User reviews

We all know that "Old Yeller" is a classic. It will always stand out as one of the best live-action Disney films of its time. With that said, does any kind of follow-up film deserve any attention? "Savage Sam" certainly does. It is another well made Disney adventure. Classic? Almost, but "Old Yeller" was a tough act to follow.

I found "Savage Sam" refreshing because it made no attempt to be anything like "Yeller". Sam the dog is not a threat to anyone. In this movie, he is also not the center of attention. This story is different; Travis and Arliss are older. That's how it should be. Six years passed between the release of the movies.

Brian Keith was great in this film. Here, he is supposed to be the younger brother of Fess Parker's character in "Yeller". I really liked him here.

As another DVD in my Disney collection, everyone in the family enjoyed it. I give it *** out of four stars.

I saw this movie within the last few years and sadly is one of those films, that while not the worst I have seen...just didn't click with me. Yes, "Savage Sam" had a tough act to follow, and one has to keep in mind that it should be watched with the understanding that it was not intended to be another "Old Yeller". But due to several factors, in my opinion, this movie could have been a lot better.

*There is confusion as to how Sam is related to Old Yeller. Is he supposed to be the now grown dog seen in the original "Old Yeller" as a puppy? Or did Yeller stud another female around the same time resulting in the dog seen in "Savage Sam"? Or was the spotted dog seen in "Savage Sam" a litter mate to the yellow pup seen in O.Y?

*The acting, in my opinion seems lackluster. While Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran displayed amazing chemistry in "Old Yeller" and many of the other films they starred in together...they seemed to be "going through the motions" in this picture.

*The story pacing was a bit choppy...often boring. Fred Gipson's book of the same title provides some background and imagery, helping to keep the story moving along. Seems to be missing here.

*Finally, yes there were settler/Indian battles from that time era, but Disney did indeed paint Native Americans in an excessively evil light. Could have been handled better...this is where background and history of the conflict could have been developed a bit better.

All in all, this movie is not unwatchable...but due to flaws which I have described, I think the movie is weak...despite me keeping in mind that "Savage Sam" is no "Old Yeller".

This is an entertaining film thanks in part to performances by character actor scene-stealers like Slim Pickens and Jeff York, whose ornery interactions are a joy to watch. Brian Keith portrays well the rugged frontiersman, demonstrating courage and offering avuncular wisdom. Kirk and Kristen are good as the young innocents. The main problem is the frequent intrusion of the Arliss character, who has morphed from mischievous/ornery in Old Yeller to deranged/homicidal in this film. Disney loved the image and performances of Corcoran(he was indeed a good kid actor) and perhaps exerted too much influence on the writing and directing of Savage Sam. The more PC viewers have commented on the film's scenes of cruelty to animals (at times just for laughs) and the stereotyping of native "savages." There is some justification for this criticism, but it should be noted, in regard to the portrayal of the Indians, that they were a renegade band and that some white settlers are equally stereotyped. Also, one of the ranchers actually sympathizes with the Indians in their plight, and there is obvious condemnation of the "only-good-Indian-is-a-dead-one" white settler who wants to shoot the wounded. Another virtue of the film is the sweep and color of its exterior landscape shots. There is even an (almost convincing) deadly prairie hailstorm! All this considered, some first-time viewers may find the film's strengths outweigh its weaknesses.

If you like the old Disney family movies like Old Yeller, Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson, Davy Crockett, etc., then you will probably like this movie. While it is advertised as a sequel to Old Yeller, the only similarities are the same actors are back for the boys and Mr. Searcy and the story does involve a dog. That's it for similarities.

You are best to watch this movie for what it is and ignore the sequel part. Brian Keith is a nice addition to the movie playing the boys' uncle and though it is familiar story, it is not a repeat of the original story as so many sequels tend to be.

Norman Tokar took over directing duties on this sequel to "Old Yeller" that sees Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran return as Travis and Arliss Coates, who, several years later, now have a new dog called 'Savage' Sam(though whether he really is related to Yeller is never established) who still proves as brave and heroic as Yeller, since both boys(along with a female friend) are abducted by a hostile Native tribe, and held for some undetermined reason. Meanwhile, their Uncle Beck Coates(played by Brian Keith) is looking for them, since their parents are away taking care of a sick relative. Just how can the group get out of this predicament? Disappointing film isn't at all bad, but is forgettable and ineffectual, with little of the folksy charm of the first.

Savage Sam, except for it's association with Ol' Yeller, would be a completely innocuous but more or less forgotten addition to the Disney film library. The problem with Savage Sam is twofold.

First, it was (and is) marketed as a sequel to Ol' Yeller. How could any film stand up to that kind of comparison? Yes, the book was by the same author and meant to be a tale of a son of Ol' Yeller. But trying to sell that movie as a sequel never had a chance - Fess Parker was doing a TV show and unavailable, the book itself is weak, and the scripting is sluggish.

