Unusual & surprising; that it got made and that it got a major studio release. Pretty good, too, a charming proto-Neo-Realist fable, a boy²-and-his-dog story filmed entirely on location in race segregated 1940s Georgia. Actor Fred Toones, billed as ‘Snowflake,’ does say ‘Yowsa’ a lot, but embarrassing racial stereotypes kept to a minimum for the period. The story concerns his son, poor black kid Cordell Hickman, and his more comfortable white pal Billy Lee, BFFs at six (both very non-actorish), and how they save the runt from a litter of bird dogs trained by their dads only to wind up competing for the state championship, fathers against sons.* If only they can get their naturally talented, but obstreperous dog to Point; Hold; and Clean Retrieve. (A ‘biscuit eater’ a dog who steals food.) With stakes raised by the estate owner the fathers work for who’s thinking of switching to horse breeding. Director Stuart Heisler, a journeyman studio director with an unusually broad & interesting CV, handles his small budget with imagination and lots of atmosphere helped by cinematographer Leo Tover who went on to work with Wyler, Ford, Wilder & Renoir. A treasurable find.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Some tough parenting choices will now startle. The boys both get smacked around by their dads, no doubt accurate for the time. And no flinching at a tragic ending. Avoid a brightly colored ‘70s Disney remake. Phony & insufferable, reduced to flavorless kiddie fare even with Godfrey Cambridge in the cast.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *Friendly as they are, the white kid is most definitely First Among Non-Equals and the one who owns the dog they share.
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