Savage Sam (film)

Plot

Savage Sam is Old Yeller's son. He is a Bluetick Coonhound, and every bit as courageous and loyal as his father, as well as an incredibly keen tracker. Sam mostly likes chasing a bobcat, sometimes with Arliss.

The boy's uncle, Beck (Brian Keith) (referred to as the younger brother of Jim Coates) comes by to check on how the boys are doing and gives advice to Travis on how to handle Arliss a little better. ("All little brothers hate bossin'. You've got to learn how to outfigger him, Travis.")

Travis, Arliss, and their neighbor's granddaughter, Lisbeth Searcy (Marta Kristen) are taken captive by Apaches stealing horses. Travis is left behind when the Apaches are chased by a cavalry patrol and is found by Sam (thanks to Sam's keen sense of smell).

Uncle Beck gathers up a search party including Lisbeth's somewhat overbearing grandfather, Bud Searcy (once again played by Jeff York), and neighbor Wiley Crup (Slim Pickens). Led by Sam, who tracks the Apaches despite an injured paw and a hail storm, the search party finds and rescues Arliss and Lisbeth.

Cast

Behind the scenes

Walt Disney bought the film rights to the novel in 1961, prior to its publication. Gipson was then hired to write the screenplay.

It was one of the first movies from Norman Tokar. "I got him from TV," said Walt Disney. "I like young talent. When people get to be institutions, they direct pictures with their left hand and do something else with their right."

Pat Hogan appears as tribesman Broken Nose. Dean Fredericks, formerly Steve Canyon on NBC, played a Comanche chief in this film.

Critical reception

The film received poor reviews and fell short of box office expectations, paling in comparison with Old Yeller.

The Washington Post called it a "dogged, listless effort." "Action melodrama with a formula plot" said the Los Angeles Times. The Chicago Tribune said "the members of the cast are all capable enough, but they are all handicapped by a lurid plot which looks like it was made up by all the action scenes in a bunch of old television scripts."