The Yearling

The Yearling

 Cast: Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
, Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman
, Claude Jarman Jr.
Claude Jarman Jr.
, Margaret Wycherly
Margaret Wycherly
, Chill Wills
Chill Wills
The Yearling

The Yearling

 Cast: Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
, Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman
, Claude Jarman Jr.
Claude Jarman Jr.
, Margaret Wycherly
Margaret Wycherly
, Chill Wills
Chill Wills

DVD

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Overview

Based on the novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling is set in post-Civil War Florida. Claude Jarman Jr. plays Jody Baxter, the lonely son of just-getting-by farmers Pa and Ma Baxter (Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman). With all of his siblings dead and buried, Jody yearns to have a pet of some sort. When Pa is forced by circumstances to kill a doe, the animal's fawn-the yearling of the title-is adopted by Jody. The boy's love for the animal does not alter the fact that the fawn is eating all of the Baxters' crops. Sadly, Pa tells Jody that he must kill the yearling before all their crops are destroyed. Jody can't bring himself to do this, so he sets the animal free in the wilds. Time and again, however, the yearling returns to the farm. Finally, Ma Baxter, who'd been against having the fawn on the property in the first place, shoots and wounds the animal. Now, Jody has no choice: rather than see his beloved yearling writhe in agony, he kills it. Though this results in a rift between himself and his family, Jody at last realizes that, by taking the responsiblity of saving the farm at the expense of his own feelings, he has also taken the first step towards manhood. He himself is a "yearling" no more. MGM had intended to film The Yearling in 1941 with a different cast and director, but a series of personality clashes delayed production for five years. Watching the inspired performances of Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and Claude Jarman Jr., it is nearly impossible to imagine the film with its originally intended cast of Spencer Tracy, Anne Revere and the unknown Gene Eckman. The studio had also intended to lens the film on location in Florida, but in the end it proved more practical and expedient to shoot in the studio and its environs. Oscars went to the Technicolor photography of Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith and Arthur Arling, and to the art direction/set decoration work of Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse and Edwin B. Willis. Originally released at 128 minutes, the film was reissued in a butchered 94 minute version; steer clear of this one and opt for the still-available original.

Product Details

Release Date: 06/24/2014
UPC: 0888574055882
Original Release: 1946
Rating: G
Source: Warner Archives
Presentation: [Full Frame]
Sound: [Dolby Digital Mono]
Language: English
Sales rank: 17,482

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Gregory Peck Pa Baxter
Jane Wyman Ma Baxter
Claude Jarman Jr. Jody Baxter
Margaret Wycherly Ma Forrester
Chill Wills Buck Forrester
Clem Bevans Pa Forrester
Henry Travers Mr. Boyles
Forrest Tucker Lem Forrester
Donn Gift Fodderwing
Dan White Millwheel
Matt Willis Gabby
George Mann Pack
Arthur Hohl Arch
June Lockhart Twink Weatherby
Joan Wells Eulalie
Jeff York Oliver,Doc Wilson
Houseley Stevenson Mr. Ranger
Jane Green Mrs. Saunders
Victor Kilian Captain
Robert Porterfield Mate
Frank Eldredge Deckhand
Herbert Stothart Composer
Claude Jarman Actor

Technical Credits
Clarence Brown Director
Paul Osborn Screenwriter
Sidney Franklin Producer,Special Effects
Warren Newcombe Special Effects
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Screenwriter
John Lee Mahin Screenwriter
Douglas Shearer Sound Effects
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