To Dance with the White Dog

"To Dance with the White Dog" is a 1990 novel by Georgia author Terry Kay and a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie based thereon. The movie stars Hume Cronyn as an old man who must deal with his wife's death, as well as the trials of old age.

Plot summary

Sam Peek happily resides in Hart County, Georgia as a pecan farmer and local celebrity featured in many gardening/horticultural magazines. He and his wife Cora (Jessica Tandy) are both in their 80s, 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 (Christine Baranski) and his other children think he's going crazy. Even Sam's favorite son James (Frank Whaley) can't see the dog. Nobody believes Sam except Kate's son Bobby (Harley Cross) 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

Esther Rolle plays Cora's good friend Neelie, who is deathly afraid of the white dog.

The novel is based on the experiences of author Terry Kay's father.