Previously:
If you went to grade school at a certain point in the 80's then wheeling in the projector for "movie day" meant a pull from only a handful of movies. It seemed like one of the ones that was in the heaviest rotation was 1974's "Where the Red Fern Grows," based on the book by the same name.
The Depression era story is a coming of age tale about a boy growing up in the Ozarks with his two beloved hounds and his quest to hunt raccoons for some reason. It's a "dog movie" for kids so, of course, the dogs die at the end. Spoilers, I guess. Despite the downer of an ending, the film does take advantage of some great Oklahoma scenery for its locations.
Natural Falls State Park in the eastern part of the state, near the Arkansas border, was the filming location for many shots in the film. Formerly known as Dripping Springs, the park has a 77 foot waterfall that the filmmakers used as a backdrop for a few scenes in the movie. Here's the view of it from the park's observation platform:
Here's a look at it in the film (it's around the 31 minute mark):
Some other scenes were shot in the nearby town of Tahlequah. But with a period piece it's always hard to try to match up locations since filmmakers try to stay away from big buildings that might create any anachronisms. Occasionally some signage will leak through the Hollywood magic though:
So the next time you're in that area maybe stop by the falls to take in some famous scenery. According to the park's website pets are welcome too so bring the dogs. Just try not to tree any raccoons.
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