Changes: Old Yeller

Revision as of 23:30, 14 July 2014

Old Yeller is a 1957 Walt Disney Productions film starring Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire and Beverly Washburn, and directed by Robert Stevenson. It is about a boy and a stray dog in post-Civil War Texas. It is based upon the 1956 Newbery Honor-winning book of the same name by Fred Gipson. Gipson also co-wrote the screenplay with William Tunberg. Its success led to a sequel, Savage Sam, which was also based on a Gipson book.

Plot

During 1869 in Texas, rancher Jim Coates (Fess Parker) prepares to leave his wife Katie (Dorothy McGuire) and their two sons, teenaged Travis (Tommy Kirk) and young Arliss (Kevin Corcoran), for a four-month cattle drive. After Katie bids him a tearful goodbye, Jim tells Travis that he must now assume responsibility as man of the household, promising to reward him with a horse upon his return. The next day, Travis is working the small corn field with the family mule when a stray dog chases a rabbit into the field. The mule, spooked, rears and runs, ruining the crops and felling the fence. Travis is furious with the dog, and grows even more angry that night when the mongrel eats some of their meat. Despite Travis' attempt to beat the dog, which he dubs "Old Yeller" (Spike), Arliss falls in love with the dog and Katie, who hopes the dog will protect the small boy, welcomes Old Yeller into the family. The next afternoon, returning home with a deer for dinner, Travis spots Old Yeller in the drinking-water pond and throws stones at him, prompting Arliss to attack his brother and Travis to dislike the dog even more. That night, the boy hangs the venison low in an attempt to entice Old Yeller into stealing it, so he can banish the dog the next day. He is shocked when Old Yeller spends the night guarding the meat without touching it. Later, Arliss traps a bear cub, and when the mother bear charges the boy, Travis and Katie witness Old Yeller leap to his protection, fighting off the much larger animal. That night, Travis, finally impressed with the dog, allows him into the boys's bed. Soon after, neighbor Bud Searcy (Jeff York) visits with his daughter Lisbeth (Beverly Washburn), who has a crush on Travis. Katie tolerates Searcy despite his extreme laziness and tendency to brag, offering him dinner when he refuses to leave. While helping Travis pick corn, Lisbeth reveals that she saw Old Yeller stealing food from neighboring farms, but will never report the dog because he has impregnated her dog, Miss Priss. Pleased, Travis gives Lisbeth an arrowhead, which she treasures, and determines to keep Old Yeller with him at all times, to prevent the dog from stealing. That night, he sleeps out in the field with Old Yeller, hoping to catch the raccoons that have been eating the corn. Travis falls asleep while thinking of his father, but wakes to see Old Yeller faithfully chasing off a raccoon family. In the morning, Katie informs the boy that their cow, Rose, is missing and has probably given birth in the hills. Travis and Old Yeller set off to find the cow, but when Travis discovers the newborn calf and tries to carry it, Rose charges him, prompting Old Yeller to knock her over until she calms. At home, Travis attempts to break the cow, but cannot until Rose spots Old Yeller and becomes docile. Having proven his mettle beyond a doubt, Old Yeller becomes Travis' constant, devoted companion. One day, cowhand Burn Sanderson (Chuck Connors) arrives, revealing that Old Yeller is his runaway dog. Although Travis is devastated, Katie knows she must let Burn take the dog. As he leaves, however, Arliss explodes in anger, throwing a rock that makes Burn's horse rear and throw him. Burn is at first angry but then takes Arliss on his knee and agrees to trade Old Yeller for one toad and a home-cooked meal, which Katie supplies with pleasure. Upon leaving, Burn informs Travis that a plague of hydrophobia, or rabies, is affecting local animals, with telltale signs that include staggering, viciousness and unprovoked attacks. Later, Travis takes Old Yeller, and they follow wild pig tracks until they find a herd. The dog ably corners the pigs, allowing Travis to climb a tree and swing a lasso down to rope one. When the pig falls, however, it pulls Travis down from the tree, where a boar bites into his leg. Old Yeller swiftly attacks the boar so Travis can run to safety, but the dog is severely wounded in the process. Travis hides the dog in a cave and limps home, where Katie dresses his wound and at first refuses to let him return to Old Yeller. When she sees her son's distress, however, she relents, and takes Travis by horseback to find the dog, who is already being circled by buzzards. Although Old Yeller's wounds are deep, she tends to him and brings both home to recuperate. Soon after, the Searcys visit. Lisbeth presents Travis with one of Old Yeller's puppies, but, unimpressed, he hurts her feelings by telling her to give the dog to Arliss. Searcy then informs Katie about the rabies plague, terrifying her that Travis may have been infected and prompting her to demand that Searcy leave. He does so, but leaves Lisbeth behind "to help." Days later, Travis is nearly recovered when Rose falls in a fit. Katie hopes it is a mere fever, but Travis recognizes the symptoms as those of rabies, and shoots the animal, after which Katie and Lisbeth burn the carcass. When a wolf attacks, their screams alert Travis, who runs outside with a gun and sees Old Yeller fighting off the wild animal. Travis is able to shoot the wolf, but not before it bites the dog, and Katie sadly informs him that the wolf, which attacked without provocation, was mad. At the boy's pleading, she agrees to keep Old Yeller penned for a few weeks to chart his progress, hoping he will remain unaffected. At first the dog seems healthy, but one night he growls viciously at Travis, who tries to hide the affliction from the family. When Arliss attempts to release Old Yeller, however, Katie closes the pen just in time and sees that the dog is ill. She prepares to shoot him, but Travis insists on handling the terrible chore himself. His rifle shaking, he finally manages to shoot his friend, putting him out of his misery. The next day, Jim returns home. After greeting an elated Katie and Arliss, he approaches Travis, advising his son to start looking for something good to take the place of the bad turn life has dealt him. Although Travis remains despondent, when the family retires for dinner, he notices Old Yeller's pup attempting to steal venison. Recognizing the puppy's strong resemblance to his father, Travis admires him for the first time, and in return the puppy licks his face joyfully.

