Old Yeller (1957)

Strong and Moving!

Sadly Over-hyped

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Listen, everyone knows this movie is heartbreaking. Not only is it heartbreaking but it's a FANTASTIC film. Which makes it even more heartbreaking. Dorothy MacGuire and Tommy Kirk stand out in this film. Dorothy has subtle acting moments that lend themselves to treasured gems (her moment of realization KILLS me every time). Tommy Kirk is a KNOCK OUT in this movie. His performance during THAT scene is what brings the audience to tears. Yeah, shooting your own dog is sad, and man do I love that dang dog, but Tommy's performance enraptures the audience and brings down the house. As sad it is, I can't help but recommend this title. A great classic.

Left in charge of the family farm while his father is away, a teenager gradually bonds with the stray dog ruining the family's crops in this Old West live action drama from Disney Studios. The ending of the film might be well-known, but much like 'White Heat' and 'Thelma & Louise' - which fall into the same boat - the film benefits by knowing what is coming and seeing everything progress with full knowledge of where it will lead. Tommy Kirk is also very good as the young protagonist placed into an awkward position as the man of the house with his father away. The less said about the rest of the cast the better. Both Dorothy McGuire and Fess Parker make little impression as his parents while Kevin Corcoran is grating as Kirk's constantly whining little brother. Corcoran's character is important in the narrative as his instant affection for the dog is half of what convinces Kirk to try accepting the rascal, however, it is hard not to wonder whether the film may have been better without Corcoran. Certainly, the best moments are the ones that Kirk shares alone with the dog. By the end of the film, one truly gets a sense of both the boy and the dog gradually come to like one another, something which renders the much talked about dénouement so dynamic. As per Disney norm, this is a bit of a sentimental movie, but the graphic conclusion is refreshingly hard-hitting.

I saw this in a movie theater when it first was released. Like all other boys at the time, we pretended not to cry at the end. Hydrophobia was a reality on the frontier and when Yeller gets sick, we know what's coming. The best part of the movie is how the old yellow dog ingratiated himself to the boy who has become, for the time being, the man of the house. Once Yeller saves a life, that's it. He's part of the family. Dad, played dully by Fess Parker, is off earning money. The family lives in a sanitized Disney Old West. The wife seems a bit Eastern to be out there on the prairie. Her articulation seems odd, like she is in a voice and diction class. Tommy Kirk does a decent job as Travis but Kevin Corcoran's portrayal of Arliss gets old really fast. Still, it's a nice movie, one I would like my kids to see.

This is what Disney did best in the 50's and early 60's with their live-action unit-no cynicism, no innuendo, just good family friendly storytelling with high production values and a moral.  It is so refreshing to see this sort of movie, a true family movie, not just a 2 hour fart joke like so many kids movies are today.  I watched this with my 9 year old daughter the other day, and, somewhat surprisingly, she remained completely engaged and enthralled throughout.  I say surprised because so much of what is in the theater and on television for kids these days is just downright lazy, using flash, glitz, and breakneck pacing to distract from the rotten storytelling.  Old Yeller, like most good stories, unfolds at a slower pace, but, because of the great storytelling, production, and acting, the payoff is not delayed, and the movie is satisfying throughout.  It seems that today there is no true "family movie" category in cinema anymore, just sophomoric garbage for the kids, and empty violence, sex, and superficial titillation for everyone else.  That is why it is so great to see movies like Old Yeller, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and other timeless live-action Disney family classics still getting some exposure.