Island Of The Blue Dolphins(1964) «Working»

The dog that played Rontu was the offspring of Spike, the dog from the classic film Old Yeller . Review of ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS (1964) (Blu-ray)

Directed by James B. Clark, the film stars Celia Kaye as Karana, a performance that earned her a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year.

Russian fur traders and Aleut hunters arrive to hunt sea otters but refuse to pay as agreed. A violent battle breaks out, and Karana's father, the chief, is killed along with many others.

Karana initially seeks revenge against the wild dogs, but after wounding the pack leader, she takes pity on him and nurses him back to health. She names him Rontu, and he becomes her loyal companion.

Finally, a ship arrives. Karana, now a woman, decides to trust the strangers and leaves her island home for a mission in Santa Barbara, accompanied by her pets. Film and Historical Context