Secondly, and this true of all movies from that time - the portrayal of the Indians was so biased that it's painful to watch as those Irish stunt men in red paint whoop it up.

Is it watchable? Yes, but view it a a separate entity, not a sequel.

Disney's 'follow-up' to "Old Yeller" from 1957, adapted from the book by "Yeller" author Fred Gipson by Gipson and William Tunberg, happily reunites Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran as the feuding Coates brothers, but this time they're not given anything special to do. The kids are looked after by their uncle, played by Brian Keith, and a floppy-eared dog, a Bluetick Coonhound, said to be Yeller's son. The production seems cheap for Disney, and the tribe of Indians who battle our heroes are like relics from a 1940s b-western. Not even Keith's macho panache can elevate this one. Norman Tokar directed, probably in between other assignments from the studio. Lumbering, by-the-numbers family entry. *1/2 from ****

Stop over-thinking it! This movie was made in 1963! As a child, I didn't realize it was a sequel to Old Yeller and I didn't care. I took it for what it was-a movie about two boys and a dog in the old west. Yeah, watching it now, I see that it's corny and the portrayal of the Apaches is less than politically correct. But if you pay close attention toward the end of the movie, there is a nod to the concept that maybe it isn't really the "Indians" who are the savages after all. This is unusual for a 60's film but especially one so enthusiastically criticized here as being shallow, cheesy, etc. The movie speaks to the innocence of the early 60's-just enjoy it! And to those of you who say the dog has no personality-you must not know dogs...

Savage Sam was released in the United States on June 1, 1963 starring Brian Keith, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran. Savage Sam is the 1963 film sequel to Old Yeller written by Fred Gipson. It was inspired by the story of former Apache captive Herman Lehmann, whom Gipson had seen give an exhibition when he was a child. Norman Tokar directed the live-action film, which was released by Walt Disney on June 1, 1963.

Summary: The picture opens with Arliss coming outside and spotting his dog Sam chasing a bobcat. Now both of Arliss parents are back East attending to their Grandma leaving Travis in charge. As in Old Yeller, Travis and Arliss are at war as Travis tries to get Arliss to get some work done. Arliss wants to go hunting with his dog Sam and Travis won't let him. Therefore, Arliss who can't shoot a gun but can really throw rocks starts to throw them at Travis. Arliss has Travis pend down in the family out house when a man on a horse rides into the farm. The man turns out to be the boy's Uncle Buck. Uncle Buck tells Arliss that his daddy use to do the same thing to him when they were young, bossing him around telling him to do this and that. Travis and Arliss are out in the fields working when Sam gets into a fight with a bobcat and Arliss takes Jumper the mule and takes off chasing them. Travis goes back to the family farm where he finds Bud Searcy and his daughter Lisbeth riding telling Travis that there are Indians in the area. Bud goes into the house to eat while Travis and Lisbeth get on a horse looking for Arliss and Jumper. Travis goes up into the mountains with Lisbeth on the horse when they hear a ruckus going on. Travis gets down investigating only to find Arliss and Sam in a hole fighting the bobcat. Travis pulls Arliss out and just then, some wild horses and Indians going riding pass them.

Questions: Is what Travis saw real Indians? Did the Indians take Travis, Lisbeth, and Arliss? If they did take them, where did they go? Does Uncle Buck find out about the boys? If so, what does Buck do about it? Does Buck ever find the boys? How does the dog Sam play into all of this?

My thoughts: The film received poor reviews and fell short of box office expectations, paling in comparison with Old Yeller. Pat Hogan appears as tribesman Broken Nose. Dean Fredericks, formerly Steve Canyon on NBC, played a Comanche chief in this film. The beginning of the movie wasn't bad if you can get through the opening song which was really bad. The character Arliss had a real mouth on that boy and if I had been his big brother, I would tan the britches of that boy. I thought the cross-country scenery the Indians took with the wild horses was great. It was nice to see some of the old timers that used to play on Gunsmoke show them acting in a movie instead of just on TV. This movie didn't have a leading lady but it wasn't boring either so I'm going to give this movie 6 weasel stars. You can find this movie on Amazon.com

Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, and Jeff York repeat their roles from Old Yeller in this sequel film about Old Yeller's son, Savage Sam. The Coates boys from the first film have grown up considerably and Tommy is fully into puberty and thinking about York's daughter in a different light. Marta Kirsten later of Lost In Space plays a more grownup version of the part introduced by Beverly Washburn.

The parents of Travis and Arliss Coates are away and their uncle Brian Keith comes to look out for the family. Nevertheless on a Comanche raid, Kirk, Corcoran, and Kirsten are all captured although Kirk manages to escape. When Keith who is leading a posse after them finds Kirk, the dog proves invaluable in tracking the kids down and aiding in their rescue.

Although I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would want to rescue Kevin Corcoran. He's a royal pain to both the red men and white men alike. I can't believe the Indians just didn't shoot him and leave him on the trail. As he got older Corcoran's presence was more annoying than cute in a lot of movies and television he did for Disney.

