Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)

Where the Red Fern Grows is the heartwarming and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs.

Director:

Norman Tokar

Writers:

Wilson Rawls (based on the novel "Where The Red Fern Grows" as written and told by), Douglas C. Stewart (screenplay)

Stars:

James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, Jack Ging

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Whitmore	...	Grandpa
Beverly Garland	...	Mother
Jack Ging	...	Father
Lonny Chapman	...	Sheriff
Stewart Petersen	...	Billy
Jill Clark	...	Alice
Jeanna Wilson	...	Sara
Bill Thurman	...	Sam Bellington
Bill Dunbar	...	Ben Kyle
Rex Corley	...	Rubin Pritchard
John Lindsey	...	Rainie Pritchard
Garland McKinney	...	Mr. Pritchard
Robert S. Telford	...	Station Master (as Robert Telford)
Charles Seat	...	Carl Brown
Roger Pancake	...	Shopkeeper

Storyline

Where the Red Fern Grows is a really good book and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his dream for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs. Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with Old Dan and Little Ann.The movie follows the inseparable trio as they romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to tree the elusive Ghost raccoon. Their efforts prove victorious as they win the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, capture wily ghost coons and bravely fight a mountain lion. Through these adventures Billy realizes the meaning of true friendship, loyalty, and more in this timeless coming of age story.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | fern | dog | hunting | fight | 

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Taglines:

He Made a Promise And He Kept It!

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ahol a vörös páfrány az égig ér

Filming Locations:

W. Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Doty-Dayton Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

While researching for a retrospective documentary, it was discovered that the negatives were destroyed by the lab where they were stored. A few prints of the film still remain.

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Goofs

Boom mike above Whitmore's head at 1:03:10.

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Alternate Versions

The theatrical version does not feature a fade out before the end credits. All subsequent home media versions have "The End" with a brief fade to black before the end credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993)

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Soundtracks

If I Could Only Go Back Again
(uncredited)
Written by Alan Osmond and Mike Curb
Sung by Andy Williams

User Reviews

Good Family Movie

Today's young people should really take a look a look at this family movie. The morals and the lessons learned are very good. The story is simple, a boy and his dogs. What's important about this film is how different life was without television, cellphones, the internet, children did chores and helped their parents, and listened to what their parents had to say. The film is good, the acting okay, the animal scenes are very good, a good wholesome film. If your kids are acting up, force them to watch this movie, and then they will appreciate on how easy they have it. I liked the movie because it takes place in Oklahoma, rural Oklahoma, far from major cities like Tulsa. Life was simple then, and family values were high, I especially liked when Billy spent the extra ten dollars on his family, rather then spend it on himself, try getting your kids to do the same, I really doubt that would happen these days. I haven't seen the remake of this film, but it would have to be awfully good to top this one.