Movie Review: ****^Pollyanna (1960)

This is one of those great positive feeling movies, with Pollyanna (Hayley Mills, who looks for the good, and the preacher (Karl Malden) who is converted to this thinking.  It makes a big difference in the town, as it becomes known as the glad town.
This movies comes from Disney and also features:
Jane Wyman as Aunt Polly
Richard Egan as her love interest Dr. Chilton
Agnes Moorehead as crotchety old Mrs. Snow, who Pollyanna also converts
As well as Mr. Pendergast, played by Adolphe Menjou
And Kevin Corcoran portrays Pollyanna's young friend from the orphanage.
The town is moving to raise money to build a new orphanage.  they feel it is a civic responsibility.  The current orphanage is in Herrington Hall, and Aunt Polly wants to give money to remodel the kitchen.  She has money, and willing to do her civic duty.  However that is the point, Aunt Polly attends to her duty, but doesn't love people.  Pollyanna brings that love into her life.

Movie Review: The Yearling

This movie has a double meaning, is the yearling the deer, or is the yearling the boy.  Here we have a family living on the frontier.  They have had hardship, with two babies passing away.  They have one son remaining.  Mother (Jane Wyman) is embittered by the deaths, while father (Gregory Peck) does what he can to bring her out of her depression.  Their son, Jody (Claude Jarmon Jr.), is caught in the middle.  During this film, Jody grows up considerable.  Part of that growing, he takes over more and more of the farming work as his father is laid up.  His father allows him to adopt a fawn.  This does great wonders for his esteem; however when the deer starts eating everything they plant, their lives are at stake.  The deer just won't learn different.  The inevitable has to happen, but even so Jody runs off.  He intends to make it to the river, but in the end he can't leave things this way and returns.