In addition to Keith and York, other members of the posse consist of such western regulars as Royal Dano, Slim Pickens, and Dewey Martin all in parts they would have been typecast for.

Savage Sam is hardly as good a film as Old Yeller though it sure ends better all around for the two legged and four legged players.

Six years after "Old Yeller", Tommy Kirk (as Travis Coates) and Kevin Corcoran (as Arliss Coates) are home alone. The disappearance of "Young Yeller" is never explained. Parents Katie and Jim Coates are away from the ranch, caring for an ailing grandmother - but, don't worry, Brian Keith (as Uncle Beck Coates) checks up on the lads. Still, they are kidnapped by Native American Indians. So, can New Dog on the Block "Savage Sam" save Mr. Kirk, brother Corcoran, and Marta Kristen (as Lisbeth Searcy) from the savage Indians?

Stupid, insulting, offensive, and unworthy…

To be blunt, "Old Yeller" was one of the BEST films of this type, and "Savage Sam" is one of the WORST films of this type. They should have let sleeping dogs lie. Replacement pooch "Sam" is given no personality, and has almost nothing to do. The dog should have barked, "Get me out of this picture!" The "Injun" abduction scenes are unbelievably wretched. On the plus side, the Coates Family farm set, and location, is Disney dreamy - you couldn't help but want to live there. And, you get to see beautiful Ms. Kristen before she became "Lost in Space". But, really… you wouldn't send a dog out to see a movie like this.

** Savage Sam (6/1/63) Norman Tokar ~ Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Brian Keith, Marta Kristen

Okay...in my opinion, this sequel was better than the original. I cried my butt off in Old Yeller, but something about this movie makes me like it more than Old Yeller. I have seen Savage Sam so many times that I know ALL the words to it. It's a very good children's film, but its a "Movie that all audiences will love" If you like Old Yeller, and Where the Red Fern grows, you will love this movie.

'Savage Sam' is the sequel to the ever-popular Disney film 'Old Yeller'. This film introduces a new canine hero, Sam. The boys have grown up now, and they end up being kidnapped by a tribe of Native Americans. It is up to Sam to help rescue them. I do not know how the story particularly ends, but this film was not nearly as engaging as 'Old Yeller', nor did it have the suspense and the emotional tear-jerking struggle at the end...or, if it intended to, it did not work. 'Old Yeller' is a classic, so it is difficult to create an equally good or better film, but this one does have its moments with providing some entertainment for the children. I would not recommend it unless you're really into these films and loved 'Old Yeller'...then, I suppose you have to see it.

Not that many people, even among those who are big fans of OLD YELLER, know that a sequel was made to that beloved movie. Seeing the sequel today, I think I know why this sequel quickly drifted out of the public's conscious. Despite the movie having the name of the family dog in its title, there are large chunks of the movie where the dog is off camera. (And why is Sam shown to have a dark colored coat of hair when in the first movie as a puppy, he had golden hair?) Also, the characters of the little brother and the teenage girl are off camera for a sizable chunk of time as well. The biggest problem the movie has is that there isn't as much excitement or big feelings about anything like the first movie had. It's as if the movie was trying to be as mediocre as possible. Still, some loutish viewers may get a few laughs from how uncomfortable Tommy Kirk seems to be in the scenes where he's paired up with a female love interest.

I actually liked the book Savage Sam better even than Old Yeller. But the movie was poor and here are three key reasons why:

1) Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and Chuck Conners were missing, even though their characters (Katie & Jim Coates, and Burn Sanderson, respectively) were key in the book. They were replaced by an uncle who came out of nowhere, played by Brian Keith. It really damaged the continuity of the two films.

2) Secondly, in the book Savage Sam was the son of Old Yeller, but in the movies this is obviously not the case. The puppy at the end of Old Yeller is clearly not a hound dog, and Sam is clearly not the offspring of a Lab mix like Old Yeller. The movie explanation of what happened to "Young Yeller" as well as where Sam came from? None is offered.

3) Finally, and most important, too much time had passed between the making of the films. Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran were clearly too old to be playing the young Coates brothers by the time Savage Sam was made.

Pity, because it could have been a wonderful film.

I can't believe this movie is even listed. i love it, don't get me wrong, but i didn't think anyone else knew it existed. Savage Sam is a great movie for everyone. I used to watch it at my grandmother's house on tape when i was little, but i saw it again recently and loved it just as much as ever. The characters are kind of hokey, but so what. You don't find characters like this anymore. Travis is so cute, with his hot temper and rock throwing. I think that everyone should give it a chance, after all Savage Sam is Old Yeller's pup.

i've recently obtained savage sam on 35mm in technicolor no less. the kids and i love watching it on my outdoor theater setup. i show all kinds of stuff on 16mm and now recently 35mm. savage sam is a favorite.