Old Yeller (1957)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Fred Gipson (screenplay) &
William Tunberg (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Drama | Adventure | Western

Tagline:

A motion picture to remember with glowing pleasure!

Plot:

A boy brings a yellow dog home. The dog loves the family as much as they love him, but can the love last ?

Plot Keywords:

Dog | 1860s | Ranch | Cattle | Bear

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Dorothy McGuire	...	Katie Coates
Fess Parker	...	Jim Coates
Jeff York	...	Bud Searcy
Chuck Connors	...	Burn Sanderson
Beverly Washburn	...	Lisbeth Searcy
Tommy Kirk	...	Travis Coates
Kevin Corcoran	...	Arliss Coates

Directed by
Robert Stevenson

Writing credits
Fred Gipson		(screenplay) &
William Tunberg		(screenplay)
Fred Gipson		(book "Old Yeller")

Produced by
Bill Anderson	....	associate producer (as William H. Anderson)
Walt Disney	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Oliver Wallace
Will Schaefer		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Charles P. Boyle		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Stanley E. Johnson		(as Stanley Johnson)

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark

Set Decoration by
Emile Kuri
Fred M. MacLean		(as Fred MacLean)

Costume Design by
Gertrude Casey
Chuck Keehne

Makeup Department
Pat McNalley	....	makeup artist
Elaine Stone	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yakima Canutt	....	second unit director
Robert G. Shannon	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound supervisor
Frank McWhorter	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Peter Ellenshaw	....	matte artist

Music Department
Evelyn Kennedy	....	music editor
Clifford Vaughan	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Lionel Comport	....	hog and racoon wrangler (uncredited)
George Guessford	....	head wrangler (uncredited)
Frank Weatherwax	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Rudd Weatherwax	....	dog trainer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• Buena Vista Distribution Company (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1959) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Pictures (1974) (USA) (theatrical) (reissue)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Home Video (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #18570) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1974) | Germany:6 | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U (cut)

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

The dog's name is 'Spike'; he also appeared in _She Creature, The (1956)_, walking along the beach with Marla English.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Old Yeller catches the catfish and Travis scolds him and Arliss for being in the drinking water, the next scene shows Old Yeller lying on his side perfectly clean and dry.

Quotes:

Katie Coates: Now Arliss, you ride back here with Yeller.
Arliss Coates: On a count of he's a sicker Injun than me?
Katie Coates: Yes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Golden Girls: Questions and Answers (#7.17)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Old Yeller

A really perfect little movie

I must have seen this when I was a kid (on TV), but I'd forgotten just how good a movie this is. The technical aspects are great (that color!), the acting believable and naturalistic, and the story moves along at a really nice pace. There's nothing condescending or "cutesy" here, and the plot point of the kid trying to play grown up (ie, Tommy Kirk as man of the house while his father's away) is played out without the traps that so many coming-of-age films fall into: In this boy's world, being an adult is about working and taking responsibility, not sneaking drinks and experimenting with sex. Also, the "messages" were woven nicely into the script, not tacked on and rammed over your head. It also helped that they had actors, rather than "stars". This is really what family filmmaking (a term I generally hate) should be: Something that kids and adults can appreciate.