''Stone Fox'' is a children's

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

John Reynolds Gardiner John Reynolds Gardiner (December 6, 1944 – March 4, 2006) was a writer best known for writing the book Stone Fox. Personal life Born in Los Angeles, California, he was a rebellious boy whose teachers believed he would never get anywhere in l ...

. It is the first and best known of Gardiner's books. ''Stone Fox'' was acclaimed and very popular when it was published in 1980.Silvey, Anita, 2002, ''The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators'', Houghton Mifflin Books, . It sold three million copies and was turned into a television movie starring

Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS ...

Joey Cramer Deleriyes Joe August Fisher Cramer (born August 23, 1973) is a Canadian actor who had a briefly successful career in Canadian television and Hollywood in the mid-1980s, most notably for his role in the film ''Flight of the Navigator''. Early lif ...

, and

Gordon Tootoosis Gordon Tootoosis, (October 25, 1941 – July 5, 2011) was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Pîhtokahanapiwiyin. He was acclaimed for his commi ...

and directed by

Harvey Hart Harvey Hart (August 30, 1928 – November 21, 1989) was a Canadian television and film director and a television producer. Hart studied at the University of Toronto before being hired by the CBC in 1952.Rist, Peter Harry (2001). "Harvey Ha ...

in 1987.John R. Gardiner, kids’ author, dies at 61
MSNBC. It was named a ''New York Times'' Notable Book of the Year for 1980 (Nov. 30, 1980. p. BR4), and was included in ''100 Best Books for Children'' by Anita Silvey.Silvey, Anita, 2004, ''100 Best Books for Children'', Houghton Mifflin Books, . The book centers on a boy named Willy who enters a dog sled race in order to win $500 to pay back the taxes on his grandfather's farm. It is written in simple prose and is set at an indeterminate time in the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

. The book was inspired by a

Rocky Mountain The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

legend that Gardiner heard when he visited

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. ''Stone Fox'' was originally intended as a screenplay but became a book at the suggestion of a producer.

Synopsis

Plot

Ten-year-old Willy lives in

Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is the largest town in Teton County and its county seat. Jackson is the principal town of ...

in the 1880s on a potato farm with his grandfather and his dog Searchlight. During a harsh winter, his grandfather falls ill and after an audit of the potato farm, the

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

determines that he owes $500 in unpaid taxes. Willy is convinced that he and Searchlight can beat the other racers entering the National Dogsled Race (held each year in Jackson), and in doing so win the $500 prize money that is required to save the farm. He will be competing against Stone Fox, an undefeated racer who uses his winnings to buy land for his Native American tribe. Stone Fox is also rabidly anti-settler with the resentment of the loss of tribal property, and has never been known to speak a word to a white person. As the race ends, Willy is in the lead but Searchlight's heart explodes from constant pressure before they reach the finish line. Seeing Willy crying over his loss, Stone Fox draws a line in the snow and unholsters his pistol to stop the other racers, then speaks his first words to the whites; "Anyone crosses this line-I shoot". Stone Fox then permits Willy to carry Searchlight across the finish line, having learned the possibility of peaceful coexistence between a native American and white man.

Characters

*Little Willy - the protagonist of the book, he lives with his grandfather in a potato farm in

. *Searchlight - Willy's loyal black dog who faithfully helps Willy in the race until her heart explodes. *Grandfather - Willy's grandfather, who is bedridden during much of the story. *Doc Smith - the town's only doctor and a close friend to Willy and Grandfather. *Stone Fox - a Native American resentful of white seizure of his people's land. He never speaks to whites and has never lost a race, using the prize money towards buying their farmland back. *Mr. Clifford Snyder - the local tax collector. *Mr. Foster - the bank president who helps Willy with the paper work. *Lester - a kind store clerk who runs Lester's general store. *Dusty the Drunk - the town drunkard who tells Willy of Stone Fox.

Film

''Stone Fox'' is a 1987

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

adaptation of the book. The film premiered on March 30, 1987 on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

and stars

(as Grandpa),

(as Willy),

(as Stone Fox), and

Belinda Montgomery Belinda Montgomery is a Canadian-American actress. She initially attracted notice for her starring role in the 1970s science-fiction series ''Man from Atlantis'' as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill and for her recurring role as Caroline Crockett/Ballard ...

(as Doc Smith). The film was produced by Allarcom Limited and

Taft Broadcasting The Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the Taft family, family of William Howard Taft, the 27th Presid ...

in association with

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

, and was directed by

. The plot in the movie is slightly different from the book. Rather than losing the desire to live, Grandpa suffers a stroke, and Willy has to win the race to save his Grandpa's cattle ranch. Stone Fox also leaves Willy a puppy after the death of Searchlight, who is named "Morgan" in the film. The movie was filmed at

Fort Edmonton Park Fort Edmonton Park (sometimes referred to as "Fort Edmonton") is an attraction in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Named for the first enduring European post in the area of modern-day Edmonton, the park is the largest living history museum in Canada by ...

, Fox Drive and

Whitemud Drive Whitemud Drive is a major east–west freeway in southern Edmonton, Alberta, that stretches from 231 Street at the western city limit to Anthony Henday Drive just east of Edmonton in Strathcona County. The portion in southeast Edmont ...

Alberta, Canada Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to t ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Stone Fox
at

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

1980 American novels American children's novels Harper & Row books Children's novels about animals American novels adapted into films Hanna-Barbera films Mushing films 1980 children's books Children's novellas