Those Calloways

They dared to dream the impossible!

1964 • 131 min • Drama · Family

Join the Angel Guild Write your review Sign in to rate and review

Synopsis

Story of Cam Calloway and his family, who live in a densely wooded area in New England. Cam dreams of building a sanctuary for the geese that fly over the area each year, and he tries several schemes to buy a nearby lake for this santuary. He is thwarted at every attempt, it seems; he and his son try to get enough furs from their trapping venture to get the money, but the bottom falls out of the fur market. He uses the little money they get for a down payment on the lake, thereby losing their house when he can't make the mortgage payment. They move to the lake, where their friends help them build a cabin. A salesman stops in town, and tries to get the people to sell their land for a tourist venture; Cam is outraged at his tactics and takes desperate measures after he himself is tricked.

Our family guide

Best from age 7

Movie Knight Score

31 reviews

100 Reviewers · 1 · 64%
64 Audience · 30 · 36%

Old-fashioned family drama about Cam Calloway's determined efforts to create a bird sanctuary for migrating geese. He faces financial struggles and the schemes of a developer, but his community rallies to help him achieve his dream. It's a warm story about perseverance and love for nature.

Violence & peril: 2/10
Language: 1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 1/10
Romance & sensuality: 0/10
Scary moments: 2/10

Heads up

Some characters try to trick others for financial gain.
A character temporarily loses his family home.
Depictions of hunting and trapping animals for fur.

What it models well

Perseverance and determination
Love for nature and wildlife
Community support and friendship
Integrity and standing up for beliefs

Talk about it after

The importance of pursuing a dream, even when facing many setbacks.
How communities can come together to support a shared goal.
The ethics of land development versus conservation.
Discuss what makes a home a home, even if it's not a traditional house.

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Those Calloways. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

Country

Stream

Disney Plus

Rent

Buy

Links go straight to each service. Some are affiliate links that support Movie Knight at no cost to you. Availability data by JustWatch via TMDB.

Top billed cast

Director: Norman Tokar • Crew: Louise Pelletier

Trailers & clips

Those Calloways February 1978 Wonderful World Of Disney Promo

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
Bland. It's a film that slowly creeps through its 131 minute runtime. I do really like Brian Keith as an actor, but he really did get the more lamer Disney films didn't he? <em>'The Parent Trap'</em> aside, all of his others with the studio up until this point are marginally good at best; despite Keith's talent. <em>'Those Calloways'</em> is poorly paced and doesn't have any truly lovable characters.…
r96sk, TMDB Community