Where the Red Fern Grows (1974 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Where the Red Fern Grows
Directed by	Norman Tokar
Produced by	Lyman Dayton
Written by	Douglas C. Stewart Eleanor Lamb
Narrated by	Wilson Rawls
Starring	James Whitmore Beverly Garland Stewart Petersen Jack Ging
Music by	Lex de Azevedo
Cinematography	Dean Cundey
Studio	Doty-Dayton Productions
Distributed by	Crown International Pictures
Release date(s)	June 21, 1974
Running time	97 mins.
Country	United States
Language	English

Where the Red Fern Grows is a heartwarming American film from 1974. It was directed by Norman Tokar. The movie stars James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, Stewart Petersen, and Jack Ging. This film is based on a popular 1961 book with the same name.

Story of the Film

The movie tells the story of Billy Colman, a twelve-year-old boy who loves coon hunting and dreams of having his own dogs. His family doesn't have much money for expensive hunting dogs.

One day, Billy's father mentions that there's a Bluetick pup for sale at his grandpa's store. Billy rushes to see it. But then, the Pritchard boys buy the pup just to be mean to Billy. Billy's grandpa tells him he needs to earn money if he wants dogs.

Billy starts working many different jobs. He saves up fifty dollars, which is enough for two puppies. By the time he has the money, the price has dropped! Billy orders the dogs, but they arrive in Tahlequah, which is 30 miles away. The mail stage won't carry live animals.

Billy secretly leaves his house at night and travels to Tahlequah. With his extra ten dollars, he buys presents for his family. He gets overalls for his dad, dress cloth for his mom, and candy for his younger sisters. Billy picks up his new puppies and carries them home in a gunny sack. On the way, he has to stop for the night. He meets a cougar that growls at him until he builds a fire to scare it away.

The next day, Billy sees a tree with the names Dan and Ann carved into it. He names his girl puppy Little Ann and his boy puppy Old Dan. When Billy gets home, he starts training them to be the best hunting dogs in the Ozarks. He uses a coonskin to teach them how to track scents.

On Billy's first hunt, the dogs quickly find a coon. But the coon escapes by crossing the river. Billy catches up and tells his dogs he's disappointed. He makes them swim across the river to pick up the track. The dogs chase the coon up a huge tree. Billy tries to chop it down with his small hatchet, even though it seems impossible. Finally, he asks God for help, and a strong wind blows the tree over.

Billy's dogs become very famous in their area. One day, he sees the Pritchard boys at Grandpa's store again. They tell him about a "ghost coon" on their land that no dog has ever caught. They tease Billy until he bets them that Dan and Ann can catch it.

During the hunt, Dan and Ann trap the coon in an old mill. Billy decides not to kill it. He says it deserves to live because it outsmarted every other dog. Billy and the Pritchards get into a fight. The Pritchard dog, Old Blue, gets loose and starts fighting Dan and Ann. Ruben Pritchard grabs Billy's hatchet and runs toward the dogs. Billy trips him, and Ruben has a terrible accident and passes away.

After Ruben's funeral, Billy tells his family he will never go hunting again. A few days later, Grandpa invites everyone for Sunday dinner. He tells them about a big championship coonhunt coming up. He convinces Billy to enter. At the coonhunt, Billy wins the right to hunt in the final round. Two other hunters are also in the final, including Mr. Kyle with his Treeing Walker Coonhounds.

On the last night of the coonhunt, a blizzard starts. Dan and Ann catch one coon and are going after another. Then, Grandpa trips and sprains his ankle. No one notices because they are chasing the dogs. Dan and Ann find three raccoons up one tree. Just then, Billy realizes Grandpa is missing. He calls the dogs off the coons, even though his dad says it's impossible. He sends them to find Grandpa, and they succeed.

The next day is the awards ceremony. Mr. Kyle gets the prize, but he gives it to Billy. He says Billy earned it. He also jokes that he and his Walkers will beat Billy and his Redbones next year.

Not long after the championship hunt, Billy is hunting with Dan and Ann. They start barking up a cliff. A mountain lion jumps down, and the dogs attack it before it can hurt Billy. During the fight, Billy uses his hatchet to kill the lion. But Old Dan is badly hurt. Billy carries Dan home, but he dies. They bury him by the river.

After Dan's death, Little Ann loses her will to live. She dies on Dan's grave a couple of weeks later. Billy buries her next to him. Billy's parents decide to use the prize money from the coonhunt to move the family to Tulsa. They plan to operate a store there.

On the day they are leaving, Billy walks to Dan and Ann's graves by the river. A red fern is growing between the two graves. According to American Indian legend, only an angel can plant a red fern. Seeing the red fern makes Billy feel at peace. He then goes to Tulsa with his family.

Main Actors

More About the Story

In 1992, a second movie was made called Where the Red Fern Grows: Part Two. It is also known as Where the Red Fern Grows 2: The Homecoming. In this movie, Billy comes home after fighting in World War II. He is sad and has lost a leg. His sick grandfather gives him two new puppies. Billy doesn't want them at first, but his sister Sarah convinces him to take them. Later, he becomes friends with a boy named Wilson who lives nearby. This film starred Wilford Brimley, Doug McKeon, Chad McQueen, and Lisa Whelchel.