Backdrop fallback

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows

Share

Where the Red Fern Grows

"Glory and victory were theirs, but sadness waited too! And close by was the strange and wonderful power that's only found..."

1974

1h 37m

6.9(57 votes)

Drama

Family

Overview

Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.

Links & Resources

Social & External

Production Companies

The people behind it

Cast & crew

10 featured cast members

Starring

Stewart Petersen

Stewart Petersen

Billy Colman

James Whitmore

James Whitmore

Grandpa

Beverly Garland

Beverly Garland

Mother

Jack Ging

Jack Ging

Father

Lonny Chapman

Lonny Chapman

Sheriff

Jill Clark

Alice

Jeanna Wilson

Sara

Bill Thurman

Bill Thurman

Sam Bellington

Bill Dunbar

Ben Kyle

Rex Corley

Rubin Pritchard

Creative team

Directed by: Norman Tokar
Written by: Eleanor Lamb
Douglas C. Stewart
Produced by: Lyman Dayton

Similar Movies

Lassie Come Home

Lassie Come Home

Hard times come for the Carraclough family and they are forced to sell their dog, Lassie, to the rich Duke of Rudling. Lassie, however, is unwilling to remain apart from young Carraclough son Joe and sets out on a long and dangerous journey to rejoin him.

A Boy and His Dog

A Boy and His Dog

Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.

Garfield

Garfield

Garfield, the fat, lazy, lasagna lover, has everything a cat could want. But when Jon, in an effort to impress the Liz - the vet and an old high-school crush - adopts a dog named Odie and brings him home, Garfield gets the one thing he doesn't want. Competition.

Firehouse Dog

Firehouse Dog

Rexxx, Hollywood's top canine star, gets lost and is adopted into a shabby firehouse. He teams up with a young kid to get the station back on its feet.

Flight of the Navigator

Flight of the Navigator

12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.

The Memories in My Frame

The Memories in My Frame

A young boy struggles with the loss of his beloved dog.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Before the Seavers leave for a family vacation to San Francisco, they drop off their pets -- Chance, an adventurous American bulldog; Shadow, a wise golden retriever; and Sassy, a cautious cat -- at a friend's ranch. But when the animals start to worry that they've been left for good, the three embark together on a treacherous and thrilling journey to find their way back home through the California wilderness.

Turner & Hooch

Turner & Hooch

Detective Scott Turner has three days left in the local police department before he moves to a bigger city to get some 'real' cases—not just misdemeanors. When Amos Reed is murdered, Scott sets himself on the case, but the closest thing to a witness to the murder is Reed's dog, Hooch, which Scott has to take care of—to avoid Hooch being 'put to sleep'.

I Am Legend

I Am Legend

Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

A captured mustang remains determined to return to his herd no matter what.

Eight Below

Eight Below

In the Antarctic, after an expedition with Dr. Davis McClaren, the sled dog trainer Jerry Shepherd has to leave the polar base with his colleagues due to the proximity of a heavy snow storm. He ties his dogs to be rescued after, but the mission is called-off and the dogs are left alone at their own fortune. For six months, Jerry tries to find a sponsor for a rescue mission.

Lady and the Tramp

Lady and the Tramp

Lady, a golden cocker spaniel, meets up with a mongrel dog who calls himself the Tramp. He is obviously from the wrong side of town, but happenings at Lady's home make her decide to travel with him for a while.

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon

As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.

Old Yeller

Old Yeller

Young Travis Coates is left to take care of the family ranch with his mother and younger brother while his father goes off on a cattle drive in the 1860s. When a yellow mongrel comes for an uninvited stay with the family, Travis reluctantly adopts the dog.

101 Dalmatians

101 Dalmatians

An evil, high-fashion designer plots to steal Dalmatian puppies in order to make an extravagant fur coat, but instead creates an extravagant mess.