Differences from the book

The only major difference between the book and the film is that in the book, Katie convinces Travis to shoot Old Yeller shortly after he fights with the wolf and is exposed to rabies (during the incubation period), whereas in the film, Travis insists on waiting until he develops symptoms before killing him. In the book Travis and Old Yeller had not fully recovered from the wounds they received from the hogs. Katie and Lisbeth had gone to burn the cow carcass and return being chased by the rabid wolf which is kept at bay by Old Yeller. Travis shoots the wolf as it is about to kill him but in a cruel twist of fate is then forced to shoot him because he has been exposed to rabies and will eventually become a deadly threat to the family. There is also the minor difference in that Old Yeller is bob-tailed in the book. Whereas, in the movie, he has a long tail that arches over his back (similar to the tails of Arctic sled dogs). Another major difference is that he appears as a Lab/Mastiff mix, while in the book he is implied to be a Blackmouth Cur.

Cast

Tommy Kirk: Travis Coates, the film's protagonist. A 14-year-old boy who wants a man's horse.
Spike: Old Yeller, the title character of the story. A Mastador (Labrador Retriever/English Mastiff mix) who fights animals who belonged to Burn Sanderson and Travis' and Arliss' loyal dog.

Spike plays the title character in the film.
Kevin Corcoran: Arliss Coates, the film's tritagonist. A 5-year-old boy who wants to be good a hunter as Travis since he's Arliss' older brother.
Fess Parker: Jim Coates, Travis' and Arliss' father who goes to Kansas and comes home with presents for his family especially the horse for Travis.
Dorothy McGuire: Katie Coates, Travis' and Arliss' mother who likes Old Yeller a lot.
Jeff York: Bud Searcy, a man who treats Lisbeth, Travis, and Arliss like slaves.
Beverly Washburn: Lisbeth Searcy, Bud's daughter who Travis is in love with.
Chuck Connors: Burn Sanderson, Old Yeller's original whom he ran away from.

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 *[[Fess Parker]]: [[Jim Coates]], Travis' and Arliss' father who goes to [[Kansas]] and comes home with presents for his family especially the horse for Travis.
 *[[Dorothy McGuire]]: [[Katie Coates]], Travis' and Arliss' mother who likes Old Yeller a lot.
-*Jeff York: Bud Searcy, a man who treats Lisbeth, Travis, and Arliss like slaves.
+*[[Jeff York]]: Bud Searcy, a man who treats Lisbeth, Travis, and Arliss like slaves.
 *Beverly Washburn: Lisbeth Searcy, Bud's daughter who Travis is in love with.
 *[[Chuck Connors]]: Burn Sanderson, Old Yeller's original whom he ran away from.
 ==Gallery==
 <gallery orientation="portrait">