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| Image copyright Disney |
On this day, in 1948, So Dear to My Heart had its world premiere in Chicago, Illinois. Directed by Ham Luske and Harold Schuster,
Heart is one of several Disney films from this era that combined live action and animation. Unlike the earlier movie
Song of the South, there isn't any controversy surrounding this film. The story was adapted from a book by Sterling North,
Midnight and Jeremiah. After the release of
Heart, Sterling revised his book to match the movie and re-released it with the title
So Dear to My Heart.
Heart stars one of Disney's frequent child actors, and one of the first contract players at the studio, Bobby Driscoll. Bobby also appeared in
Song of the South, Treasure Island and voiced the title role in
Peter Pan. His co-star, Luana Patten, was also under studio contract and had appeared in
Song with Bobby. Beulah Bondi played Bobby's grandmother. She is probably best known for playing Jimmy Stewart's mother in several films, including
It's a Wonderful Life. The main cast is rounded out by the beloved Burl Ives. Among the supporting cast, Harry Carey made his final film appearance (no, not the Chicago Cubs announcer, a silent film star who is best known as the Senate president in
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington).
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| Image copyright Disney |
Heart was fairly well received at the time. It reaped double its budget and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for "Lavender Blue." Burl Ives, who sang the song in the movie, kept it in his repertoire for the rest of his life. Bobby Driscoll received a special Juvenile Oscar for his role in
Heart and an RKO drama,
The Window. For anyone wishing to watch this heartwarming tale of a boy who learns valuable life lessons by raising a lamb that had been rejected by its mother, there are DVD copies of it out there and it's also available in the iTunes store.
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