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Tagline: A motion picture to remember with glowing pleasure!

Preshow: Movietone News 1933

Pizza: Quickies

I DIDN'T CRY WHEN OLD YELLER DIED
LEAST NOT IN FRONT OF MY FRIENDS
-From "Tough Little Boys"
by country artist Gary Allan

Yeah, yeah, we all know Rosebud was his sled, and they were on Earth the whole time, and Bruce Willis is a ghost, and Old Yeller dies, and...oops? You didn't know? Well, sorry I've spoiled the world for you, but come on, you should have known that. And if you didn't, you should've have guessed. After all, it is a Disney film, and they're always killing animals.

Not only had I never seen OLD YELLER, but none of us at tonight's RMC have. It's one of the things I love about RMC. The R part.

OLD YELLER (I can't bring myself to shorten the title to OY) is a heartwarming story (based on the award winning children's book by Fred Gipson), one of family and friendship, of love and loss, and it's as playful as the dog itself. Old Yeller is (was, I suppose) a lovable Lab, roaming the countryside by himself, a rabbit-chasing orphan.

Somewhere in Texas is the Coates family; dad Jim (Fess Parker), mom Katie (Dorothy Maguire), son Travis (Tommy Kirk), and his curious and precocious spitfire of a kid brother - Arliss (Kevin Corcoran). In real life, both young 'uns were in the Disney stable, sort of like the Miley and Selena of their day. Anyway, one day, Jim leaves for four months to make some cash money at a cattle drive (nice of you to show up for that one day of shooting, Fess), with the promise of bringing back a horse for Travis. And as soon as dad leaves, Yeller comes bounding onto the Coates farm, chasing a rabbit and spooking Arliss's horse in the process. Yeller then tears the farm up like a rock star at the Edgewater Inn. "That old dog better not come round here while I got me a gun in my hands," Travis says. The dog may not bite him on the ass, but that line will.

But Arliss, who carries frogs and snakes in his pockets, "needs me a good huntin' dog!" Nu uh. Not Yeller. Travis hates that stray. Not gonna happen. Ever.

So Old Yeller becomes Arliss's dog...and Travis's headache, as that "mischievous rascal, an adventurous vagabond" (so says the trailer) splashes around in the drinking water. And eats the family's middling meat (city boy me had to look that one up). But Old Yeller's impossibly smart. Why, he didn't even fall for Travis' "I'll shoot you right between the eyes if you eat this venison that I'm hanging low enough for you to grab" ruse. Soon, Yeller ingratiates himself to Travis and mom when he ends up saving Arliss from a bear attack. That doggie's won them all over. And us too.

Among the visitors to the farm is the Old West's very own schnorrer, Bud Searcy (Jeff York). A colorful character out for a free hot meal while talking himself up. Everyone's onto him, even Yeller, but they're all too polite to say anything. Another visitor is Burn Sanderson (Chuck Connors), Yeller's actual owner, coming to reclaim him. It's a great scene (with some intimidating shots of Burn from Arliss's POV) that fits perfectly into the movie's warm feel. On that note, there's another great POV shot, this time of Old Yeller, when Travis goes to feed him. It's the Hannibal Lecter moment, for the movie's villain (SPOILER HERE) isn't a person. All the people in this movie are either likable or fun or both. No, the villain here is what they call "hydrophoby," though we know it better as rabies.

I like mostly all of the little things in this movie, like when young Arliss doesn't want his dad to leave, and how mom is the voice of reason for all three boys in her life. And the significance of Burn releasing the horny toad in front of Travis to let him know why he left Old Yeller on the Coates farm. I also love that, although it moves at a relaxed pace (featuring some wonderful moments that today would be considered "talky"), the movie actually moves pretty fast. There's no waiting around for story points to pay off. Many times, things we learn in one scene are paid off in the next. There's also two tons of foreshadowing. Well, less foreshadowing and more like "lead you by the nose" stuff, like a dog on a leash.

Mostly shot at the Disney-owned (though I'm not sure they owned it at the time) Golden Oak Ranch outside of Los Angeles (lots of westerns were filmed there, as well as TV fare like ROOTS and ZORRO, and movies like the original PARENT TRAP and BIG TOP PEE-WEE), OLD YELLER is a classic movie, for sure. To abuse the cliche - they sure don't make 'em like they used to. Today, this family would have both parents working, missing their sons' games and recitals, and the kids would be way too savvy and un-kid-like. But here, kids are running around like children, moms are behaving like mothers, dads like fathers, and neighbors like friends. Released in the "Donna Reed era," it all makes perfect sense. Not only that, I'd go on to say that it's refreshing. A movie with seven characters, a few animals, and no extras. Sometimes...no, often...less is more.

YELLER was directed by Robert Stevenson, who helmed nineteen films for Disney (including the RMC-screened THE ABSENT MINDED PROFESSOR and MARY POPPINS). If you have the DVD, steer away from the commentary, probably recorded in the early 2000s, featuring Fess Parker, Kevin Corcoran, Tommy Kirk and Bob Weatherwax, the son of Yeller's (his real name was Spike) trainer. Most of the 85 minutes on the commentary are spent talking about how good the dog was. From the Fantastically Odd file, I just saw Bob Weatherwax two nights ago, playing a cop in a local production of THE MUSIC MAN.

OLD YELLER really is timeless, because underneath the surface it's really the story of a boy's (Travis) journey into manhood. It's illustrated by his dad getting him his very own horse, which comes only seconds after Travis is forced to, well, deal with the demise of Old Yeller. Regarding that famous moment, they went back and forth as to whether or not to pull the trigger on it (even I'm rolling my eyes at that one). But Walt himself thought it was important that we learn from the ending.

I wouldn't call YELLER a masterpiece, yet I can certainly see how this film has resonated with so many people. There's even an Old Yeller statue in author Gipson's hometown. With countless happy ending movies, especially from Disney (truth be told, YELLER is one too, it's just really sad before it gets happy again), it's welcoming to have a story that rings true to life. Even the corny theme song that bookends the movie ("Here Yeller, come back Yeller, best doggone dog in the West") seems to work. I like that sometimes the music is coordinated with movements of characters, like Disney's animated films. Say, I wonder why they decided to make this a live action movie instead of an animated feature. If they had, it probably would have been released somewhere between LADY AND THE TRAMP and SLEEPING BEAUTY. But I'm glad it's live action. It's nice to know I was weeping for a real dog, and not a drawn one.

Preshow Entertainment: Movietone News 1933

Imagine a president today saying this:

"I have publicly asked that the foreclosure of cattle and homes be delayed until every mortgager in the country has had full opportunity to take advantage of Federal credit. And I make the further request that if there is any family in the United States about to lose its home or its farm, that family should telegraph at once. Either the Farm Credit Adminstration or the Home Loan Corporation in Washington, requesting their help." Well, back in Depression era 1933, those were the words in Roosevelt's 100 day address. Wow.

Yes, we screened another year from Movietone News, newsreels from 1933. Also featured:

Frances Perkins, the first woman cabinet member. Margaret Dumont-y, Perkins made cases for the abolition of child labor and a social provision for old age.

Great footage from the Chicago World's Fair, called Chicago's Century of Progress. The actors who played Amos and Andy did a broadcast for The Amos and Andy Skyride.

Oh, and Hitler receiving 95% of the vote as Chancellor. He promptly suspended civil rights and asked for full dictatorship. Yeah, like that would ever happen.