Movie Description Clarence Brown directed this award-winning adaptation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's Pulitzer Prize-winning story about a poor pioneer family struggling to eke out a living in the Florida backwoods--and the coming of age of a young boy. After the Civil War, the Baxter family struggles to maintain its meager existence in the wake of family tragedy. All the Baxter children--except for 11-year-old Jody (Claude Jarman Jr.)--have died, leaving Ma (Jane Wyman) embittered and cold and Jody exceptionally lonely. Penny Baxter (Gregory Peck) works hard to make his wife and son happy. When a rattlesnake bites Penny, he's forced to kill a deer in order to obtain an antitoxin from its innards. Jody instantly befriends the animal's orphaned fawn, and the two play together in the woods. But as the fawn becomes a yearling, it turns (however unintentionally) destructive, forever breaking into the small garden on which the family depends for food and money. The family is then forced to make a potentially tragic choice. This exceptional family classic was beautifully shot on location in the Florida Everglades and features outstanding lead performances from its award-winning cast.
| Credits | | Writer: | Paul Osborn | | Producer: | Sidney Franklin | | Cast: | Chill Wills |
Notes Claude Jarman Jr., awarded a special Oscar for Outstanding Child Actor, received a miniature statuette.
Awards 1946Academy AwardsBest CinematographyArthur E. Arling, 1946Academy AwardsBest CinematographyCharles Rosher, 1946Academy AwardsBest CinematographyLeonard Smith, 1946Academy AwardsBest Interior Decoration (Color), 1946Academy AwardsBest Interior Decoration (Color)Cedric Gibbons, 1946Academy AwardsSpecial Achievement Awards
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