Banjo (1947) Plot Summary Explained

Pat is a nine-year-old girl who has just lost her father and must leave her Georgia home to live with her wealthy aunt. Banjo, her English Setter, represents the last connection to her old life and provides her with emotional security during this traumatic transition. Her insistence on bringing Banjo stems from wanting to hold onto something familiar and comforting amid such a significant loss.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene establishes Pat's deep bond with Banjo as she travels with him in the baggage car, showing their inseparable relationship from the start.

• Pat
• Banjo
• orphan
• dog
• boston
• georgia

Elizabeth is vain and recently went through a personal upheaval, she broke her engagement to Dr. Bob Hartley and was heading to Bermuda to recover. She views Banjo as an inconvenience and refuses to let a dog live in her refined Boston home. Her resistance is partly about maintaining her lifestyle and status, but also stems from being caught off-guard by Pat's sudden arrival.

• aunt elizabeth
• banjo
• boston
• resistance

Pat first meets Dr. Hartley when Banjo escapes and injures his paw during one of his breakouts from the garden pen. She takes Banjo to the doctor for treatment, where she pleads for his help in convincing her aunt to keep the dog. The doctor is touched by Pat's devotion and attempts to persuade Elizabeth to be kinder to her niece.

Foreshadowing: This early veterinary visit establishes the growing bond between Pat and Dr. Bob, which becomes central to the story's resolution.

• dr bob hartley
• pat
• banjo
• injury
• vet

Pat engineers a scheme to see Dr. Bob more frequently by pretending to be sick. Her motivation is twofold: she wants to spend time with the kind doctor who showed compassion toward Banjo, and she hopes that through their interactions, he might influence her aunt's decision about keeping the dog. The ruse works, as Elizabeth begins to soften her stance.

• pat
• dr hartley
• illness
• scheme
• banjo

Pat and some neighborhood friends borrow a shotgun to test Banjo's hunting abilities, but the plan goes wrong when they misfire and the shot accidentally hits a police car. This incident convinces Elizabeth that Banjo is too uncontrollable and must be returned to Georgia, devastating Pat.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Banjo consistently breaking out of the garden pen, building toward this fateful incident.

• banjo
• georgia
• shotgun
• police car
• expelled

When Elizabeth announces that Banjo must be sent back to Georgia, Pat is utterly devastated. In her grief and determination to not be separated from her dog, she runs away that night and boards a train heading back to Georgia to follow Banjo. Her unwavering loyalty to her pet drives this desperate action.

• pat
• runaway
• georgia
• banjo
• emotional

After arriving in Georgia, Pat ventures into the swamp searching for Banjo. She is attacked by a bobcat, but Banjo appears just in time to defend her, fighting off the wild animal. The dog's loyalty and courage save Pat from serious harm, demonstrating the deep bond between them.

• banjo
• pat
• bobcat
• rescue
• swamp
• georgia

Jasper is a former servant of Elizabeth Ames who appears in the Georgia swamp during the bobcat attack. He shoots the bobcat before it can kill Banjo, saving both Pat and the dog. This act helps mend the rift between Pat and her aunt, as Jasper's involvement reconnects the family through his loyalty.

• jasper
• bobcat
• shoot
• servant
• elizabeth

Pat discovers that Elizabeth and Dr. Bob were previously engaged before breaking off their relationship. This knowledge inspires Pat to work toward reconciling them while also fighting to keep Banjo. The climax, where Pat's life is endangered, brings Elizabeth and Dr. Bob together in concern, and they ultimately reconcile as a result of the emotional journey.

Foreshadowing: Pat learns about the broken engagement early on, which motivates her to help both parties find their way back to each other.

• elizabeth
• dr bob
• hartley
• reconcile
• engagement

After Pat's dramatic escape and rescue in the Georgia swamp, Elizabeth and Dr. Bob rush to reunite with her. Witnessing Pat's extraordinary determination and Banjo's loyalty in protecting her, they agree that Banjo can accompany them back to Boston. The story concludes with the dog welcomed into the family, fulfilling Pat's original wish.

• banjo
• boston
• pat
• elizabeth
• family
• reunion

The exact reason for the broken engagement between Elizabeth and Dr. Bob is not detailed in the summary, though Elizabeth was heading to Bermuda, often associated with healing or escape, after the split. The film explores their path toward reconciliation rather than focusing on what originally drove them apart.

• elizabeth
• dr bob
• engagement
• breakup
• bermuda