THE YEARLING (1946) C 134m. dir: Clarence Brown

w/Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr., Chill Wills, Clem Bevans, Margaret Wycherly, Henry Travers, Forrest Tucker, Donn Gift, Dan White

From The Movie Guide: "THE YEARLING [adapted by Paul Osborn from the novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings] is a splendid family film set just after the Civil War in the wilds of southern Florida, where the Baxters --- Pa, Ma, and their one surviving child, Jody (Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, and Claude Jarman Jr.) --- are having a tough time eking out a living on their small farm. Pa's ambition is to earn enough from his next crop to be able to sink a well nearer the house, so that Ma won't have to tote water. As an only child in the wilderness, Jody needs some company and asks his parents if he might have a pet. When Pa is bitten by a rattlesnake and in danger of dying, Ma and Jody must kill a deer and make an elixir out of its innards. The doe has a fawn, and when Jody begs his parents to allow him to raise the baby, they do. Time passes and the bond between boy and animal deepens, but as the deer grows it begins eating some of the crops so vital to the family's existence. Pa is left with no choice but to tell Jody that the youth must kill his beloved companion. Similar to OLD YELLER in its lessons, THE YEARLING was a huge success and one of MGM's top moneymakers. A remarkable film that is truly for the whole family."

THE YEARLING received two Oscars: Best Cinematography (Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith, Arthur Arling) and Art Direction (Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis). It was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Peck), Actress (Wyman), and Editing (Harold Kress).