Customer Reviews

Good-bye, My Lady [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the story of a Man and his orphaned nephew who live in the Pascagoula swamps of Mississippi. They find a lost Besenji dog near the swamp, and the boy takes him in and trains him as a bird dog....much to the suprise and amazement of Mr. Cash the owner of several traditional bird dogs. The humor of the movie is mostly in the dialouge....terms such as "I'll be John Brown", and "Great day in the morning" pop up at various points. More heartwarming than the relationship between the boy and his dog, is the relationship between the boy and his Uncle Jesse Jackson, played brilliantly by Walter Brennan. You can see how proud of his nephew Jesse is and Claude, (Skeeter) uses all of his uncles sayings such as "Thats a jawbreaker". And is proud to have finally reached the age to share a cup of coffee with Jesse. (Though he must use a good helping of cream). I recomend this movie highly to sentimental baby boom age folks who miss the days of black and white, folksy stories, and also to fans of the late Walter Brennan who is at his best, as Jesse Jackson a man in need of some Roebuckers. (False Teeth). Get this movie, and sit back, relax and enjoy.

A boy named Claude and called "Skeeter" by all lives with his elderly uncle in a cabin in the Mississippi woods. They hunt for a living and have been able to get by.

One day Skeeter sees a strange, beautiful little dog being chased by hounds. He watches the unusual creature who makes a melodious yodeling sound, who cleans herself like a cat and has a tightly curled tail. After warding off the pack of hounds, the strange little dog shyly approaches Skeeter. He befriends the little dog, whom he names Lady and teaches her how to hunt. A bright, spirited little dog, Lady proves herself to be an able hunter. She and Skeeter are almost never apart.

Almost never, until...a neighbor reads of a missing basenji in the local paper. Skeeter is devastated by this as he loves his dog. Sidney Poitier, who plays a neighboring farmer is familiar with basenjis and had originally hoped to catch Lady for the reward. He sees how the basenji has bonded with Skeeter, so he tells the boy he could not part them.

Skeeter is torn between returning the beautiful basenji to her rightful owners or keeping her. It is a very moving story about the love of basenji. You might cry when you see how Skeeter wipes the dog's tears away when he says, "Goodbye, My Lady."

This is a wonderful movie.

Classical movie style elicits all the warm emotions of a timeless story about a boy, his loving grandpa, and their encounter with a "magical" (Basenji) dog. I first viewed this evocative movie on ABC-TV back in 1966. Within one year, I was the owner of a Basenji and have loved them ever since! This is a fabulous movie for anyone and add an extra star if you are a Basenji fan. Brennan and deWilde give tender yet powerfully convincing performances.

As a previous reviewer wrote, this movie should be shown in school (which I have done). Rarely do we see honorable people anymore, whether in real life or as characters. Here, a boy makes a decision that he knows is the right one, even if it is not the one that makes him happy. Wonderful acting, likable characters, laughs, tears and a dog. What more could you want?

I first saw this film when I was 6 years old and my Grandfather took me to see it since I was a dog lover at that age and it still continues. I always remembered the film especially the Basenji. Many years later when I met a real Basenji in person it took me back to to the days gone that I had with my grandpa and my dogs as a child. I fell in love with the Basenji instantly and I am proud to say that I now own my third one and can not imagine not having a B around. I also am so glad that my grandpa knew my feelings as a kid and that everything he taught me is still with me today. This movie brings home the truth of family ties,love and understanding.

I admit it, I bought the video to see the Basenji footage, and started watching the movie with the sound off. But the whole family started watching it, and my very skeptical husband had me start it over, and the kids were mesmerized (it is the 2 yr old's first B/W movie). Yes, the dialogue is a little "hill-billy", the plot sappy, but it is a great family movie. We will watch it again and again. The Basenji footage is one of a kind, and Walter Brennan shows his talent off. The star, Brandon de Wilde kept the main Basenji as a pet, and you will want one too !

As I was channel-surfing several months ago, I came upon this flick on AMC. Always being a Walter Brennan fan, I was surprised that I had never heard of "Goodbye, My Lady."

Featuring the gifted Brandon de Wilde and a very young Sidney Poitier, I was captivated by this boy-loves-dog story. All the principals, including Phil Harris and Louise Beavers, give moving performances and the little dog really tugs at the heartstrings.

A simple tale, made believable by the Southern locations, "Goodbye, My Lady" deserves to be a part of a family film collection.

"Good-bye, My Lady" was made in 1956 and stars Walter Brennan.
Phil Harris, Brandon de Wilde and Sidney Poitier.

Beautifully filmed on location in black and white, this is a very
sensitive and moving film aimed straight at the heart.

Skeeter (Brandon de Wilde) is a 14 years old orphan boy who lives
with his uncle Jesse Jackson (Walter Brennan) in the Pascagula
Swamp in Mississippi. Their home is a single room shack and their
lives very simple in a harsh, lonely and mundane environment,
until one day when Skeeter finds a strange dog which turns out to
be a rare African Basenji Hound, the best hunting dog in the world.

Skeeter can't resist the dog. She is his pride and joy, his
responsibility, his best friend and as he does not know who owns her,
he abides by the rule of finders keepers.

Eventualy, he finds out who owns the dog from an advertisement in a
magazine and that there is a large reward on offer for its return.
Skeeter is then torn between what his heart and his conscience tell
him to do. Finally, he decides to return the hound to its rightful
owner and in the process becomes a man.

The story which is based on James Street's novel is a gentle drama
both simple and charming.

Recommended viewing.

In 1956, some of the great names of Hollywood came together to make a film they all could be proud of, and Good-Bye, My Lady is that film. It is still remarkable today when this kind of project succeeds, but this one really did. Look at the list: Producer, John Wayne; Director, William Wellman; the greatest character actor ever, Walter Brennan; the hottest boy actor of the day, Brandon de Wilde [Shane, Member of the Wedding], a great script from a well reviewed novel, even the rest of the cast like Phil Harris and Sidney Poitier! Others have pointed out the niceties of the script, such as when the boy, Claude, picks up on his uncle's colloquialisms, and quietly shows his respect and love for the old man by adopting these phrases into his own usage. Such a sweet film, with no hackneyed or kitschy layerings, no Disneyisms to spoil the excellence of the acting and storytelling. The only thing missing is a DVD release! Come on Warners, if people are still trading fifteen year old VHS tapes for a film with so many five star reviews, now is the time for DVD! And for you Brandon de Wilde fans, I think this was his best, and that is saying a lot, considering Shane and Member of the Wedding!

I saw this movie as a teenager in the mid 50's and fell in love with "Lady" the Basenji heroine of the movie; so much so that over twenty years later, while I was browsing a large mall's bookstore, my 12 year old daughter came running in to tell me the mall's pet shop "Has one of those dogs from Africa that you've told me about....you know, the ones that don't bark." I had never seen a Basenji "in the flesh" before, but an hour or so later we were walking out of the mall with the 'senji pup who became Star held under my daughter's coat to keep her out of the rain. That started a love affair that has now lasted nearly thirty years with the ashes of Star and four more of my beloved Basenjis scattered beneath a giant oak tree near where they used to love to run free. My current 'senji is a tri-color retired show champion, my hiking partner, backpacking partner and four wheeling partner and all 'round best friend....all thanks to "Goodbye My Lady".