Old Yeller (1957)

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Blistering performances.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

As sad and sappy as this movie is I LOVE IT! This movie will bring you tears if you have a heart. It's a good solid down to earth story that many people can identify with - maybe that's why it is a favorite classic among many people.The movie/book Old Yeller reminds me of another good movie/book entitled "Where the Red Fern Grows" which is along similar lines as Old Yeller - A sad story of a boy and his dog(s).Old Yeller is definitely worth watching even if you are not a fan of Disney films. And a good one to watch with your kids.9/10

Robert Stevenson directed this Disney classic starring Tommy Kirk as Travis Coates, a young man who becomes the "man of the house" after his father(played by Fess Parker) goes a cattle drive to make money. He must look after his mother Katie(played by Dorothy McGuire) and younger brother Arliss(played by Kevin Corcoran). One day, a stray yellow dog wanders onto the farm, and though Travis wants to get rid of it, Arliss becomes attached, and so Yeller(as he's named) stays, and later proves his worth as he saves the life of Arliss and drives away other wildlife from the farm. They grow to love the dog, but an unfortunate case of rabies for Yeller brings sadness for all... Memorable and effective film is fine family fare, especially for dog lovers.

I believe I first heard of this live action Disney movie from the 1950's late in my childhood (I was born nearly thirty years after this film's release), but never saw it until last year. I think it was late last summer when I first watched this adaptation of the "Old Yeller" novel by Fred Gipson, and from what I remember, I was impressed with a lot of it, but later on, I wasn't so sure anymore. I watched "The Shaggy Dog", another live action Disney dog movie from the 50's featuring Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran playing brothers, for the first time just this week. Shortly after watching that film and being fairly impressed with it, I have watched "Old Yeller" for the second time, and would say it was better for me than it was the first time, and also better than the other Disney dog movie I've mentioned, which I was expecting.In 1860's Texas, Jim Coates leaves his ranch to take part in a cattle drive, and won't be back for several months. On the ranch, he leaves behind his wife, Katie, and two sons Travis and Arliss. Travis, the older of the two brothers, is left to take his father's responsibilities. Shortly after his father leaves, Travis happens to be working outside when a stray yellow dog comes, scares the family mule, and makes it knock down the fence! Travis angrily chases this dog away, but the next day, he finds him back on the ranch already! Arliss has decided to adopt this dog, but after the trouble the mutt has already caused, Travis obviously doesn't want him around. However, the older Coates brother begins to have a change of heart when he discovers that the meat he left out overnight has surprisingly not been touched by the dog. It soon turns out that "Old Yeller" is a big help for Travis as he takes on the responsibilities of his absent father, and the two develop a strong bond, but there is some trouble ahead.This movie has a small cast, but most of the few who had roles in it put on decent performances, even if some are slightly flawed. Dorothy McGuire and Fess Parker as the Coates parents, Tommy Kirk as Travis (one of his many Disney roles), and actor/athlete Chuck Connors in the smaller role of Burn Sanderson, are all notable cast performances. On the other hand, I did not care much for Jeff York as the lazy, fast-talking Bud Searcy, or Beverly Washburn as Bud's daughter, Lisbeth, and when these two characters first appear, I've found that they may temporarily bring the entertainment value down a bit, but fortunately, they aren't usually a problem. For the most part, the plot is an intriguing one, with what Travis and Old Yeller go through together and the boy's initial reaction to the dog followed by the strong bond they develop. Obviously, SO many others have pointed this out, but parts of the film certainly are emotional as well, which also helps keep it from being underwhelming and forgettable. They also picked some nice, scenic filming locations for this particular live action Disney film.I'm sure many people through the generations have seen this movie in their childhood, but I didn't, so I obviously don't know what that's like. This certainly isn't the happiest movie a kid could watch, but its reputation shows that it clearly has pleased many of those who saw it as kids, so I guess it has succeeded with that goal as the decades have gone by, and likely continues to do so today. Many adults like this "Old Yeller" adaptation as well, which I can understand after seeing it myself. In my opinion, there are some weaker parts of the film, so I can't rate it as highly as some voters, but overall, it's a solid effort that has aged well. If you haven't seen this successful 1957 Disney animal movie, I will say that should you do decide to watch it, some parts could make you cry if you're an emotional kind of person, or maybe even if you're not that emotional (though I didn't cry), but this is a major reason why it's so widely remembered and praised.

In Old yeller, Travis (tommy kirk) is left alone with his ma (Dororthy McGuire) and little brother arliss (Kevin Cocoran) after his pa is off to sell cattle for money, so the family can get through the winter. so while he's gone for 3 months, he has to work like a man to get things done. along the way, he finds a dog. while initially he dislikes the dog for ruining his life, He comes to liking the dog. soon the two of them become inseparable. but will the Problems they face, such as the dog's original owner (played by the awesome chuck Connors) and an incurable contagious disease, tear them apart? I cannot stress this enough, Old Disney is, and will forever be better than the new Disney. It's movies like old yeller that will never be made again without heavy censorship. They would water down the hog attack scene. they would water down the ending. they would water down everything possible.But here's an original piece of work from Disney, and it's well worth buying on DVD or VHS, however you can find it.