Butch Remembers Those Tearjerker Animal Movies

   Since one of our granddaughters has a horse and competes as a barrel racer, we decided to watch the movie “National Velvet” again a few weeks ago.  This 1944 classic, starring a very young Elizabeth Taylor, is definitely a “feel good” movie, and we never get tired of watching it. While this movie has a happy ending, I have seen many animal movies that are real tearjerkers. In fact, if you are like us, you are likely to become very emotional when an animal is mistreated or dies in a movie.

   In the 1950s, I watched the movie “Old Yeller” at the Sunshine theater in Darlington. The young boy Travis has a strong bond with his dog Old Yeller. Even though the dog seems to get in a bit of trouble now and then, Old Yeller becomes a hero when he fights off a bear and earns a place as the family protector. Unfortunately Old Yeller contracts rabies when he is bitten by a wolf, and there’s no cure. Travis must do the unthinkable and put Old Yeller down . . . truly a gut-wrenching ending. At least a new puppy appeared at the very end to make me feel better!

  That movie reminded me of when I watched the animated movie “Bambi” when I was even younger. I enjoyed the characters of Bambi, Thumper, Flower and Owl, but when Bambi’s mother was killed by a hunter . . . “Your mother can’t be with you anymore,” that was quite a sad moment. Although I appreciate the high quality and craftsmanship of older firearms, I never had any desire to become a hunter after watching that movie.

  Two movies that can also cause a few tears to be shed are “Marley and Me” and “My Dog Skip.” Marley is a Labrador Retriever who is a little wild and fails obedience training, but becomes an important member of the family and is loved by everyone. But when he ages and his body begins to fail him, the decision is made to put him down. Anyone who has owned a dog and gone through something like this is sure to get wattery eyes watching that movie.

   In the My Dog Skip movie, a close friendship develops between Skip and the boy Willie. They are together all the time, but when Willie heads off to college, Skip still sleeps in Willie’s room and dies on Willie’s bed. The ending will get to you every time!

   In the 1990 movie “Dances With Wolves,” the main character Lt. John Dunbar befriends a wolf that he names Two Socks. Later in the movie, Dunbar is being transported back east as a prisoner charged with desertion. Two Socks tries to follow him and is shot and killed by the soldiers . . . a senseless act and emotional part of the movie. Well, at least the Indians got revenge. A year ago I watched the movie “Warhorse” after I had read the book. There are two horses featured, Topthorn, a trained military horse, and Joey, a farm horse sold to the army. Both horses end up being captured by the German army and used to haul artillery. When Topthorn dies from overwork and exhaustion, it is certainly a sad moment. Thankfully, Joey is eventually rescued and returns to his owner Albert on the farm . . . a very emotional moment indeed.

  Sometimes even an animal movie in which the animal kills people can make a person sad. Remember when King Kong climbs to the top of the Empire State Building, is shot by planes, and falls to his death? His love for the blonde Ann, and his effort to protect her, showed his sensitive side . . . very sad ending in a way, and I actually felt kind of sorry for him.

   Some of the other emotional animal movies include “Hachi: a Dog’s Tale,” “Where the Red Fern Grows,” “Eight Below,” “Red Dog” and the old classic “Lassie Come Home,” but I’m sure you can think of several more. Just remember to keep some tissue handy when you watch any of these!

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 36 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.