To Dance with the White Dog
Encyclopedia
To Dance with the White Dog is a 1990 novel
by Georgia
author Terry Kay
, based on the experiences of his father.
as a pecan
farmer and local celebrity featured in many gardening/horticultural magazines. He and his wife Cora are both in their 80's, and have just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
. However, tragedy strikes one night when Cora has a heart attack and dies. Sam and his family are deeply grieved over this, and his daughters begin to obsess over his safety and his life.
Not long after Cora's death, a mysterious white dog that only Sam can see appears near the house. He thinks it is just a stray, but daughter Kate and his other children don't see it and think he's going crazy. Even Sam's favorite son James can't see the dog. Nobody believes Sam except Kate's son Bobby. After a series of events, the family begins to see the white dog. The day before Sam's death, the dog disappears, and it is thought the dog was Cora in another form.
television movie
, starring Hume Cronyn
as Sam Peek and Jessica Tandy
as Cora. It was filmed on location in Georgia
. The movie premiered December 5, 1993 on CBS
, and was nominated for many awards. Hume Cronyn
won an Emmy award for his performance.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
author Terry Kay
Terry Kay
Terry Kay, born 10 February 1938, in Royston, Georgia, is a novelist. Perhaps his most well-known book is To Dance with the White Dog, which was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy....
, based on the experiences of his father.
Plot summary
Sam Peek happily resides in Hart County, GeorgiaHart County, Georgia
Hart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created December 7, 1853. As of 2000, the population was 22,997. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 24,240. The county seat is Hartwell....
as a pecan
Pecan
The pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...
farmer and local celebrity featured in many gardening/horticultural magazines. He and his wife Cora are both in their 80's, and have just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
Wedding anniversary
-Official recognition:In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that...
. However, tragedy strikes one night when Cora has a heart attack and dies. Sam and his family are deeply grieved over this, and his daughters begin to obsess over his safety and his life.
Not long after Cora's death, a mysterious white dog that only Sam can see appears near the house. He thinks it is just a stray, but daughter Kate and his other children don't see it and think he's going crazy. Even Sam's favorite son James can't see the dog. Nobody believes Sam except Kate's son Bobby. After a series of events, the family begins to see the white dog. The day before Sam's death, the dog disappears, and it is thought the dog was Cora in another form.
Adaptations
The novel was turned in to a Hallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, starring Hume Cronyn
Hume Cronyn
Hume Blake Cronyn, OC was a Canadian actor of stage and screen, who enjoyed a long career, often appearing professionally alongside his second wife, Jessica Tandy.-Early life:...
as Sam Peek and Jessica Tandy
Jessica Tandy
Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy was an English-American stage and film actress.She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films...
as Cora. It was filmed on location in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The movie premiered December 5, 1993 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and was nominated for many awards. Hume Cronyn
Hume Cronyn
Hume Blake Cronyn, OC was a Canadian actor of stage and screen, who enjoyed a long career, often appearing professionally alongside his second wife, Jessica Tandy.-Early life:...
won an Emmy award for his performance.
Cast
- Hume CronynHume CronynHume Blake Cronyn, OC was a Canadian actor of stage and screen, who enjoyed a long career, often appearing professionally alongside his second wife, Jessica Tandy.-Early life:...
as Sam Peek - Jessica TandyJessica TandyJessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy was an English-American stage and film actress.She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films...
as Cora - Christine BaranskiChristine BaranskiChristine Jane Baranski is an American stage and screen actress, and is perhaps best known for her Emmy Award winning portrayal as "Maryanne Thorpe" in the sitcom Cybill, and her Emmy nominated portrayal of "Diane Lockhart" in The Good Wife...
as Kate - Amy WrightAmy WrightAmy Wright is an American actress. She has appeared in such films as The Deer Hunter, Breaking Away, The Amityville Horror, Heartland, Wise Blood, Stardust Memories, The Accidental Tourist, Hard Promises, Crossing Delancey and Miss Firecracker.Wright is married to actor Rip Torn and the couple...
as Carrie - Frank WhaleyFrank WhaleyFrank Joseph Whaley is an American film and television actor known for his roles in independent films.-Personal life:Whaley was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley, Sr. He is half-Irish and half-Sicilian and grew up in Syracuse. He has two sisters and an older...
as James - Harley CrossHarley CrossHarley Cross is an American film and television actor. He appeared in the 1980s horror films The Believers and The Fly II; his most recent roles were in the 2004 film Kinsey and in 2000, "Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth". He is also the co-founder of Hint Mint, a candy...
as Bobby - Esther RolleEsther RolleEsther Rolle was an American actress. She was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Florida Evans on the CBS television sitcom Maude and its spin-off series Good Times.-Biography:...
as Neelie
External links
- To Dance With the White Dog on Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...