I have not seen this since 1978 when my then wife and I watched it on TV. We made a habit of trying to catch every Disney movie that hit the theater and were not disappointed by this one. Disney had not done many dramas during that period so it was refreshing to see Dean Jones in a drama. Mr. Jones delivered a fantastic performance and as noted, it was easy to see the parallels between him and Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird and same with this movie being similar with TKAM. Though TV Guide said it was a pilot for a series and we looked for it but it never happened. I did not know there was a sequel so I will have to find it. I think it would have been a good show if they could have equaled the movies.
The nation had come to a period of national disappointment and questioning our faith of our cultural icons with the Watergate Scandal, the Vietnam War, and the shocking untimely death of Elvis Presley. Dean Jones and others in this movie showed there were still good people to believe in who would deliver as the characters did in this movie. Dean Jones always delivered a solid performance whether comedy or drama or whether he was the hero or the villain. He brought us a lot of clean entertainment and joy. We lost him just before the explosion of a number of Christian movies and he would have found a home there. Good job for everyone and rest in peace Mr. Jones.