Reel Dogs Freeze-Frames 5

A Border Collie gets hold of something he shouldn't in

Dog Soldiers (2002)

Border Terrier waits for lunch in

Mitt liv som hund a.k.a. My Life as a Dog (1985)

German Shepherd in

National Lampoon's Holiday Reunion (2003)

Million Dollar Dog

Billed as the "First Real Million Dollar Picture" Foolish Wives (1922) featured an elegant dog to match: a Borzoi, seen here with Maude George, Erich von Stroheim, and Miss DuPont.

Other early Borzoi films include The Intrigue (1916) and Macbeth (1916). Somewhat more modern Borzoi films include: Sextette (1978), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Legends of the Fall (1994), Anna Karenina (1997), and 102 Dalmatians (2000).

A Border Collie Year

I just saw A Dog Year (starring Jeff Bridges), a movie aired on HBO and based on the book by Jon Katz. The book/film is all about the relationship between a messed-up dog and a messed-up man and it's probably the best Border Collie film out there. In honor or Devon, played by Ryder in the film, and all the other OCD Border Collies out there, here's a list of some of the films they've made their own with big or small roles.

Pictured: Original poster from Babe, one of the best known BC films, from author's collection. Copyright Universal Pictures, 1995.

The 101 Problems of Hercules (1966) TV

An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)

An Angel for May (2002) TV

The Animal (2001)

Animal Farm (1999) TV

Air Bud: World Pup (2000) (brief)

Babe (1995)

Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

Bailey's Billion$ (2005)

Bingo (1991)

Blind Man's Bluff (1992) TV

Bob, Son of Battle a.k.a. Thunder in the Valley (1947)

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Daisy Kenyon (1947)

Dog Trouble! aka The Dog Days of Arthur Cane (1984) TV

Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)

Finding Friends a.k.a. Venner for livet (2005)

First Kid (1996)

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

For Richer or Poorer (1997)

Garfield (2004) (brief)

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Good Boy! (2003)

Hambone and Hillie (1984)

Heck's Way Home (1995)

The Horse Whisperer (1998)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (2000) TV

The Jack Bull (1999) TV

Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)

The Last of the High Kings a.k.a. Summer Fling (1996)

The MatchMaker (1997)

Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy (2006) TV

My Friend Flicka (1943)

Never a Dull Moment (1950)

Owd Bob (1924)

Owd Bob a.k.a. To the Victor (1938)

Owd Bob (1997)

Phantom Gold (1938)

Pollock (2000)

P.S. I Love You (2007)

The Princess Stallion (1997) TV

The Proud Rebel (1958)

Razorback (1983)

Reservation Road (2007)

Roseanna's Grave a.k.a. For Roseanna (1997)

Sarah Plain and Tall (1990) TV

Sarah Plain and Tall, Winter's End (1999) TV

Second Sight (1999) TV

Snow Dogs (2002)

The Soul Collector (1999) TV

The Sundowners (1960)

Up the Creek (1984)

Village of the Damned (1960) (brief)

Waking Ned Divine (1998)

Wild is the Wind a.k.a. Obsession (1957)

Wind Dancer (1993)

Reel Dogs Freeze-Frames 4

A Labrador Retriever in The Medicine Hat Stallion (1977)

Box full of Belgian Malinois puppies from

Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)

Basset Hound chilling in Smoky and the Bandit (1977)

Bad Dog! The Killer Canines of Horror

Dogs have been appearing in horror movies for a long time, though their big break came in the 1970s with films like Trapped (1973), Dogs (1976) and The Pack (1977), based on David Fisher's novel. Warner Brothers originally retitled it The Long, Dark Night, but reverted back to the original right before the release. The Pack stars a variety of dogs with two German Shepherds and a mixed breed featuring prominently. The story takes place on a secluded island, favorite summer vacation spot for nearby city dwellers, who often adopt a dog for their vacation and then abandon it on the island to survive by itself. But now the dogs have had enough: They are starving and desperate when Jerry (Joe Don Baker) and his family arrive on the island for a trip that turns into a nightmare.

The superb performances by the canine stars of The Pack can be attributed to Karl Lewis Miller, one of Hollywood's top trainers for many years. Miller also trained what is probably the most famous of all killer screen dogs, Daddy, who played "Cujo."

