Old Yeller ( film ) - wikipedia Old Yeller ( film ) Old Yeller Theatrical release poster Directed by Robert Stevenson Produced by Walt Disney Screenplay by Fred Gipson William Tunberg Based on Old Yeller by Fred Gipson Starring Dorothy McGuire Fess Parker Kevin Corcoran Tommy Kirk Spike Music by Oliver Wallace Will Schaefer Cinematography Charles P. Boyle Edited by Stanley E. Johnson Production company Walt Disney Productions Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Release date December 25, 1957 ( 1957 - 12 - 25 ) Running time 89 minutes Country United States Language English Box office $6,250,000 ( US / Canada rentals ) Old Yeller is a 1957 American drama film produced by Walt Disney. It stars Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and Beverly Washburn. It is about a boy and a stray dog in post-Civil War Texas. The film is based upon the 1956 Newbery Honor - winning book of the same name by Fred Gipson. Gipson also cowrote the screenplay with William Tunberg. The success of the Old Yeller film led to a sequel, Savage Sam, which was also based on a book by Gipson. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Comic book adaption 4 Reception and legacy 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Plot In 1860s post-U.S. Civil War Texas, Jim Coates leaves home to work on a cattle drive, leaving behind his wife Katie, older son Travis and younger son Arliss. While Jim is away, Travis sets off to work in the cornfield, where he encounters a dog named `` Old Yeller '', a golden retiever mix. He was called that because `` yeller '' is a dialect pronunciation of yellow and the fact that his bark sounds more like a human yell. Travis unsuccessfully tries to drive the dog away, but Arliss likes him and defends him from Travis. However, the dog 's habit of stealing meat from smokehouses and robbing hens ' nests does not endear him to Travis. Later, Arliss tries to capture a black bear cub by feeding it cornbread and grabbing it. Its angry mother hears her cub wailing and attacks, but Old Yeller appears and drives her off, earning the affection of the family. Travis grows to love and respect Old Yeller, who comes to have a profound effect on the boy 's life. Old Yeller 's owner, Burn Sanderson, shows up looking for his dog, but comes to realize that they need him more than he does, and agrees to trade him to Arliss in exchange for a horny toad and a home - cooked meal. Sanderson takes Travis aside and warns him of the growing plague, hydrophobia. One day, Travis sets out to trap feral hogs. On the advice of Bud Searcy, he sits in a tree, trying to rope them from above as Old Yeller keeps them from escaping. Travis falls into the group of hogs, one of which injures him. Old Yeller attacks it and rescues Travis, who escapes with a badly hurt leg. Old Yeller is seriously wounded as well. Searcy warns them of hydrophobia in the area and is chastised by Mama for trying to scare Travis. The boars did not have hydrophobia, and both Travis and Old Yeller fully recover. However, the family soon realize that their cow, Rose, has not been allowing her calf to feed and may have rabies. Watching her stumble about, Travis confirms it and shoots her. While Katie and Lisbeth Searcy burn the body that night, a rabid wolf attacks. Old Yeller defends the family, but he is bitten in the struggle before Travis can shoot and kill the wolf with the rifle. They pen Old Yeller in the corn crib for several weeks to watch him. Soon when Travis goes to feed him, he growls and snarls at him. After he nearly attacks Arliss, who, not understanding the danger, had attempted to open the corn crib, a grieving Travis is forced to shoot him. In doing so, he takes his first step toward adulthood. Heartbroken from the death of his beloved dog, Travis refuses the offer of a new puppy fathered by Old Yeller. Jim comes home with a bagful of money and presents for his family. Having learned about Old Yeller 's fate from Mama, he explains the facts about life and death to Travis. When they get back to the farm, the young puppy steals a piece of meat, a trick he learned from his father. Travis adopts him, naming him `` Young Yeller '' in honor of his father. Cast Fess Parker as Jim Coates Dorothy McGuire as Katie Coates Tommy Kirk as Travis Coates Kevin Corcoran as Arliss Coates Jeff York as Bud Searcy Beverly Washburn as Lisbeth Searcy Chuck Connors as Burn Sanderson Spike as Old Yeller Comic book adaption The film was adapted into a 1957 comic book published by Dell Comics. It was issue number 869 of Four Color comic series, and