The Yearling (1946)

A boy 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 (screen play), 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 Baxter
Chill Wills	...	Buck Forrester
Clem Bevans	...	Pa Forrester
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ma Forrester
Henry Travers	...	Mr. Boyles
Forrest Tucker	...	Lem Forrester
Donn Gift	...	Fodderwing

Storyline

The family of Civil War veteran Penny Baxter, who lives and works on a farm in Florida with his wife, Orry, and their son, Jody. The only surviving child of the family, Jody longs for companionship and unexpectedly finds it in the form of an orphaned fawn. While Penny is supportive of his son's four-legged friend, Orry is not, leading to heartbreaking conflict.

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Plot Keywords:

deer | fawn | coming of age | pulitzer prize source | florida | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

El despertar

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,200,000

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

"The Yearling" author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' own Cross Creek homestead - where she had written the novel - was used for filming some of the location scenes in the movie.

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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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Alternate Versions

Reissued theatrically in the 1950s in a 94-minute version. This reissue print was also shown occasionally on television in the 1960s.

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Connections

Featured in Phelous & the Movies: Fortunate Fawn (2017)

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Soundtracks

Florida Suite
(1887) (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.