The Yearling (1946)

Jody persuades his parents to allow him to adopt a young deer, but what will happen if the deer misbehaves ?

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Paul Osborn (screenplay), Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (based on the Pulitzer Prize novel by),

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr.

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gregory Peck	...	Penny Baxter
Jane Wyman	...	Orry Baxter
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Jody
Chill Wills	...	Buck Forrester
Clem Bevans	...	Pa Forrester
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ma Forrester
Henry Travers	...	Mr. Boyles
Forrest Tucker	...	Lem Forrester
Donn Gift	...	Fodderwing

Storyline

After the American Civil War, a rebel soldier and his wife become pioneer farmers in Florida. Their son Jody is 11 years old; he gets along well with his warm and affectionate pa, but his ma is haunted by the death of her other children, so she's somber, even cold. The boy wants a pet: the dad is sympathetic, the mom obdurate. When a rattler bites pa, pa kills a doe to use its organs to draw out the poison. Jody begs to keep the doe's fawn as a pet. The parents agree, and the boy and the deer are soon inseparable. The fawn grows quickly, and as a yearling tramples tobacco shoots and eats the newly-sprouted corn. This is too much for ma, and Jody has to face harsh, adult realities.

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Plot Keywords:

deer | pet | boy | fawn | farmer | 

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Taglines:

THRILLS! DRAMA! HEART-THROBS! (reissue print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Wildnis ruft

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$5,200,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

MGM had actually begun filming "The Yearling" in 1941 with Spencer Tracy, Anne Revere, and Atlanta native Gene Eckman (who never appeared in another film) in the starring roles, Roddy McDowall as Fodderwing, and Victor Fleming directing, but the production ran into innumerable problems, including Eckman growing too quickly during filming, his thick local accent (which conflicted with Tracy's vocal quality), swarms of mosquitoes, and conflicts between Fleming and producer Sidney Franklin. After King Vidor agreed to take over directing but then dropped out, the project was cancelled - at a loss of $500,000 - when the United States entered World War II.

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Goofs

When Jody runs away from home, he is barefoot. While trudging through the swamp, however, he is shown wearing dark sneakers (perhaps for actual protection during filming). Later scenes show him to be barefoot again.

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Quotes

Penny Baxter: [on the ocasion of the buryal of Fodderwing] Oh Lord. Almighty God. It ain't for us ignorant mortals to say what's right and what's wrong. Was any one of us to be doin' of it, we'd not of bring this poor boy into the world a cripple, and his mind teched. We'd of bring him in straight and tall like his brothers, fitten to live and work and do. But in a way o' speakin', Lord, you done made it up to him. You give him a way with the wild creatures. You give him a sort of wisdom, made him knowin' and...

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Crazy Credits

All scenes involving animals in this picture were made under the supervision and with the cooperation of the American Humane Association

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Connections

Referenced in Forecast (1945)

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Soundtracks

"Koanga"
(1895-7) (uncredited)
Music by Frederick Delius
Selections played in the score

User Reviews

It's a 3 boxer.

This is one of the great lost films. I run into ridicule every time I tell people it's one of my favourite films, but what a great film it is. It's got more treacle than Lyles, very sentimental and heart rendering, but I love it for that. It's also got one of the movie worlds most immortal lines when Ma Forester says of her recently deceased physically handicapped son "I lost ma boy!...ma poor crookedly boy". What a movie, takes me back every time. The essence of the main characters is perfectly portrayed by the main leads of Gregory Peck and Jayne Wyman, but Claude Jarman Jnr as Jody has a special place in my childhood. He plays the head-strong boy to perfection, with great depth and warmth. The Yearling will always live on.