Hiram Douglas, better known as Uncle Hiram, is a character, who appears in the 1949 Disney film So Dear to My Heart.
Background[]
Hiram serves as Fulton Corners' farmer. In spite of his duty as a farmer, he is also capable to serving as a blacksmith. He shows kindness to Jeremiah when discussing about Danny's bad reputation during the incident of him running across Grundy's Mercantile Store. In addition to this, Hiram also shows support in bringing Jeremiah back home with his carriage of horses.
Role in the film[]
Uncle Hiram is first seen approaching the train Old 99 arriving at Fulton Corners alongside the other townspeople who witness Dan Patch's arrival to the countryside and soon as the champion horse arrives, his handler asks for a blacksmith to replace a loose nail on one of the horseshoes just as Hiram explains to the handler that he is a blacksmith who could help with horseshoes to which he decides to replace the loose nail on one of Dan's horseshoes while Jeremiah Kincaid plans to give him his apple. Hiram then decides to keep the loose nail from one of Dan's horseshoes just before Dan returns to his private car. Soon as Dan leaves, Hiram then takes Jeremiah and his cousin Tildy home via carriage and upon feeling inspired by Dan Patch, Jeremiah then dreams of getting a colt and then raising him to be champion like Dan Patch so that he can accumulate a lot of money for the horse winning the races to which Hiram feels unsure if he should have a horse like that.
Later the next day when Jeremiah is taking Danny for a walk, Uncle Hiram hears the commotion caused by his pet sheep at Grundy's Mercantile Store just as Mr. Grundy is very furious with the sheep that caused a mess at his store. Jeremiah then enters Hiram's smithy to help him repair the broken screen door at Grundy's Mercantile Store while Jeremiah describes of what makes his sheep so unique so that he can be a champion inspired by champion horse Dan Patch and as Jeremiah asks him that horses, roosters, cows, and pigs can be ranked as champions to which Hiram answers to him that sheep can be ranked as champions of the county fair which Hiram decides to take care of Jeremiah's pet sheep so that he can be ready to be a champion of the county fair. Hiram then measures Danny to know if he is ready for the fair as Hiram tells Jeremiah about Danny's weight telling him that if Danny wins the county fair, he will be rewarded a grand champion blue ribbon as well as a cash award. Later, Hiram is then seen fixing the screen door for Granny's house. Granny explains to Hiram that she cannot tolerate Jeremiah's outright disobedience to which Hiram denies, explaining to her that Jeremiah is putting his pet sheep under control. The conversation is interrupted when Danny rushes through the house as he runs past a wagon which crashes into the chicken coop as Hiram plans to stop Danny from causing more mess around the countryside only for Danny to slow down on a field of crops, much to Jeremiah's worry.
The next day, Uncle Hiram sings about Danny having one last chance of being kept just before he is taken away for being an uncontrollable sheep just as a new pen for Danny is built so that he may not have a chance to escape and cause the mess he did before just as Hiram privately tells Jeremiah and Tildy about keeping the county fair a secret so Granny won't know about Danny. Later, Hiram then sings the film's memorable song "Lavender Blue (Dilly, Dilly)", playing a guitar while Granny is calmly sitting on her rocking chair with Jeremiah and Tildy doing the dishes. After singing "Lavender Blue", Granny then sings to Hiram the song "Billy Boy" while Jeremiah and his cousin are attracted to the singing. Hiram then sings a few notes of "The Blue Danube", which reminds him of merry-go-rounds and the last time Hiram heard of one was at a county fair. Later at home, Granny explains to Jeremiah to know if he has a notion about taking Danny to the county fair which Hiram denies, explaining to her that anyone at Pike County who participates would win a blue ribbon and a cash award. After discussing about the county fair, Hiram then tells Granny that she no longer dances just as her grandson turns on the phonograph to refresh her memory. Hiram then joins in the dancing to which he suddenly falls while listening to the music. Granny then discusses with her grandson that the county fair and the train that brings people there costs money and the only chance for her to agree to bring Jeremiah there is to have faith in himself just before Hiram decides to go to bed.
The next day, Hiram then takes Jeremiah who recently obtained the honey from the cottonwood tree in a faraway swamp where he brings Jeremiah to Grundy's Mercantile Store to deliver to Pete Grundy which Jeremiah receives money from him for delivering the honey, giving him money to help him purchase the sack of sassafras for Danny to help him win the contest at the county fair and as Hiram and his nephew walk outside the Mercantile Store, Jeremiah faces a bully who says a negative comment about him and his pet sheep's purpose of winning the ribbon prize which Jeremiah pushes him back while Mr. Grundy then decides to teach the boy a lesson.
Later on their way home, Hiram approaches Granny who is looking for Tildy in the woods while his Hiram's nephew shows his grandmother the money he obtained from doing a good deed in delivering the honey to Mr. Grundy to which Granny warns him that Tildy was out in the wood trying to catch Danny throughout a wild chase at the forest which Jeremiah then takes risk of himself in finding his pet sheep throughout the wild chase only for Tildy to encounter her and Uncle Hiram.
The next day, Uncle Hiram discusses with Granny, explaining that he has no luck in finding Jeremiah nor Danny, which Granny replies to him that there are more ways than being lost in the woods only to find out that Jeremiah and his pet sheep Danny are alive all along. Hiram discusses with Granny, explaining that he has no luck in finding Jeremiah nor Danny, which Granny replies to him that there are more ways than being lost in the woods only to find out that Jeremiah and his pet sheep Danny are alive all along with Granny happy to see her grandson back. Uncle Hiram then asks Granny to know if she should take Jeremiah and Tildy to the county fair after getting a crate ready for Danny which Granny feels unsure what to do, but after reconciling with Jeremiah, Granny then decides to keep her promise in taking the children to the Pike County Fair.
Later at the Pike County Fair, Hiram approaches Jeremiah and his grandmother which Hiram tells his nephew that the main thing about each sheep being chosen in the contest which Granny replies that only one of the lambs will win. He is later seen watching the contest alongside Tildy and Granny in which Danny is ranked as the Champion Ram Lamb of the Pike County Fair, just as Jeremiah's sheep wins the contest.
Back at the countryside, Uncle Hiram presents the townspeople the Champion Ram Lamb of the Pike County Agricultural Livestock Fair just as the crowd cheers for Danny just as Mr. Grundy tells the town to bring in Danny to his mercantile store as a celebration for being ranked as the champion which he offers Jeremiah and the rest of the townsfolk a celebration for him and his pet sheep at the mercantile store.
Gallery[]
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