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Old Yeller is based upon the 1956 children’s novel written by Fred Gipson.
The stray dog was modeled after a Blue Lacy, the state dog of Texas.
As you might know from the Old Yeller film synopsis, while Jim Coates (Fess Parker) has taken off from Salt Lick, Texas on a cattle drive, his wife, Katie (Dorothy McGuire), and sons, Travis (Tommy Kirk) and Arliss (Kevin Corcoran), are left behind on their Texas ranch. When a dingy yellow rascal runaway southern cur named Old Yeller, since its coat is more-or-less yellow and its bark sounds like a human yell, causes damage in one of their fields, Travis tries to drive him away. However, when Old Yeller saves Arliss from a bear attack, Travis and Katie both warm up to him. As Travis and the brave and faithful dog grow closer, concern grows about an outbreak of rabies.
For me, the story is about a boy coming-of-age through facing hard choices between himself and dogs.
Much later, when I was working as a substitute teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the students were assigned a look-see at reading the book Old Yeller. Their job was writing an essay about their feelings. Writer Fred Gipson had reached out to students in school grades five or six to have a go at writing a journal. Gibson remarked he liked true adventure tales because they gave him a true history of the country. Students were supposed to focus on what it would have been like for a fourteen-year-old boy to take on family responsibilities while his father was away on a cattle drive.https://route66buzz.com
Historically, the state of Texas had seceded from the union and joined the confederate states in 1861. After the war, lawlessness broke out. The Ku Klux Klan sometimes roamed around after dark. Texans had begun driving cattle along trails to Kansas and Missouri in the 1860s. Congress readmitted Texas to the union in 1870. The author used colloquialisms like the words squawling and bellering. However, some students commented on what a veterinarian today might do, rather than the rough and ready treatment of a dog back then. Some students were quizzical, meaning their behavior displayed mildly amused puzzlement at the way that things used to be.
In the story, after rabid wolves bite Old Yeller, Travis realizes that he has to shoot to kill his beloved dog to protect his family. Some students figured that was real life back then.
Nowadays, this story tells about the value of family, loyalty and sacrifice.
Old Yeller
