So much average

Absolutely the worst movie.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Blistering performances.

This is an entertaining film thanks in part to performances by character actor scene-stealers like Slim Pickens and Jeff York, whose ornery interactions are a joy to watch. Brian Keith portrays well the rugged frontiersman, demonstrating courage and offering avuncular wisdom. Kirk and Kristen are good as the young innocents. The main problem is the frequent intrusion of the Arliss character, who has morphed from mischievous/ornery in Old Yeller to deranged/homicidal in this film. Disney loved the image and performances of Corcoran(he was indeed a good kid actor) and perhaps exerted too much influence on the writing and directing of Savage Sam. The more PC viewers have commented on the film's scenes of cruelty to animals (at times just for laughs) and the stereotyping of native "savages." There is some justification for this criticism, but it should be noted, in regard to the portrayal of the Indians, that they were a renegade band and that some white settlers are equally stereotyped. Also, one of the ranchers actually sympathizes with the Indians in their plight, and there is obvious condemnation of the "only-good-Indian-is-a-dead-one" white settler who wants to shoot the wounded. Another virtue of the film is the sweep and color of its exterior landscape shots. There is even an (almost convincing) deadly prairie hailstorm! All this considered, some first-time viewers may find the film's strengths outweigh its weaknesses.

Both books were better than the films, but this one suffered the most by comparison. The dog didn't look like he should look in the mind of anyone I know, and the budding romance between Travis and Elizabeth was handled very clumsily. The framing is good, the visual effect is good, and the performances were adequate, but the only reason to see this is if you've seen the first one and learned to care deeply about the characters. "Old Yeller" was somewhat unpolitical and timeless, but "Savage Sam" is very dated by it's depiction of the settler/Native American struggle. The book at least was more accurate and matter-of-fact. They were probably ahead of their time by even mentioning someone who sympathized with the Native American mindset, but it's still painfully incorrect politically now. I feel the same way about another Disney effort, "Peter Pan" so maybe that's just from looking at it in retrospect.

'Savage Sam' is the sequel to the ever-popular Disney film 'Old Yeller'. This film introduces a new canine hero, Sam. The boys have grown up now, and they end up being kidnapped by a tribe of Native Americans. It is up to Sam to help rescue them. I do not know how the story particularly ends, but this film was not nearly as engaging as 'Old Yeller', nor did it have the suspense and the emotional tear-jerking struggle at the end...or, if it intended to, it did not work. 'Old Yeller' is a classic, so it is difficult to create an equally good or better film, but this one does have its moments with providing some entertainment for the children. I would not recommend it unless you're really into these films and loved 'Old Yeller'...then, I suppose you have to see it.

If you like the old Disney family movies like Old Yeller, Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson, Davy Crockett, etc., then you will probably like this movie. While it is advertised as a sequel to Old Yeller, the only similarities are the same actors are back for the boys and Mr. Searcy and the story does involve a dog. That's it for similarities. You are best to watch this movie for what it is and ignore the sequel part. Brian Keith is a nice addition to the movie playing the boys' uncle and though it is familiar story, it is not a repeat of the original story as so many sequels tend to be.