Greyfriars Bobby (film)

1961 film by Don Chaffey

Greyfriars Bobby

Official theatrical poster

Directed by| Don Chaffey
Written by| Robert Westerby
Based on| Greyfriars Bobby
by Eleanor Atkinson
Produced by|

* Walt Disney
* Hugh Attwooll

Starring|

* Donald Crisp
* Laurence Naismith
* Alex Mackenzie
* Kay Walsh

Cinematography| Paul Beeson
Edited by| Peter Tanner
Music by| Francis Chagrin

Production
company

Walt Disney Productions

Distributed by| Buena Vista Distribution

Release date

* July 17, 1961 (1961-07-17)

Running time

| 91 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Box office| $1.4 million[1]

Greyfriars Bobby is a 1961 American drama film starring Donald Crisp and Laurence Naismith in a story about two Scottish men who compete for the affection of a Skye Terrier named Bobby.[2] The screenplay by Robert Westerby was based upon the 1912 novel Greyfriars Bobby by Eleanor Atkinson which was based, in turn, upon an incident in 19th century Edinburgh involving a Skye Terrier that came to be known as Greyfriars Bobby.[3][4] It was the second film based upon Atkinson's novel, the first being Challenge to Lassie in which Crisp also starred.[5] The film was directed by Don Chaffey and shot at Shepperton Studios and on location in Scotland.[6][2] The film has been released to DVD[7] and Disney+.

## Plot

[edit]

A little Skye Terrier named Bobby is the pet of a Scottish farmer and his wife but the dog loves an old shepherd hired on the farm called Auld Jock. When money grows scarce on the farm, Auld Jock is fired. He travels to Edinburgh, and Bobby follows him. Auld Jock dies in poverty in an inn and is buried in Greyfriar's Kirkyard. Bobby returns to Auld Jock's grave every night to sleep.

Against the wishes of his wife, the graveyard caretaker James Brown tries to shoo Bobby away, but Bobby always finds his way back to the grave. Bobby endears himself to all, especially the neighborhood children. Brown and a restaurant owner, Mr. Traill, compete for the affections of the dog. Brown alleges Traill should pay Bobby's license fee, which he refuses on principle, not being Bobby's master.

Mr. Traill is summoned to the court for a hearing, where he pleads not guilty. Mr. Brown is also present in the court, but he tells Mr. Traill he is sick, and can't get out of bed. Mr. Traill is told to come back the next day, with Bobby as well.

Bobby's fate rests with the Lord Provost of Edinburgh and, without a license and someone to take responsibility for Bobby, he may be destroyed. The children of Edinburgh contribute their pennies for Bobby's license. Bobby is declared a Freeman of the City and adopted by the populace of Edinburgh.

## Cast

[edit]

* Donald Crisp as James Brown
* Laurence Naismith as Mr. Traill
* Alex Mackenzie as Auld Jock
* Duncan Macrae as Sgt. Davie Maclean
* Andrew Cruickshank as Lord Provost
* Gordon Jackson as Farmer
* Rosalie Crutchley as Farmer's Wife
* Freda Jackson as Old Woman Caretaker
* Moultrie Kelsall as Magistrate
* Joyce Carey as First Lady
* Vincent Winter as Tammy
* Jameson Clark as Constable
* Jack Lambert as Doctor
* Bruce Seton as Prosecutor
* Joan Juliet Buck as Ailie
* Hamish Wilson as Hamish
* Kay Walsh as Mrs. Brown

## Reception

[edit]

Kinematograph Weekly said it was a "moneymaker" at the British box office in 1961.[8]

Variety commented: "Greyfriars Bobby sets out to melt the heart and does it skillfully. Central character is a little Skye terrier, and this engaging little animal is quite irresistible...Patiently and brilliantly trained, Bobby wraps up the stellar honors for himself and the humans, knowing they don't stand a chance, wisely are content to play chorus. Nevertheless, there are some very effective pieces of thesping, largely by Scottish actors. Laurence Naismith gives a strong, likeable performance as the kindly eating-house owner who takes Bobby under his wing."[9]

## Comic book adaptation

[edit]

* Dell Four Color #1189 (November 1961)[10][11]

## See also

[edit]