Beethoven

Beethoven

The Newton family live in their comfortable home, but there seems to something missing. This "hole" is filled by a small puppy, who walks into their home and their lives. Beethoven, as he is named, grows into a giant of a dog... a St Bernard. Doctor Varnick, the local vet has a secret and horrible sideline, which requires lots of dogs for experiments. Beethoven is on the bad doctor's list.

White Fang

White Fang

Jack London's classic adventure story about the friendship developed between a Yukon gold hunter and the mixed dog-wolf he rescues from the hands of a man who mistreats him.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.

Snow Buddies

Snow Buddies

Dylan Sprouse, Jim Belushi and Kris Kristofferson lend their voices to this family-friendly tale about a feisty pack of golden retriever puppies that embarks on an Alaskan adventure. When they find themselves stranded in the northern wilderness, the canine offspring of famed sports star Air Bud team up with an experienced sled dog and a husky pup, who teach them the importance of working together.

All Dogs Go to Heaven

All Dogs Go to Heaven

When a casino-owning dog named Charlie is murdered by his rival Carface, he finds himself in Heaven. Wanting to get back at his killer, he cons his way back to the living with the warning that doing so damns him to Hell. Once back, he teams with his old partner, Itchy, to prep his retaliation. He stumbles upon an orphan girl who can talk to the animals, thus allowing him to get the inside info on the races to ensure his wins to finance his plans. However, all the while, he is still haunted by nightmares of what's waiting for him on the other side unless he can prove that he is worthy of Heaven again.

Recommended Movies

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows

Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."

Flicka

Flicka

Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.

An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars

An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars

A young girl struggles to maintain her school grades while competing as a gymnast.

PAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue

PAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue

A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.

Starving in Suburbia

Starving in Suburbia

When seventeen-year-old Hannah stumbles upon a website about Thinspiration--an online community devoted to anorexia as a life choice--she becomes an obsessive follower of the site founder, ButterflyAna. By the time Hannah's family realizes what is happening and get Hannah the help she needs, the disease has fully taken hold and Hannah is refusing to eat. Will this family be able to exorcise the demon of anorexia from their lives?

Benji

Benji

Two school kids strike up a friendship with an orphaned puppy named Benji. When danger befalls them and they end up kidnapped by robbers who are in over their heads, Benji and his scruffy sidekick come to the rescue.

Skater Girl

Skater Girl

Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.

A Second Chance

A Second Chance

A young girl and her coach overcome adversity to make their way into the National Australian Gymnastics Squad.

I Believe

I Believe

A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.

TalhotBlond

TalhotBlond

Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups

PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups

When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay. The meteor's golden energy grants the PAW Patrol superpowers. The heroic Mighty Pups are on a roll to super-save the day.

Flicka: Country Pride

Flicka: Country Pride

Flicka and Toby help out a struggling stable owner and her teenage daughter.

Greyfriars Bobby

Greyfriars Bobby

In Scotland 1865, An old shepherd and his little Skye terrier go to Edinburgh. But when the shepherd dies of pneumonia, the dog remains faithful to his master, refuses to be adopted by anyone, and takes to sleeping on his master's grave in the Greyfriars kirkyard, despite a caretaker with a "no dogs" rule. And when Bobby is taken up for being unlicensed, it's up to the children of Edinburgh and the Lord Provost to decide what's to be done.

Normal

Normal

A Midwestern husband and father announces his plan to have a sex change operation.

Remember

Remember

With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables

A retelling of L.M. Montgomery's story of Anne Shirley, an orphan who is accidentally sent to a couple looking to adopt a boy instead.

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

Professor Wilson discovers a lost Akita puppy on his way home. Despite objections from his wife, Hachi endears himself to the family and grows to be Parker's loyal companion. As their bond grows deeper, a beautiful relationship unfolds.

A Dog's Purpose

A Dog's Purpose

A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.

A Dog's Journey

A Dog's Journey

A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.

I Am David

I Am David

A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a compass to help get him there.