Rascal (film)

Rascal is a 1969 American comedy-drama film made by Walt Disney Productions, based on the book of the same name by Sterling North, about a young man and his pet raccoon set in rural Wisconsin.

Synopsis
The movie is a dramatization of Sterling North's 1963 "memoir of a better era." Born near Edgerton, Wisconsin, North was a former literary editor for newspapers in Chicago and New York City. The movie relates a year in the life of young Sterling North (portrayed by Bill Mumy) and his "ringtailed wonder" pet raccoon, Rascal. Although set in Wisconsin, circa 1917, the movie was filmed in California.

The film features the song "Summer Sweet" by Bobby Russell.

Cast

 * Bill Mumy - Sterling North
 * The voice of Walter Pidgeon - Sterling North as an adult
 * Steve Forrest - Sterling's father, Willard
 * Pamela Toll - his sister, Theo
 * Elsa Lanchester - Mrs. Satterfield
 * Henry Jones - Garth Shadwick
 * Bettye Ackerman - Miss Whalen
 * Jonathan Daly - Rev. Thurman
 * John Fiedler - CY Jenkins
 * Richard Erdman - Walt Dabbett
 * Herbert Anderson - Mr. Pringle
 * Robert Emhardt - Constable
 * Steve Carlson - Norman Bradshaw
 * Maudie Prickett - Miss Pince-Nez
 * David McCallum - Ice Cream Man

Changes from the book
In the award-winning book of the same name, all three of Sterling North's real-life siblings are featured: his brother Herschel and his sisters Theodora (Theo) and the future poet and editor Jessica Nelson North. However, Theo is Sterling's only sibling in the movie version.

Critical reception
Rascal holds the distinction of being the first print review by Gene Siskel (of Siskel and Ebert), written in the Chicago Tribune one month before he became the paper's film critic in 1969. His review of the film was not favorable and received no stars by default since the paper did not use a star-rating system for films at the time.