Retro Reel: Old Yeller

Disney, 1957, 83 minutes - add this title to your Netflix queue  

"He made me so mad at first that I wanted to kill him. Then, later, when I had to kill him, it was like having to shoot some of my own folks. That's how much I'd come to think of the big yeller dog."  

If you don't get teary reading those first two sentences of Fred Gipson's famous book, about a boy and his dog on a Texas farm, you're not human.  

The Disney movie adaptation of Gipson's wrenching story opened on Christmas Day 1957, and didn't win any Oscar nominations. But ever since its release, it's tugged at hearts as relentlessly as any mischievous yellow puppy with a good dose of lab in him.  

It's the story of young Travis Coates and his mutt, Old Yeller. The dog's name refers both to the color of his coat and the pitch of his bark. Travis comes of age when he's forced to do the impossible: Shoot his best friend after Yeller contracts Rabies while protecting Travis from a rabid wolf. We dare you to watch it without a stash of Kleenex within easy reach.  

In a recent Associated Press article begging Hollywood not to harm dogs in movies, the writer admitted his trepidation at viewing this movie. In fact, he couldn't bring himself to say the title, referring to it as "Old Ye --" then adding, "... no, I can't even discuss that one." A similar sentiment was expressed by my fellow reviewer Melissa Holbrook Pierson.

Anyone who willingly puts themselves through this easily earns the nickname The Brave One.

Presence of dogs:
Respect for dogs:
Canine star quality:
Family friendly:

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