â€œWhere the Red Fern Growsâ€ Shooting on Schedule Near Tahlequah

The stars were on the set of "Where the Red Fern Grows" Thursday, shooting a key scene with most of the big names in the film. Three weeks into production, the remake of "Where the Red Fern Grows" is

Thursday, November 4th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The stars were on the set of "Where the Red Fern Grows" Thursday, shooting a key scene with most of the big names in the film. Three weeks into production, the remake of "Where the Red Fern Grows" is almost halfway completed.

Thursdayâ€™s shooting schedule included a scene where Billy Coleman gets the trophy for winning a coon-hunting contest. Dabney Coleman and rock star-turned-actor Dave Mathews, shared the scene with Ned Beatty and Mac Davis. "I have a small but pivotal role as they say,â€ noted Davis. â€œIt's almost a cameo." He was last seen in Oklahoma shooting the "Possums" movie in Nowata. Davis says that role and this one are the kind of jobs he looks for. "It's a family film,â€ he said. â€œThere's not enough of them around. I jump at the chance anytime I can to do a family film,â€ explained Davis. â€œIn most of the scripts I get to read, I'm shooting somebody, taking my clothes off or using foul language. My own children can't go to see it. To me, the fun of it is having my kids go in and say, â€œWow, that's my Dad!," Davis added, smiling.

Director Lyman Dayton says the production is on schedule, thanks to the weather. He's hoping the new movie will capture more of the excitement of the coon hunt. "In the previous film, we told the story in a way that the characters enjoyed the hunt and they loved the dogs,â€ said Dayton. â€œBut it really didn't show the hunt as much as youâ€™re going to get to see this time."