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Where the Red Fern Grows | |
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![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Lyman Dayton Sam Pillsbury |
Screenplay by | Doug C. Stewart Eleanor Lamb Lyman Dayton Sam Pillsbury |
Based on | Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls |
Produced by | David Alexanian George Dayton William J. Immerman Shelley Monson Bob Yari |
Starring | Joseph Ashton Dave Matthews Renee Faia Mac Davis Kris Kristofferson Ned Beatty Dabney Coleman |
Cinematography | James Jansen |
Edited by | Paul Trejo |
Music by | Jeff Cardoni |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Home Entertainment |
Release dates | |
Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Where the Red Fern Grows is a 2003 American family adventure film directed by Lyman Dayton and Sam Pillsbury and starring Joseph Ashton, Dave Matthews, Ned Beatty and Dabney Coleman. Based on the children's book of the same name by Wilson Rawls and a remake of the 1974 film of the same name, it follows the story of Billy Colman who buys and trains two Redbone Coonhound hunting dogs to hunt raccoons in the Ozark mountains.
A senior-aged Billy Coleman rescues a beagle from stray dogs. He takes care of it, having a flashback to when he was a ten-year-old boy living in the Ozark mountains with his parents and two younger sisters.
Billy wants a pair of hunting dogs, but his parents cannot afford them. Billy tells his Grandpa that he believes that God does not want him to have dogs. His grandfather replies that he has to meet God halfway. After coming across an article in a sportsman magazine offering a pair of Redbone coonhounds, he earns the money himself by working for two years. He reveals the money to his Grandpa, having kept it a secret from his family, fearing his father would use it for a long-needed mule. Inspired by Billy's hard work, Grandpa promises him his hounds.
Weeks later, Billy learns that the dogs were delivered to Tahlequah, not to Grandpa's store. Grandpa assures Billy that he can get a ride in a week. Billy's impatience and concern for his pups' wellbeing drive him to sneak out the following night to walk to Tahlequah.
He reaches Tahlequah the following morning and gets his pups from the depot station. When Billy returns home the next day, everyone is thrilled with his new dogs, whom Billy has named Old Dan and Little Ann. Billy trains the pups to be hunting dogs. On his first night hunt, they chase a raccoon up a large sycamore. Though he is discouraged, he promises to cut the tree down. It takes him over a day, and he runs out of strength before finishing the job. After asking God for help, wind blows the tree down, allowing the dogs to finish the hunt.
Billy and his dogs become a hunting legend in the Ozarks, bringing in countless coon hides. While at his Grandpa's store, his rivals - Rubin and Rainie Pritchard - challenge him to a bet to hunt and chase the Ghost Coon, which seemingly disappears every time a dog trees it. Billy stays true to his morals and refuses. After goading him, however, his Grandpa is provoked to accept.
The boys and dogs hunt after the Ghost Coon, which seemingly disappears after being treed. However, Billy investigates a nearby shed and finds the coon hidden in the roof. The Pritchard Boys' hound dog, Old Blue, breaks free from the boys' bondage and pursues them. He gets into a scuffle with Old Dan, who overpowers Old Blue. As Billy climbs down to deescalate the fight, Rubin attempts to kill Old Dan with his hatchet. As Billy arrives, Rubin trips and falls on the axe. Rainie runs off to get help. Billy sees that Rubin is already dead. Ridden with guilt, Billy vows that he is done hunting.
Grandpa persuades Billy to enter Old Dan and Little Ann in a championship raccoon hunt in the Ozarks. Billy decides to accept, agreeing with Grandpa that Dan and Ann deserve to prove their worth. At the Coon Hunt, Billy, along with his father and grandfather, reunite with the sheriff from Tahlequah, who is collecting for the hunt's prize money and gold cup. During the hunt a thunderstorm strikes. Grandpa injures his leg after falling down a hill. Billy wins the hunt, and presents the prize money to his mother, and can finally afford to move from the Ozarks to Tulsa, something his mother always wanted for the family.
During a hunting night, the dogs are attacked by a mountain lion. Billy scares it off with his hatchet. Little Ann survives, but Old Dan is mortally wounded. The entire family mourns for the loss of Old Dan. A few days later, Billy finds Little Ann dead at Old Dan's grave, having succumbed to her grief. His father says that his dogs served their purpose as an answer to his mother's prayers for the move.
As the family packs for the move, Billy visits his dogs' graves one last time. He sees that a red fern has grown between their graves. As they move, older Billy narrates his desire to return to the Ozarks, "where the red fern grows".
Common Sense Media rated the film 3 out of 5 stars. [2]
Scent hounds are a type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than sight. These breeds are hunting dogs and are generally regarded as having some of the most sensitive noses among dogs. Scent hounds specialize in following scent or smells. Most of them tend to have long, drooping ears and large nasal cavities to enhance smell sensitivity. They need to have relatively high endurance to be able to keep track of scent over long distances and rough terrain. It is believed that they were first bred by the Celts by crossbreeding mastiff-type dogs with sighthounds. The first established scent hounds were St. Hubert Hounds bred by monks in Belgium during the Middle Ages.
The Vizsla, also known as Hungarian Vizsla, Magyar Vizsla or Hungarian Pointer, is a dog breed from Hungary and belongs to the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) group 7, the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) group 1, and the American Kennel Club. The Hungarian or Magyar Vizsla or Smooth-Haired Vizsla are sporting dogs and loyal companions. The Vizsla's medium size is one of the breed's most appealing characteristics. As a hunter of fowl and upland game, the Vizsla has held a prominent position among sporting dogs – that of household companion and family dog.
A coonhound, colloquially a coon dog, is a type of scenthound, a member of the hound group. They are an American type of hunting dog developed for the hunting of raccoons and also for feral pigs, bobcats, cougars, and bears. There are six distinct breeds of coonhound.
