Good-bye, My Lady (1956)

An old man and a young boy who live in the Georgia swamps are brought together by the love of a dog.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Albert Sidney Fleischman (screenplay), James H. Street (novel)

Stars:

Walter Brennan, Phil Harris, Brandon De Wilde

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Walter Brennan	...	Uncle Jesse Jackson
Phil Harris	...	A. H. 'Cash' Evans
Brandon De Wilde	...	Skeeter Jackson
Sidney Poitier	...	Gates Watson
William Hopper	...	Walden Grover
Louise Beavers	...	Bonnie Drew
George Chandler	...	Reporter

Storyline

Skeeter has found this dog and discovers no one knows what kind of dog it is. Discussing the matter with his uncle the desire to keep and train the dog for bird hunting after finding the dog has super senseing ability but does not bark. He "yoddles" or laughs as some would say. However the real owner William Hoppers character wants him back due to the rarity of the breed. A very sensitive and moving film especially for fans of Walter Brennan and any dog lover.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | swamp | old man | hunting | cabin | 

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Taglines:

A PICTURE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENJOY! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Good Bye My Lady

Filming Locations:

Albany, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Batjac Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Skeeter has placed Lady in the cage in the back of the pickup, Skeeter closes the tailgate and the pickup immediately drives away. This pickup is from a time when the tailgate was held shut by hooks on each side that are held in place on the ends of chains. To close the tailgate it was necessary to put those hooks in place or the tailgate would fall open. Skeeter had no time, and had made no effort to use these hooks.

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Goofs

A shot of Uncle Jesse and Skeeter's kitchen shows a bag of C&H (California and Hawaiian) sugar on the shelf. C&H sugar distribution has been almost exclusively west of the Mississippi River. Domino is the longtime sugar of choice in Mississippi where the story takes place.

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Quotes

Walden Grover: That's a lot of money.
Skeeter Jackson: That's a lot of dog.

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Soundtracks

"When Your Boy Becomes A Man"
Written by Moris Erby
Performed by Don Powell, Laurindo Almeida - Guitar, and George Fields - Harmonica

User Reviews

A really good Sunday afternoon flick and a must for Walter Brennan fans.

I just caught this film recently on American Movie Classics. It was better than I ever would have expected. The summary for the film reads like a Disney story "An old man and a young boy who live in the Georgia swamps are brought together by the love of a dog.", but the film actually mixes in a lot of humor with a sad story.

The stars in the film include Sidney Poitier, who doesn't play a real major role in the film, and Walter Brennan. If you know who Walter Brennan is, then you've proved that you watched those Sunday afternoon Westerns as a kid, like "How the West Was Won" or "Support Your Local Sheriff". Brennan's unique voice has been mimicked over the years by many, and is one that almost everyone would recognize. It's the unmistakable "country hill-billy" voice that we all can help but smile when hearing.

The film isn't a comedy, but give the viewer plenty to smile about. Uncle Jessie's as the stereotypical hillbilly is the source of many of those grins. He is supposed to be cutting firewood to make money, but he can't seem to cut more than 1 or 2 pieces daily before succumbing to an all-afternoon nap. He also has some fun dialog like "when I gets me enough money I'm gonna git me a set a dem Roebucker-teeth [false teeth from Sears & Roebuck], and if-en I save enough maybe I'll git me a couple-a gold ones" or some banter with his nephew Skeeter that includes words like "mighten" and advice to "don't crowd God".

Skeeter, the nephew (played by Brandon De Wilde), has some great facial expressions throughout the film and also has some funny scenes with Lady (the dog).

The dog that they boy finds and subsequently catches and names "Lady" is said by the boy and Jessie to "laugh, sure as day" - and by God, they weren't lying. The dog in the film actually laughs! I mean it's a dog-laugh, but it's unmistakable.

Anyway, while not a film that I would rate as a "can't miss", "Good-bye, My Lady" was a fun film that had it's touching moments, but mixed in a lot of fun. A really good Sunday afternoon flick and a must for Walter Brennan fans.