I consider this film the black sheep cousin to "Old Yeller", a complete disappointment considering the classic status of the more legitimate cousin. Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran are reunited from the first film, playing once again brothers unrelated to the original characters, somehow related to them. They are being raised by the embittered Brian Keith who is an Apache hunter out for revenge after other family members were killed and Kirk and Corcoran are abducted by them along with blonde Marta Kristen, one of the later "Lost in Space" sisters. Corcoran believes that one of the Apaches (Rafael Campos) killed trouble making dog Sam (the subject of the theme title song but not much else) and vows revenge.
Once again, this is a Disney film without a point of view demonstrated to express an opinion about native American treatment on film. Part of the narrative shows them as savages, basically thugs out in the country, riding the range and causing havoc for no good reason. The titled dog, Sam, is basically only heard barking through the film as some sort of guide dog and at one point is stuck in a cave with a mountain lion with Kirk or and trying to get him out, a seeing that made me feel completely claustrophobic.
Poor Campos, having played better written native American characters in Disney's "Tonka" and "The Light in the Forest", doesn't even get an understandable line, and spends all his time bullying the younger Corcoran. Considering that his character is the smallest in stature of the Apache characters, there's a lot revealed about him, but considering Campos' start in films ("The Blackboard Jungle", "Trial"), this is a complete waste of talent for an actor who showed a lot of promise and could have played some incredible roles had he had more options. At least the character he played in the following year's "Lady in a Cage" had something to do even though he was once again playing an animalistic thug.
Then there is Keith and his group of white men, basically all interchangeable and none of them really likeable. Slim Pickens basically continue his reign as playing a harder nose version of the type of jolly characters that Andy Devine had played in the 1940's. I found nothing really redeeming about this movie, and other than the opening that shows Sam frolicking with various farm animals and a crafty fox, there's nothing memorable about it. This is more adult in theme than pretty much any other Disney film I've seen, but ends up having no real purpose.
Once again, this is a Disney film without a point of view demonstrated to express an opinion about native American treatment on film. Part of the narrative shows them as savages, basically thugs out in the country, riding the range and causing havoc for no good reason. The titled dog, Sam, is basically only heard barking through the film as some sort of guide dog and at one point is stuck in a cave with a mountain lion with Kirk or and trying to get him out, a seeing that made me feel completely claustrophobic.
Poor Campos, having played better written native American characters in Disney's "Tonka" and "The Light in the Forest", doesn't even get an understandable line, and spends all his time bullying the younger Corcoran. Considering that his character is the smallest in stature of the Apache characters, there's a lot revealed about him, but considering Campos' start in films ("The Blackboard Jungle", "Trial"), this is a complete waste of talent for an actor who showed a lot of promise and could have played some incredible roles had he had more options. At least the character he played in the following year's "Lady in a Cage" had something to do even though he was once again playing an animalistic thug.
Then there is Keith and his group of white men, basically all interchangeable and none of them really likeable. Slim Pickens basically continue his reign as playing a harder nose version of the type of jolly characters that Andy Devine had played in the 1940's. I found nothing really redeeming about this movie, and other than the opening that shows Sam frolicking with various farm animals and a crafty fox, there's nothing memorable about it. This is more adult in theme than pretty much any other Disney film I've seen, but ends up having no real purpose.