Those Calloways facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Those Calloways
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Norman Tokar
Screenplay by	Louis Pelletier
Starring	Brian Keith Vera Miles Brandon de Wilde Walter Brennan Ed Wynn Linda Evans
Music by	Max Steiner
Cinematography	Edward Colman
Editing by	Grant K. Smith
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release date(s)	January 28, 1965 (Atlanta, Georgia Premiere)
Running time	131 mins.
Country	United States
Language	English
Money made	$3,500,000 (US/ Canada rentals)

Those Calloways is a family movie from 1965. It's based on a children's book called Swiftwater by Paul Annixter. Walt Disney produced the film, and Norman Tokar directed it. It was the last movie for the famous music composer Max Steiner.

The main actors in the movie are Brian Keith, Vera Miles, Brandon de Wilde, Walter Brennan, Ed Wynn, and Linda Evans.

This Disney movie tells the story of a family in Vermont. They try to create a safe place, called a sanctuary, for Canada geese. These geese stop in their town during their yearly migrations. The movie was filmed in real places in New England. This makes the scenery look very beautiful.

Some of the actors had worked together before. Brandon de Wilde acted with Walter Brennan in Good-bye, My Lady. He also worked with Brian Keith in a TV show called The Tenderfoot for Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

The Calloway Family Story

The movie is set in the 1920s in Vermont. It's about a family called the Calloways. Cam Calloway is a fur trapper who grew up with the Micmac Indians. He lives in the woods near the town of Swiftwater.

Cam lives with his wife, Liddy, and their 16-year-old son, Bucky. They also have a dog named Sounder, a black bear cub called Keg, and a pet crow named Scissorbill. People in town think Cam is a bit unusual because he loves living in the wild.

Cam's Big Dream

Cam has a big dream: he wants to create a sanctuary for wild geese. These geese fly over Swiftwater during their long journeys. Cam has taught his son, Bucky, to care deeply about the geese too. Liddy, Cam's wife, supports his dream because she loves him.

Bucky also starts to like Bridie Mellott, who is 18 and works at a local store. She was his childhood friend.

Saving the Geese's Home

Cam wants to buy 30 acres of marshland around Swiftwater Lake. He needs $1100 for this. He plans to plant corn there to attract the geese. This land would become their safe home.

The family also needs money to pay off their own home loan. So, Cam and Bucky decide to set up traplines to catch fox and ermine. They hope to earn enough money for both their home and the goose sanctuary.

They go to a wild area called Jackpine Valley. No one has trapped there before. Cam breaks his leg while exploring.

Challenges and Help

Bucky and Sounder go back to the Jackpine Valley to work the traps. A wolverine damages most of their traps. Bucky bravely fights and kills the wolverine, saving their fur season and an injured Sounder.

However, the price of fur drops a lot. They earn much less money than they hoped. Cam uses almost all of it to buy Swiftwater Lake for the geese. Because of this, they can't pay their home loan and have to move out.

The Calloways move to the lake. Many of their neighbors come to help them build a new home. This shows how much their community cares.

Protecting the Sanctuary

A salesman named Dell Fraser tries to trick Cam. He pretends to be a conservationist photographer. Dell wants to turn Swiftwater into a place for goose hunters. He gives Cam money to plant the corn, making Cam think he's helping the sanctuary.

Bucky finds out about Dell's plan. Cam confronts the people who want to profit from hunting. Cam tries to burn his cornfield to stop them, but Liddy saves it.

Later, Cam gets hurt by a hunter's shotgun. The whole town comes together to support him. They sign a petition asking the federal government to buy the marshland. They want it to be a preserve for the geese, safe from hunters.

As Cam gets better, Dell Fraser and his friends leave town. The Calloways' dream of a goose sanctuary finally comes true.

Cast of Characters

Images for kids

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  Theatrical release poster