NR | 1h 23m | Drama | 1957
Director Robert Stevenson’s coming-of-age film about a boy and his beloved dog in 1860s’ Texas draws on children’s novel by Fred Gipson of the same name.
Jim Coates (Fess Parker) leaves Texas on an extended trip to trade cattle up in Kansas. That leaves Jim’s teenage son Travis (Tommy Kirk) in charge, to take care of his mother Katie (Dorothy McGuire) and his younger brother Arliss (Kevin Corcoran).
Katie and Travis tend the farm. A frontier dog turns up, seemingly a stray. Travis is too busy to care for his brother, so Arliss finds a playmate in the dog, soon named “Old Yeller.” With Katie’s permission, both boys take care of it as their own.
The family confronts several challenges: a grizzly protective of its cub, a cow giving birth, an attacking wolf, rowdy hogs, and raccoons raiding their cornfield at night. The newest member of the family, the muscular but otherwise ordinary-looking Yeller, is anything but ordinary. The Coates discover that he’s heroic, not just handy.
Imperceptibly, Yeller’s qualities rub off on Travis. With each new adventure, he grows more resilient and more sacrificing. Then, Yeller’s owner Burn Sanderson (Chuck Connors) shows up to claim him. Will Travis’s joyful time with Yeller be short-lived? The Coates soon hear of a lethal rabies infection that prowls the land.
Like other beloved animal screen performers, Spike who plays Yeller, aces the action scenes. He comes into his own when required to show attentiveness, responsiveness, and cocking his head to show he’s understanding, not merely listening. The Weatherwax family who trained renowned dog star, Lassie, also trained Spike.
Lovingly, Stevenson lovingly captures the sights and sounds of a farm coming to life at dawn and settling in at dusk. He risks a lot, featuring just seven human actors and no extras, relying entirely on them and the redoubtable Spike to carry the film. They do.
This film marked the first major feature roles for 16-year-old, baby-faced Kirk and chubby 8-year-old Corcoran. Kirk’s smiling eyes and maturing adolescence play off nicely against Corcoran’s wild and childish demeanor. They went on to act together in more films, leading some fans to mistake them for brothers; they ended up being real-life buddies.
In promotional clips McGuire explained what drew her to the role, “Simplicity seems to suit Katie best, because she lives close to the reality of things.” She’s perfect as the petite but pugnacious frontier wife and mother.
Corcoran recalls Stevenson saying that he liked his performance but wanted a favor; no matter what Kirk or the adult actors were doing in a scene, he didn’t want Corcoran to stop moving. It worked. Arliss is as lively as a little rabbit. He fearlessly chases after and handles all sorts of creepy crawlies, much to Kirk’s annoyance and Katie’s amusement. Watch him ride Yeller as if he’s a pet pony. Watch also for a memorable cameo by the 6-foot-5-inch-tall Connors.
Crafting Character
Stevenson’s 1957 film resembles “The Yearling” (1946) in the way it uses growing up on a farm as a kind of crucible. On a farm, a child’s character can be built by thoughtful, courageous, wise parental figures. For all their appetite for adventure, the boys stay obedient to their mama, respectful of her call to dignity. She isn’t half as active (or energetic) as they are, but her patience, persistence, generosity, and trust shapes their words and actions, even when she isn’t around.From Katie, Travis learns that just because he’s a young man, with a young man’s responsibilities, he can’t treat Arliss like one. His kid brother must be allowed the luxury he himself was allowed as a kid. Arliss needs to dream, play, learn from his mistakes, and have fun. Equally, he learns that Arliss mustn’t be indulged indiscriminately because he’s too young to grasp nuance. If Arliss is encouraged to pick up a harmless garter snake one day, what’s to prevent him from unwittingly picking up a harmful rattler the next?
From Katie, Travis learns to judge wisely. No, a single incident doesn’t define character. People can surprise you, just as animals can, with the goodness and grace they’re capable of.
From his father, Travis learns that masculinity comes not from denying fear but overcoming it. On the set, Sanderson also teaches Kirk a lesson in manhood. He asks if Kirk balks at all the daunting tasks before him. He instinctively says no. Then he more truthfully admits, that he’s a little scared, but he’ll follow Sanderson’s tips. Proudly, Sanderson shakes his hand, “That’s the way a man talks, son.”
