Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid 1976

Year Published: 1976

Country of Origin: United States

Description: 16mm Film - Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid - USA 1976 Directed by: Richard Marquand Written by: William W. Lewis, based on a novel by Morley Callaghan Cinematography by: Ernest Vincze Music by: Carl Davis Starring: Ned Beatty, Estelle Parsons, Chris Barnes, Robert Gerringer, Paul Benedict, Barry Corbin, Fred Stuthman, William Duell, Estelle Omens, Dan the Dog It is the story of a young boy named Luke. His parents have been killed in a car wreck and he is on a train going to live with his uncle, Big Henry, who is a logger in Canada. Big Henry is a gruff, practical man and not very easy to live with. On the way to the depot to pick up Luke, his foreman brings Big Henry his big dog, Old Dan, who is old and blind and has tangled with a raccoon. Big Henry makes the decision to have the dog put away and has the foreman put him in the cab of the pickup intending to drop him off at the vet after picking up Luke. Big Henry picks up Luke and loads him into the pickup. As he sits by him, Luke notices the big old dog and that he is bleeding. Big Henry explains that he is old and blind and has tangled with a raccoon. He drops Luke and the dog off at the vet instructing Luke to take him to the vet, he'll know what to do with him, and then to head on home... just take the road north out of town; he'll find it for sure. Luke takes Old Dan into the vet, meeting the old gentleman for the first time. The vet lays Old Dan on the examining table and takes a large hypodermic needle, filling it with a solution. In the course of the conversation between Luke and the vet, it dawns upon Luke that the shot is to put the dog to sleep rather than to make him well. Luke steps between the vet and the dog, hugging the old dog on the table and begging the doctor to not give him the shot. Luke pulls a $5.00 bill out of his pocket, which is all the money he has in the world, and offers it to the vet to not kill the dog. The vet is touched by Luke's willingness to give all he has to preserve the old dog's life. He doesn't give the dog the shot, doesn't take the money, but gives him a medicine to put on the dog's wounds to heal them up, then sends the dog and Luke walking home. Big Henry is angry that Luke did not obey him in leaving the dog with the vet but lets the dog remain. One day Big Henry is giving Luke a lesson in sawing down a 100-foot tall pine with a cross-blade saw. As the huge tree cracks and begins to plummet to the earth, Luke sees Old Dan lying in the grass in the path of the falling pine, oblivious to the tree falling because of his blindness. Luke yells at the dog and runs to get him out of the way. Big Henry runs after the boy trying to get to him before the tree crushes him and barely manages to grab him and roll them both out of the path of the tree as it crashes to the ground in a deafening roar of crackling limbs and thudding trunk. The dog has run out of its way because of the sound of the excited voices. Big Henry is very agitated and says that that's that and the old dog will be put away. He then tells Luke to ride his bike home. As Luke is riding home he passes a pond in the forest where he sees the foreman put Old Dan in a rowboat then row to the middle of the pond. The dog has a rope around his neck with a heavy rock tied to the other end. As a horrified Luke watches, the foreman throws the dog and rock overboard. Underwater photography shows the dog being jerked and dragged to the depths of the pond by the heavy rock tied to the rope around its neck. The trauma of the event is dramatic and full of awfulness. Luke runs for all he is worth and dives into the pond, taking out his pocketknife from his pocket in the pursuit. After having to surface for air a time or two while trying to locate the dog, he is finally successful in cutting the rope and dragging the lifeless, limp old dog out of the water. Exhausted, Luke lies by the dog, crying, patting him and begging him not to die. His parents have already died and the dog is his best and only friend. After what seems like forever, the dog opens one eye and his tail twitches a bit. Eventually, he recovers. Luke and Big Henry work some things out and all ends well. When the film was shown to students in the late 70s and early 80s, girls wailed and cried as Old Dan was jerked to the bottom of the pond, knowing his death was imminent. A few boys cried, all gasped, were quiet, and noticeably glad when Old Dan made it out alive. Now, when it is shown, students make jeering remarks throughout the film, cheering and laughing when the old dog sinks to the bottom of the pond rejoicing in his violent destruction and imminent death. Many boo their disappointment when the old dog makes it. Graphic, violent, gruesome media and computer games have done their work well...

