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 Surprise Hit...Bring the whole family!

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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

young and older dog lovers will like...

This is a nice film directed by William Wellman about "Skeeter" (Brandon DeWilde) who finds a most unusual dog in the swamps near Pascagoula. He lives with his uncle (Walter Brennan) and decides to keep the seemingly stray dog and name her "Lady".

Lady turns out to be a very good hunter who can stand "on points" when she finds birds, but also has a penchant for chickens and rats as well. She is a sort of terrier, is what they assume, not realizing she is actually an African Basenji, rare and unusual.

There are a few amusing scenes, as when Brennan's neighbor brings his heeler, old "Millard Fillmore" to hunt with Lady, and Lady out bird-dogs "Old Mill" (what kind of name is that). Also when a kennel owner from Old Lyme, CT comes to look at the dog, and says the dog should be fed meat every day, ...Yankees treat their dogs good....they muse. Oatmeal and bacon fat isn't good enough?.

There are also some nice scenes of the mangrove swamps and Spanish moss. Pretty scenery, rough to live in though. Sidney Poitier has a brief role also, as he reads up on the dog and finds out its history. Won't spoil the ending here.

It's a sweet film without being overly sentimental, just the bond, unconditional love of a boy and his dog. 10/10.