* Greyfriars Bobby, cultural reference
* The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (2005 film)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1961 Rentals and Potential". Variety. 10 January 1961. p. 58.
2. ^ a b "Greyfriars Bobby The True Story of a Dog (1961)". Archived from the original on 3 July 2017.
3. ^ Gifford, Denis (1 April 2016). British Film Catalogue: Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film/The Non-Fiction Film. Routledge. ISBN 9781317740629 – via Google Books.
4. ^ "Bobby - the Faithful Dog from Edinburgh - Engelsk - NDLA". ndla.no.
5. ^ "Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog (1961) - Don Chaffey - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
6. ^ "Full record for 'DISNEY IN SCOTLAND, LOCATION OF GREYFRIARS BOBBY' (T0805) - Moving Image Archive catalogue". movingimage.nls.uk.
7. ^ "Greyfriars Bobby DVD Review". www.dvdizzy.com.
8. ^ Billings, Josh (14 December 1961). "Family fare triumphs at box office". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.
9. ^ "Variety: Greyfriar's Bobby".
10. ^ "Dell Four Color #1189". Grand Comics Database.
11. ^ Dell Four Color #1189 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Greyfriars Bobby at IMDb
* Greyfriars Bobby at the TCM Movie Database

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Don Chaffey

* Strange Stories (1953)
* Skid Kids (1953)
* Time Is My Enemy (1954)
* The Secret Tent (1956)
* The Girl in the Picture (1957)
* The Flesh Is Weak (1957)
* A Question of Adultery (1958)
* The Man Upstairs (1958)
* Danger Within (1959)
* Dentist in the Chair (1960)
* Lies My Father Told Me (1960)
* Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961)
* A Matter of WHO (1961)
* Greyfriars Bobby (1961)
* The Webster Boy (1962)
* Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
* The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963)
* A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964)
* The Crooked Road (1965)
* One Million Years B.C. (1966)
* The Viking Queen (1967)
* A Twist of Sand (1968)
* Clinic Exclusive (1971)
* Creatures the World Forgot (1971)
* Charley One-Eye (1973)
* Persecution (1974)
* Ride a Wild Pony (1975)
* The Fourth Wish (1976)
* Pete's Dragon (1977)
* The Magic of Lassie (1978)
* C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979)
* Casino (1980) (TV)
* International Airport (1985) (TV)

* v
* t
* e

The Sherman Brothers

* Richard M. Sherman
* Robert B. Sherman

Motion pictures

* The Parent Trap (1961)
* The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
* Bon Voyage! (1962)
* A Symposium on Popular Songs (1962)
* In Search of the Castaways (1962)
* Big Red (1962)
* Moon Pilot (1962)
* Summer Magic (1963)
* The Sword in the Stone (1963)
* The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)
* The Moon-Spinners (1964)
* Mary Poppins (1964)
* Those Calloways (1964)
* The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
* That Darn Cat! (1965)
* Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)
* Follow Me, Boys! (1966)
* The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
* The Jungle Book (1967)
* The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967)
* The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968)
* Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
* Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
* The Aristocats (1970)
* Goldilocks (1971)
* Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
* Snoopy Come Home (1972)
* Charlotte's Web (1973)
* Tom Sawyer (1973)
* Huckleberry Finn (1974)
* Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974)
* The Slipper and the Rose (1976)
* The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
* The Magic of Lassie (1978)
* Magic Journeys (1982)
* Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983)
* Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1992)
* The Mighty Kong (1998)
* Seasons of Giving (1999)
* The Tigger Movie (2000)

Stage musicals
and musical revues|

* Victory Canteen (1971)
* Over Here! (1974)
* Dawgs (1983)
* The Slipper and the Rose (1984)
* Busker Alley (1994)
* Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002)
* On the Record (2004)
* Mary Poppins (2004)
* Merry-Go-Round workshop (2007)
* A Spoonful of Sherman (2014)
* Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation (2021)
* Bedknobs and Broomsticks (2021)
* The Jungle Book (TBA)

Theme park
attractions

* Golden Horseshoe Revue (1955)
* King Arthur Carrousel (1955)
* Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (1963)
* It's a Small World (1966)
* Adventure Thru Inner Space (1967)
* Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress (1967)
* Main Street Electrical Parade (1972)
* America Sings (1974)
* America on Parade (1975)
* CommuniCore (1982)
* Imagination! (1982)
* Magic Journeys (1982)
* The World Showcase March (1982)
* Japan (Epcot) (1982)
* Journey into Imagination (1983)
* Meet the World (1983)
* Innoventions (1998)
* Rocket Rods (1998)
* The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1999)
* Disneyland Forever (2015)

Books|

* Walt's Time: from before to beyond (1998)
* Moose: Chapters from My Life (2013)

Related|

* The Jungle Book 2 (2003)
* soundtrack; musical references
* The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)
* Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
* soundtrack; song re-recordings
* Tomorrowland (2015)
* soundtrack; musical references
* The Jungle Book (2016)
* soundtrack
* Christopher Robin (2018)
* soundtrack; w/ original songs by both brothers, and new songs by Richard)
* Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
* soundtrack; musical references

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template