Smoke (1970)

Smoke stars Ron Howard as a sullen farm youth who resents the fact that his widowed mother (Jacqueline Scott) has remarried. Earl Holliman costars as Howard's new stepfather, a sheep rancher, who'd give anything to gain Ron's love and respect. Nursing an injured German shepherd back to health, the boy invests all of his affections in the dog. When the dog's real owners show up, Howard is certain that Holliman will betray him and return the animal. Just as in the original William Corbin novel, Smoke ends on a note that is both satisfying and logical. Ron Howard's real father Rance shows up briefly in a flashback sequence. Originally presented as a two-part episode of TV's Wonderful World of Disney, Smoke first aired February 1 and 8, 1970.