The common raccoon dog, also called the Chinese or Asian raccoon dog to distinguish it from the Japanese raccoon dog, is a small, heavy-set, fox-like canid native to East Asia. Named for its raccoon-like face markings, it is most closely related to foxes. Common raccoon dogs feed on many animals and plant matter, and are unusual among canids in that they hibernate during cold winters and can climb trees. They are widespread in their native range, and are invasive in Europe where they were introduced for the fur trade. The similar Japanese raccoon dog, native to Japan, is the only other living member of the genus Nyctereutes. Other names for the common raccoon dog include mangut, and neoguri.
The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of coonhound originating in the United States. The Bluetick Coonhound is known for its friendly personality, cold nose, and deep bawl mouth. It is most commonly used as a raccoon hunting dog, but is also kept as a pet.
The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to individuals.
Where the Red Fern Grows is a 1961 children's novel by Wilson Rawls about a boy who buys and trains two Redbone Coonhounds for hunting. It's a work of autobiographical fiction based on Rawls' childhood in the Ozarks.
The Treeing Walker Coonhound is a breed of hound descended from the English and American Foxhounds. The breed originated in the United States when a stolen dog known as "Tennessee Lead" was crossed into the Walker Hound in the 19th century. The Treeing Walker Coonhound was recognized officially as a breed by the United Kennel Club in 1945 and by the American Kennel Club in 2012.
The Redbone Coonhound is an American breed of hunting dog. As a coonhound, the Redbone is primarily a hunter of small game that hide in trees, such as raccoons, opossums, and squirrels, but is also capable of handling big game like bears and cougars. Its hunting strategy is to tree wild game where hunters can then shoot the target, rather than directly hunting and subduing the prey.
The Mountain Cur is a type of working dog that is bred specifically for treeing and trailing small game, like squirrel and raccoons. They are also used for hunting and baying big game like bear and wild boar as well as being an all-purpose farm dog. Curs are a member of the Hound group, and the Mountain Cur is one of several varieties of cur. It can also be used as a water dog. Mainly bred in Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee, it has been registered with the United Kennel Club since 1998 and has since been recognised by the American Kennel Club, the National Kennel Club and the Continental Kennel Club. The Mountain Cur Breeders' Association was formed in 1957.
"The Hunt" is episode 84 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on January 26, 1962 on CBS.
A feist is a small hunting dog, descended from the terriers brought over to the United States by British miners and other immigrants. These terriers probably included crosses between the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Manchester Terrier, and the now-extinct English White Terrier. These dogs were used as ratters, and gambling on their prowess in killing rats was a favorite hobby of their owners. Some of these dogs have been crossed with Greyhounds, Whippets or Italian Greyhounds, and Beagles or other hounds —extending the family to include a larger variety of purpose than the original ratter, or Rat Terrier.
The Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard is a specialized and restricted pet cemetery and memorial in rural Colbert County, Alabama, US. It is reserved specifically for the burials of coon dogs. The cemetery was established by Key Underwood on September 4, 1937. Underwood buried his own dog there, choosing the spot, previously a popular hunting camp where "Troop" did 15 years of service. As of August 2014, more than 300 dogs were buried in the graveyard.
The Legend of Lobo is a 1962 American animal-adventure film that follows the life and adventures of Lobo, a wolf born and raised in southwestern North America. Based upon "Lobo the King of Currumpaw" by Ernest Thompson Seton from the author's 1898 book titled Wild Animals I Have Known, neither the time period nor the precise location are specified in the film, in part because the story is told as much from a wolf's point of view as from a human's. There is no dialogue in the film, with the only interpretation presented through the use of story-song composed and sung by the Sons of the Pioneers and the Sherman Brothers, and narration by Rex Allen. Based on the non-fiction account by Seton, Lobo is an 1890s wolf from an account by Seton who was a naturalist, and was a bounty hunter in the real-life story. Filming took place in Sedona, Arizona.
Boar hunting is the practice of hunting wild boar, feral pigs, warthogs, and peccaries. Boar hunting was historically a dangerous exercise due to the tusked animal's ambush tactics as well as its thick hide and dense bones rendering them difficult to kill with premodern weapons.
The Japanese raccoon dog, is a species of canid endemic to Japan. It is one of two species in the genus Nyctereutes, alongside the common raccoon dog (N. procyonoides), of which it was traditionally thought to be a subspecies.
The American English Coonhound, also referred to as the English Coonhound or the Redtick Coonhound, is a breed of coonhound that originated in and is typically bred in the Southern United States. It is descended from hunting hounds, especially foxhounds, brought to America by settlers during the 17th and 18th centuries. The breed's first recognition came from the United Kennel Club in 1905 as the English Fox and Coonhound. Further recognition has been granted in recent years by the American Kennel Club, first in the Foundation Stock Service and in 2011 as a fully recognized member of the hound group.
Where the Red Fern Grows is a 1974 drama film directed by Norman Tokar and starring James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, Stewart Petersen and Jack Ging. It is based on the 1961 novel of the same name.
The Hound That Thought He Was a Raccoon is a 1960 Walt Disney film directed by Tom McGowan. It was released on the same bill as Jungle Cat.
Coon hunting is the practice of hunting raccoons, most often for their meat and fur. It is almost always done with specially bred dogs called coonhounds, of which there are six breeds, and is most commonly associated with rural life in the Southern United States. Coon hunting is also popular in the rural Midwest. Most coon hunts take place at night, with the dogs being turned loose, trailing and putting the raccoon up a tree without human assistance. Once the raccoon is in the tree, with the dog at the base, it is referred to as "treed", with "treeing" being the active verb form.