Transcription

thank you [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] you need a Toronto boy good morning [Music] [Applause] [Music] will be by shortly to pick you up I know for a fact she's behind schedule with the mill today so he uh he's probably carrying in Pittsburgh I can got a redstone Under Fire squirting out of his eyeballs here's my uncle [Music] aren't you supposed to be black and trees today yeah yeah but while Dan here must have taken out a raccoon okay okay put him in here [Music] listen son yeah you're gonna have him stitched up [Music] all right you're gonna put him away each may have some home well Henry I can mean to take care of that for you slipping underwater painless but if that's clearing down Sam walls can't do it land all over the road there [Music] are empties I have one up here come on [Music] foreign [Music] costs 24.50 a case now there's I can figure there's three trees of stuff left in there you just remember Sam you waste that you want none [Music] all right [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] too big for the suitcase [Music] yeah [Music] this Green River is a good place to grow up in your uh handhelding me we'll see you it's a proper School in a good home and all we're asking you is that you uh be honest keep your eyes open and try to grow up to be a practical man as a matter of fact your father was saying to me you know just you know just for the accident there that uh listen to me uh Henry if uh well you know he's saying to me if anything ever happened to him that I take you and uh Rachel up here oh yeah that's uh that's all there and he tried to swap the smiles with a bobcat or something he's blinders are bad we're taking down the vents now don't worry about it you need to hold these tough he doesn't do much anyway no where was I oh yeah about uh you'll be impressed with me raising him well we'll talk some more about his dinner tonight are you won't hold down into the Vets real slow for me you'll know what to do I have to get back to the mail if I don't get back for you you'll have to bet he'll point you towards home thank you [Music] oh hold down who are you then look badly you're going to be living with him I'll just wait for them wait for him yeah well I'm afraid no amount of Doctrine is going to improve the health of this dog foreign [Music] why whoa that is old I mean really always 12. well that's almost 90 for you and me inspired I can't see a thing remember the point your uncle can't afford to keep a dog if somebody got a holiday Skip and go anyway that isn't practical sometimes it's a kind of up and give them to me [Music] it's oh my God you lay it all out for old man wouldn't you keep the pride watch some of this yellow stuff on the cut every now and again okay [Music] thank you Lord for this Bounty or a place before us and we ask that you keep us mindful of the sins of waste an eyeless and to that end we do [Music] one day [Music] where's he coming I asked the man you know kill him you did [Music] you think that I say about putting away a dog one that I have had for 13 years Henry it's the boy's first night nothing more devilish to a family than disobedience I'm sorry I'm sorry [Music] I'm sorry [Music] you just learns an English language intentions were good and I say do something in this house it's done any mistaken that well you think about it then so you and I can get around let's finish this reports up here before the weather breaks [Music] this is my uh your job is to sleep once you get a policy savings on some of us and stuff I want you to sleep up in here too we got a big job in here this weekend around [Music] the map all right you see you guys have alternative to see a box of clothes [Music] what's wrong with my clothes yeah [Music] hey this must be the Trump paint [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] now we're gonna do it I'm gonna give him a surprise [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] I'm not sure it was a big surprise [Applause] [Music] hell well don't they take the rag off the bush a pure white truck what's the matter don't you like it [Music] now Henry there's no one yesterday we just go play somewhere take rent 1010 there with your dog [Music] a new mind you don't do anything unless you check on me first excuse me the boys tell me best to please you that was crazy [Music] like seeing when flights are far north bird yes sir there's your proper head weight of broken funny City Boys Round gender polka dotskin for you meet the Widow kid call me Edwina climb award you stay there dad say hello to the Blue Moose [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] Baldwin's trap is white foreign [Music] not liked as well as some but he's a good man well the only thing is it's not exactly easy to live with nobody is we take the Panorama silences don't we enjoy the in-betweens but you know what your Uncle Henry said to me he said Edwina I sure want that boy Luke he did good [Music] [Music] see that man I remember that now it's got a little chip off the head here must use a dozen tires right here made the baby crib with it once [Music] you see what I mean little effort that's as good as new what was the trip for [Music] you don't miss a trick do you tell you what let me have a piece of that town um do you ever have any children [Music] well I got you you got me that's enough isn't it [Music] tell you what something out there by the garage for you though patterns of the neighbors not in the South they don't know what to do with it [Music] [Music] don't thank me that's Transportation you're gonna have to tell that thing two miles to school this fall [Music] be careful [Music] my bag [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] um oh that's it you and me you're gonna cut down three to what we do when I was born [Music] you hear that thing you know what um sorry boy here we go [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] this goes [Music] foreign [Music] all right all right you don't understand [Music] never mind boy never mind no more logging today okay the wind has kind of gone out of my sailors [Music] you're probably home [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] come on [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] now you're too young to know what it is [Music] um amazing [Music] [Music] this is well bird can't fly with wet feathers come on over in the fronts too you know man sits on the stupid YouTubers stay here good you know you could use a little hole tight you know that why don't they go with them oh [Music] where was I okay oh you're wrong you know you're just staying fine Henry yet put on his hat you don't think like him [Music] Henry really doesn't want to put that dog down he does no he doesn't but he's a strong-willed man his pride is hurt and you've got to figure out a good practical way that he can save the dog without hurting his pride think like him stop kicking at his gate but here's what you're doing you'll go right over there you say Uncle Henry okay [Music] I think I see the sun breaking through the clouds [Music] I got me a job good job yeah don't trust Friedman okay I'm getting paid well how much two hours a week that's pretty good completely [Music] do you think I could pay for Galaxy say 50 cents a week [Music] that's one dollar dog if I have a song for the other dollar for my kid foreign [Music] now there is not enough money heard in the world to pay me to keep a boy that I like closer that's an honor a particular trust especially when it's you are you definitely you're not very practical Academy is his own thing and as long as they don't get in the way of uh all right well you know [Music] yeah yeah sort of uh [Music] and you put a dollar in there every week so if I ever need a loan for Dan's key bottle just for to come you see if a man will look at a problem practically winning there's no reason you can't find Magic [Music] [Music] be back soon [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] all right [Music]

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx9HIBnQSiw

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Record added: 2026-06-12 21:02:52