Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)

Wilson Rawls's novel about an Oklahoma boy's devotion to 
two hunting dogs during the Great Depression was the basis 
for this appealing 1974 film made by a former Disney director, Norman Tokar. 
Stewart Peterson is very effective as a 12-year-old, 
hurtling down the path toward manhood with hounds at his side. 
(Though how he raised $50 to get the pooches in that economic climate 
is still a mystery....) --Tom Keogh