Good-bye, My Lady (1956)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Albert Sidney Fleischman (writer)
James H. Street (novel)

Release Date:

12 May 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A Lonely Boy...A Lonely Dog...A Truly Wonderful Love Story

Plot:

An old man and a young boy who live in the Georgia swamps are brought together by the love of a dog.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Coming Of Age | Southern U.S. | Boy And Dog | Dog Actor

Cast

Walter Brennan	...	Uncle Jesse Jackson
Brandon De Wilde	...	Skeeter (Claude)
William Hopper	...	Walden Grover
Phil Harris	...	Mr. Cash
Sidney Poitier	...	Gates
Louise Beavers	...	Bonnie Drew

Also Known As:

Good Bye My Lady (USA) (poster title)
Goodbye, My Lady (USA) (cable TV title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Albany, Georgia, USA

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

According to Hedda Hopper's column of August 28, 1955, director William A. Wellman was planning to cast Vivian Vance and William Frawley (the Mertzes in "I Love Lucy" (1951)) to play a married couple in a single scene for this film.

Soundtrack:

When Your Boy Becomes A Man

A wonderful film for the entire family

This is one of my all-time favorite family films. It doesn't remind me of "Old Yeller" or "Lassie," but something different. It centers around an elderly backwoods hillbilly (Walter Brennan)who is raising his young grand(?)nephew (a very young Brandon DeWilde). The boy finds a strange dog in the woods and, after much reluctance, adopts the dog, only to find that it is one of the strangest breeds (Basenji) in captivity. (Being a Basenji owner, they are indeed very strange but lovable). The film is very moving in parts, especially when you first note the gradual bond between the boy, the dog and the old man and how the little dog seems to bring out a lonely side of the little boy that you don't pick up until that part of the film. Yes, the dog does "sing" ( Basenjis do not bark, they "yodel") and it runs very fast (they are fast runners). The boy's fascination with figuring out just what this dog is all about really manages to capture and hold your attention throughout the entire film. Even you will want to figure out what this dog is all about.

Walter Brennan is hilarious, although it appears as though this role was intended to be on the light side, not hysterically funny side. I found myself laughing so hard in the scenes where he is running to catch up to the dog or running to get the wood chopped when he is suddenly awakened from a long nap. His character is "Grandpa McCoy" from "The Real McCoys" but a little more gritty (at least Grandpa McCoy had dentures). Brandon DeWilde is absolutely marvelous. And "Lady" is both magnificent and fascinating to watch.

Check this one out. It's well worth a family get-together for a few good laughs and for bringing folks together. And if you get the chance to watch a Basenji's antics, even you'll be asking, "Is this really a dog?"