davidallen-84122
This is absolutely one of my favourite movies of all time and I watch it at least twice a year. I first saw it at our magical Civic Theatre,down here in Auckland,N.Z. with my younger brother who was just old enough to appreciate it as much as I did. Two weeks later,we rushed up to our local cinema to see it again. I love every single aspect of "Old Yeller". Dorothy McGuire is so right in her role;very motherly,warm and lovable.She is pivotal to the whole movie and provides the necessary "star" name.The two boys are great and it is nice to see Chuck Connors as a man of integrity,following his scary portrayal in "The Big Country".I know I'll be returning to this classic movie regularly for the rest of my life.
jeffbass-163-626228
Amazing movie on every level. It's fun, adventurous, awful sad, and the dog is incredible. If you buy the latest version you get some great extras. Everybody who was in this movie said it affected them on a very personal level. How could it not? It's Old Yeller and it contains some of the best dog scenes ever. He's a big, amazing and lovable dog. His real name is Spike, and he was rescued from a dog shelter. He was chosen because of the way he responded to humans talking to him. He turned his head sideways like he was trying to understand, which charmed the movie makers. He also was a big strong mastiff/lab mix, so he was powerful yet very smart and train-able. I honestly don't understand how anybody can rate this as mediocre or poor, but there are those who lack heart and base their reviews on all sorts of technical nonsense. I feel sorry for them. This movie has tons of heart, so much that many people simple can't watch it again or they break down sobbing.
Ted Baxter
I read recently that this is the film that got Chuck Connors his job as "the rifleman". Chuck's character is the original owner of the dog. When he hears that his dog is on the property, he pays the family a visit. The interaction between Chuck's character and the little boy will be familiar to people who loved his Rifleman character. The people trying to hire Chuck for the role or Lucas McCain offered him a low pay figure. Chuck Connors decline to accept the job as "Lucas McCain" due to the poor pay. When the directors saw Chuck in 'Old Yeller" , they raised their offer. "The Rifleman" became a classic as did "Old Yeller".
jpark4
This is what Disney did best in the 50's and early 60's with their live-action unit-no cynicism, no innuendo, just good family friendly storytelling with high production values and a moral. It is so refreshing to see this sort of movie, a true family movie, not just a 2 hour fart joke like so many kids movies are today. I watched this with my 9 year old daughter the other day, and, somewhat surprisingly, she remained completely engaged and enthralled throughout. I say surprised because so much of what is in the theater and on television for kids these days is just downright lazy, using flash, glitz, and breakneck pacing to distract from the rotten storytelling. Old Yeller, like most good stories, unfolds at a slower pace, but, because of the great storytelling, production, and acting, the payoff is not delayed, and the movie is satisfying throughout. It seems that today there is no true "family movie" category in cinema anymore, just sophomoric garbage for the kids, and empty violence, sex, and superficial titillation for everyone else. That is why it is so great to see movies like Old Yeller, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and other timeless live-action Disney family classics still getting some exposure.
AD
