The Trial of Old Drum (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Sean McNamara

Writer (WGA):

Ralph Gaby Wilson (written by)

Release Date:

9 June 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | Family

Tagline:

The courageous adventures of a boy and his dog

Plot:

Inspired by a true story set in Missouri, "The Trial of Old Drum" tells the story of a valiant golden retriever...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Dog | Golden Retriever | Lawyer | Neighbor

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Bobby Edner	...	Charlie Burden Jr. - young
Ron Perlman	...	Charles Burden Sr.
Randy Travis	...	Charlie Burden Jr. - old
Alexis O'Keefe	...	Ann
John Schuck	...	Uncle Lon
Dick Martin	...	Mayor Meyers
Troy Evans	...	Sherriff
David Graf	...	Judge Henry
Tom Dugan
Kathy Garver	...	Aunt Katey
E.J. Callahan
Henry Polic II	...	Doc Thompson
Alia Shawkat	...	Dee
Aaron Fors	...	Donnie Long
Curt Youngberg	...	Wayne Snelling

MPAA:

Rated PG for some violence and brief language.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment

Trivia:

The actual trial of Old Drum was where the origin of the saying "A man's best friend is his dog" came from.

Very good movie

Unlike a previous viewer, I liked the narration by the "adult" character narrating himself as a the "child" in the movie, it reminded me of "The Waltons" in a way. The movie is somewhat reminiscent of "Old Yeller" or "Where the Red Fern Grows", both of which I highly recommend.

Though the original trial of Old Drum was in 1870, the setting for the movie is 1955; which more in the viewer audience can personally relate to. There are other differences between the real historical trial and the movie, in 1870 the dog was killed, and there were several trials and appeals. The dog's owner was awarded $50 (about $700 today) in damages.

As the movie is only inspired by the trial and not a historical documentary, you can enjoy the movie for what it is- a good movie with a historical reality behind it and some nice acting situations.

The DVD I have from Goodtimes has very interesting production scenes as well as the director's narration about how the movie was made- both in the special section on the disk. Some revelations about the filming, actors, scenes, sets,locations etc are quite interesting and a welcome bonus on the DVD!