I was pleasantly surprised to turn on the television and find that “Where the Red Fern Grows” was about to begin. It had been several years since I had watched the movie or read the book.
The G rated Doty-Dayton Productions movie was released in 1974 based on the novel by Wilson Rawls.
This heartwarming story shows how one young boy learns the lessons of a man as he struggles with his family through the tough times of the 1930s.
There is nothing more that Billy wants than a coon hound pup. However his father cannot afford one. His grandfather, who is a store owner, would like to help but is not any better off financially than Billy’s mom and dad.
After much praying and working to save money, Billy orders a couple of Red Bone hound pups (Dan and Little Ann) through an ad However he has to do some sneaking around to go pick them up.
Billy works hard training his pups and turns out with the two finest coon dogs in Oklahoma. Billy is the envy of a couple of neighborhood boys who place a bet with him about his dogs treeing a coon.
During the bet hunt, one of the boys falls on an ax and is killed. Billy vows to never hunt again. However his Grandfather convinces him to enter the dogs in a competition.
Billy’s dogs are about to win the competition with three coons treed but must leave the coons to go search for Grandfather who is lost in a storm.
Billy receives the trophy prize anyway.
In a later hunt, Dan saves Billy’s life by fighting off a mountain lion. However Dan cannot be saved. Little Ann dies soon after from a broken heart of losing her mate.
Billy’s family decides to move and leave the farm. As Billy goes to pay one last visit to the graves of his dogs he makes a surprising discovery, right between the two dogs is growing a beautiful red fern.
While this movie is rated G, it is likely more suitable for older children who can understand the death that is seen in the movie.