was reprinted in 1965. Reception and legacy Bosley Crowther in the December 26, 1957 New York Times praised the film 's performers and called the film `` a nice little family picture '' that was a `` lean and sensible screen transcription of Fred Gipson 's children 's book. '' He said that the film was a `` warm, appealing little rustic tale ( that ) unfolds in lovely color photography. Sentimental, yes, but also sturdy as a hickory stick. '' The movie went on to become an important cultural film for baby boomers, with Old Yeller 's death in particular being remembered as one of the most tearful scenes in cinematic history. It currently has a rating of 100 % on Rotten Tomatoes. One critic cited it as `` among the best, if not THE best '' of the boy - and - his - dog films. Critic Jeff Walls wrote : `` Old Yeller, like The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars, has come to be more than just a movie ; it has become a part of our culture. If you were to walk around asking random people, you would be hard - pressed to find someone who did not know the story of Old Yeller, some who did n't enjoy it or someone who did n't cry. The movie 's ending has become as famous as any other in film history. '' The film was re-released in 1965 and earned an estimated $2 million in North American rentals. See also List of American films of 1957 References Jump up ^ `` All - Time Top Grossers '', Variety, 8 January 1964 p 69 Jump up ^ Sheryl Smith - Rodgers, `` Honoring Old Yeller '', American Profile. Archived February 10, 2009. Jump up ^ Crowther, Bosley ( 1957 - 12 - 26 ). `` Movie Review - Old Yeller - Screen : Shameful Incident of War ; ' Paths of Glory ' Has Premiere at Victoria - NYTimes.com ''. Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ `` WTC to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Old Yeller with Program, Exhibit ''. Angelo.edu. 2006 - 08 - 31. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Old Yeller ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Old Yeller - Special Edition at the Wayback Machine ( archived December 16, 2008 ) Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Jeff Walls, Old Yeller ( 1957 ) at the Wayback Machine ( archived October 12, 2008 ) Jump up ^ See `` Top Grossers of 1965 '', Variety, 5 January 1966 p 36 External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Old Yeller Official website Old Yeller on IMDb Old Yeller at AllMovie Old Yeller at the TCM Movie Database hide Films directed by Robert Stevenson Happy Ever After ( 1932 ) Falling for You ( 1933 ) Tudor Rose ( 1936 ) The Man Who Changed His Mind ( 1936 ) Jack of All Trades ( 1936 ) King Solomon 's Mines ( 1937 ) Non-Stop New York ( 1937 ) Owd Bob ( 1938 ) The Ware Case ( 1938 ) Young Man 's Fancy ( 1939 ) Return to Yesterday ( 1940 ) Tom Brown 's School Days ( 1940 ) Back Street ( 1941 ) Joan of Paris ( 1942 ) Forever and a Day ( 1943 ) Jane Eyre ( 1943 ) Dishonored Lady ( 1947 ) To the Ends of the Earth ( 1948 ) I Married a Communist ( 1949 ) Walk Softly, Stranger ( 1950 ) My Forbidden Past ( 1951 ) The Las Vegas Story ( 1952 ) Johnny Tremain ( 1957 ) Old Yeller ( 1957 ) Darby O'Gill and the Little People ( 1959 ) Kidnapped ( 1960 ) The Absent - Minded Professor ( 1961 ) In Search of the Castaways ( 1962 ) Son of Flubber ( 1963 ) The Misadventures of Merlin Jones ( 1964 ) Mary Poppins ( 1964 ) The Monkey 's Uncle ( 1965 ) That Darn Cat ! ( 1965 ) The Gnome - Mobile ( 1967 ) Blackbeard 's Ghost ( 1968 ) The Love Bug ( 1968 ) Bedknobs and Broomsticks ( 1971 ) Herbie Rides Again ( 1974 ) The Island at the Top of the World ( 1974 ) One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing ( 1975 ) The Shaggy D.A. ( 1976 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Yeller_(film)&oldid=841765949 '' Categories : 1957 films English - language films 1950s drama films American children 's drama films American coming - of - age films American films Films about dogs Films adapted into comics Films based on children 's books Films based on American novels Films directed by Robert Stevenson Films produced by Walt Disney Films set in Texas Films set in the 1860s Films scored by Oliver Wallace Rabies Walt Disney Pictures films Films produced by Bill Anderson ( producer ) Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français Italiano Bahasa Melayu Simple English Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 17 May 2018, at 22 : 31. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who takes travis aside and tells him to shoot any animal that contracts hydrophobia
Answer: Searcy