hiddenwave93 While this movie (in my opinion) is touching in the way that any young child has to learn the ways of life the hard way - working hard to earn his/her wants, I think the acting of Billy in the movie was very dry and it was hard to really become interested in the character. It's an older movie that has something to relate to, so I believe that this is the perfect film for a younger person to watch. It gives you the mindset of the simplicity of the way things were way back when, and for a short amount of time you're forced to question the morality of the family in the film. I think most of the acting in this movie was very dry; especially after the tragic (spoiler) death of Billy's hound dogs. I was expecting the parents to have sympathy, but they were more interested in heading back inside, so I felt like it should have had a different outcome.

gamer2284 I thought that this was a good film in the time period that it was made and the story was great also, it was a nice family film and the acting was okay but the actors sometimes were not convincing like when the dogs died.The movie was not like other movies that require special effects and action while this movie relied on story and the relationship between the boy and the dogs.The film's story was sad in some parts especially when Dan was killed by the cougar during the hunting competition,another sad part was when Anne died of heartbreak after Dan died.The movie inspired me because the kid worked hard for money to purchase the dogs and billy also bought things for his parents and his sisters.

ballen78 Now here's a book that has never really gotten grand movie treatment. Maybe it's the fact that the book has so many elements to it that are hard to portray in movie form, such as heavy characterization and animal thoughts/beliefs, but it just seems that all the movies fall a little short.This movie version is clearly the best of a mediocre bunch, however. The casting is about as well done as could be expected. Stewart Peterson, in the first and perhaps the best role of his short career, is perfect as Billy. I also liked Jack Ging's portrayal of Billy's father.On the flip side, Beverly Garland, a heavily experienced actress at the time this movie was filmed, was horrible as Billy's mother. In the book, Billy is a borderline "mama's boy". His mother is written as overly-affectionate, constantly hugging and kissing him, much to his chagrin. In the movie, however, she spends nearly every scene chasing him with mops and threatening to whip him when he wants to finish cutting the tree down! To be honest, I question whether Garland had read the book, because she basically replayed her TV show "cowboy's wife" characters in the movie.A lot of the gorier sections of the book are cut down. It's hard for kids nowadays to think that a book could be more gruesome than a movie, but that is clearly the case here. The ax scene, in particular, is almost comically chopped down, no pun intended. The ending, however, is nearly as gut-wrenching in the movie as the book. Whenever I teach this book to 7th/8th graders, it's neck-and-neck for which draws more tears.From an artistic standpoint, some of the 70's film-making peculiarities are interesting, such as the fact that most of Billy's "night-time" scenes take place in broad daylight, even while Billy carries around a lit lantern! Overall, it's a passable movie and does follow the book quite closely. For teachers such as myself, there is no other option. The 90's version is an absolute mess, and this movie has enough nostalgic charm to keep its datedness in check. In other words, you won't feel guilty showing it to students!

rstelf The 1974 version of "Where the Red Fern Grows" was shot in Tahlequah, OK at the time I was director of Theatre Tulsa, not far away. Norman Tokar, Director, came to me and asked if I would help find local children to be in the film, and I had about 200 of them sitting in my theater the next Sat. for him to choose from. He picked the two young girls from that bunch. As a gesture of appreciation, Norman gave me the role in the film that he had intended to play, himself -- the Stationmaster. Lyman Dayton, the producer, decided he'd make a new version some 25 or 30 years later, and he called me to ask if I'd reprise my role as Stationmaster in this new filming. I said, "Yes." It turned out that I was the only member of the original cast who repriced his role. There's a lot more to this story, but that'll suffice for now. Bob Telford