The dog horror film fad of the 70s continued through the 80s with films like Dogs of Hell (1982) (this is one of the truly terrible films out there), Cujo (1983) and Play Dead (1986) (another really bad one). Even through the 90s and today we still see some good, and some not so good, evil dog movies on TV and occasionally in a theater; Man's Best Friend (1993), Atomic Dog (1998), Rottweiler (2004), The Breed (2006) and Wilderness (2006) among them. But none has ever compared to The Pack, especially when it comes to the performances of the dogs.

Unfortunately, The Pack, along with many other old dog horror films, is still not available on DVD.

Pictured: Original still photo from The Pack, from author's collection. Copyright Warner Bros. Pictures, 1977.

Some additional canine horror films below.

Reel Dogs Freeze-Frames 3

Hugo Weaving's Labrador Retriever companion in

Proof (1991)

Alaskan Malamute, "Kayla," shows his wild nature in

Kayla (1999), based on Elizabeth Van Steenwyk's novel,

Three Dog Winter.

A German Shepherd Dog says goodbye in

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

After Thomas . . . and still no DVD

After Thomas is a made-for-TV film that first aired in the UK on Boxing Day, 2006. I was lucky enough to see After Thomas as I was in England at the time. Had I known it would be so difficult to see it again, I would have taken more notes.

Thomas is a Golden Retriever, named for Thomas the Tank Engine by Kyle (Andrew Byrne), a little boy with autism. For years, Kyle's family fights a desperate battle with Kyle's intense panic attacks and unpredictable behavior in public as well as the home, until a Golden puppy changes all their lives. 

What makes After Thomas so poignant and memorable is the way the film was made; although it is based on a true story, it could easily have become cute and childish, too Disney in other words. But it's not. Instead it's raw, heartfelt, and very sad. Yet the saddest thing about After Thomas is that, years later, it is still not available on DVD for NTSC players. And if you want a PAL version, it's going to cost you. 

If anyone out there knows where to get an NTSC DVD of After Thomas, I'd love to hear from you.

Dozens of Dobermans

I get a lot of requests by people through my YouTube page (www.youtube.com/user/ReelDogs) who are looking for Doberman Pinscher films. So here's my list. Enjoy!

The 6th Day (2000)
Addams Family Values (1993)
*The Amazing Dobermans (1976)
America's Sweethearts (2001)
Another You (1991)
Bait (2000)
Bedazzled (2000)

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
The Boys from Brazil (1978)
Boyz N the Hood (1991)
The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
Cats and Dogs (2001)
Cerberus (2005) TV
Chips the War Dog (1993) TV
Commando (1985)
The Conversation (1974)
Cousin Bette (1998)
Daddy's Boy (2004)
*The Daring Dobermans (1973)
The Defiant Ones (1958)
The Demolitionist (1995)
*The Doberman Gang (1972)
Don't Tell Her It's Me (1990)
Every Day’s a Holiday (1937)
*Eyes of an Angel (1989) (Best Doberman film there is!)
First Blood a.k.a. Rambo: First Blood (1982)
Garfield (2004)
Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
Halloween (1978)
House Party (1990)
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Instinct (1999)
*It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (1946)
Jack the Bear (1993)
K-911 (1999)
The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
Lawn Dogs (1997)
The Little Rascals (1994)
Lovers Lane (1999)
Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Mid Road Gang a.k.a. Ma mha 4 khaa khrap (2007)
Nacho Chihuahua (2001)
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
The Next Karate Kid (1994)
Nobody's Fool (1994)
The Pickup Artist (1987)
Playback a.k.a. Los Placeres ocultos (1989)
Play Dead (1986) 
The Rainmaker (1997) 
Raising Arizona (1987)
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
Resident Evil (2002)
Satisfaction (1988)
Soldier (1998)
Storybook (1995)
Street Hunter (1990)
The Tao of Steve (2000)
They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)
To Kill a Clown (1972)

Trapped a.k.a. Doberman Patrol (1973) TV
True Lies (1994)
Wildcats (1986)
Witch Hunt (1994) TV
Yankee Zulu (1993)
*Zoltan: Hound of Dracula a.k.a. Dracula's Dog (1977)

* Indicates my personal recommendations for those looking for Doberman films.

Reel Artists of the 1940s

These close-ups of canine portraits done for different film posters of the 1940s demonstrate a few of the extraordinary animal paintings created for movie advertisements of the time. They show a dog sled team in Girl from God's Country (1940), a German Shepherd Dog in Danny Boy (1946), a Border Collie in Bob, Son of Battle (1947), and a mixed breed fighting with a mountain lion in Shaggy (1949).