct-to-video spin-off series Air Buddies, which follows the life of a lonely teenager and his dog who has the uncanny ability to play every sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Corcoran</span> American actor and film director (1949–2015)

Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. His nickname, Moochie, established him as an irrepressible character in film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff York</span> American actor (1912–1995)

Jeff York, aka Granville Owen, was an American film and television actor who began his career in the late 1930s using his given name, Granville Owen Scofield. He was also sometimes credited as Jeff Yorke. He died in 1995, at age 83.

Alicia Diana Santos Colmenero, better known as Diana Santos, is a Mexican voice actress who has dubbed Minnie Mouse's voice in Latin Spanish, the part of Takeshi in the Spanish dubbed version of the 1967–1968 Japanese television program Comet-San. She has also been credited as Ad Santos.

<i>Snow Buddies</i> 2008 American film

Snow Buddies is a 2008 American adventure comedy film and the second installment in the Air Buddies series. It was released on DVD on February 5, 2008. The film takes place in the fictional town of Ferntiuktuk, Alaska.

<i>Santa Buddies</i> 2009 American film

Santa Buddies, also known as Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws, is a 2009 American Christmas comedy film. It is the fourth installment of the Air Buddies spin-off series as well as the ninth film in the Air Bud franchise. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 24, 2009. Tom Bosley's appearance in the film was his final role before his death in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spike (dog actor)</span> Dog actor

Spike (1952–1962) was a lop-eared yellow Mastador and a dog actor best known for his performance as the title character in the 1957 film Old Yeller, in which he co-starred with Tommy Kirk, Beverly Washburn, Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and Kevin Corcoran. Spike was rescued as a pup from a shelter in Van Nuys, California, and became the pet and pupil of animal trainer Frank Weatherwax.

<i>Hound-Dog Man</i> 1959 American film

Hound-Dog Man is a 1959 American musical comedy drama film directed by Don Siegel, based on the 1947 novel by Fred Gipson, and starring Fabian, Carol Lynley, and Stuart Whitman.

Rabies has been the main plot device or a significant theme in many fictional works. Due to the long history of the virus as well as its neurotropic nature, rabies has been a potent symbol of madness, irrationalism, or an unstoppable plague in numerous fictional works, in many genres. Many notable examples are listed below.

<i>Little Arliss</i>

Little Arliss (1978) is the third book centered on the Coates family of frontier Texas by Fred Gipson. It follows Old Yeller (1956) and Savage Sam (1962), and focuses on Little Arliss, the youngest member of the family. Like the first two novels, it is told in the first person, this time by Arliss, instead of Travis.

<i>Savage Sam</i> (novel)

Savage Sam is a 1962 children's novel written by Fred Gipson, his second book concerning the Coates family of frontier Texas in the late 1860s. It is a sequel to 1956's Old Yeller. It was inspired by the story of former Apache captive Herman Lehmann, whom Gipson had seen give an exhibition when he was a child. It was adapted into a motion picture of the same name.

<i>It Comes at Night</i> 2017 film by Trey Edward Shults

It Comes at Night is a 2017 American psychological horror film written and directed by Trey Edward Shults. It stars Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Riley Keough. The film focuses on a family hiding in a forest as the Earth is taken over by a highly contagious disease.

<i>Jock the Hero Dog</i> 2011 South African film

Jock the Hero Dog is a 2011 South African-American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by Duncan MacNeillie. It features the voices of Bryan Adams, Donald Sutherland, Helen Hunt, Ted Danson, Desmond Tutu, Mandy Patinkin and William Baldwin. It is loosely based on the 1907 book Jock of the Bushveld by Sir James Percy FitzPatrick.

References

  1. ↑ "All-Time Top Grossers". Variety . January 8, 1964. p. 69.
  2. ↑ Smith-Rodgers, Sheryl. "Honoring Old Yeller". American Profile. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009.
  3. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (December 11, 2019). "National Film Registry Adds 'Purple Rain', 'Clerks', 'Gaslight' & More; 'Boys Don't Cry' One Of Record 7 Pics From Female Helmers". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  4. ↑ https://twitter.com/Keihound/status/1712297665629917517
  5. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety. January 7, 1959. p. 48. Retrieved January 9, 2021– via Internet Archive.
  6. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1965". Variety. January 5, 1966. p. 36.
  7. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (December 26, 1957). "Screen: Shameful Incident of War". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Cinema: The Old Pictures". Time. January 20, 1958. p. 90. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  9. ↑ "'Old Yeller' with Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker and Tommy Kirk". Harrison's Reports. November 16, 1957. p. 182. Retrieved January 9, 2021– via Internet Archive.
  10. ↑ Scott, John L. (December 26, 1957). "'Old Yeller' Tale of Dog and Family". Los Angeles Times. Part III, p. 14. Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Clipping at Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Old Yeller". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  12. ↑ "WTC to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Old Yeller with Program, Exhibit". Angelo State University. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Old Yeller (1957)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Old Yeller - Special Edition". DVDTown. December 16, 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
  15. ↑ Walls, Jeff (October 12, 2008). "Old Yeller". All Movie Portal. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.