You Lucky Dog

After the theatrical release this month of Marmaduke, there's another dog movie on its way: You Lucky Dog (already released in Canada under the title Family Gathering) is a Hallmark Channel original movie airing on Saturday, June 26, 9/8c on the Hallmark Channel.

The story follows a New York fashion designer (Natasha Henstridge) returning home to the farm after her mother dies. She adopts a Border Collie from a shelter and brings the dog, Lucky, home to her brother (Harry Hamlin) to help with his growing sheep flock. Their father (Lawrence Dane) disapproves of the dog, who used to belong to an old rival. But, like any good movie dog, Lucky turns out to be the whole family's best friend.

After many years without releasing a dog film, Hallmark seems to have discovered new inspiration with last year's A Dog Named Christmas, and now You Lucky Dog (which is also the title of a Disney TV film from 1998). Don't miss it on June 26th!

Check out the trailer below:

Happy Holidays

There have been a larger than usual number of new Christmas-themed dog movies out this season. The highlight of which is certainly A Dog Named Christmas, the Hallmark Hall of Fame film with aired last month. Others include less inspired films like Santa Buddies and The Dog Who Saved Christmas.

If you're looking for a dog movie for the holidays, don't stop at the new ones. Try the Benji classic Benji's Very Own Christmas Story (1978), or the French Canadian film The Dog Who Stopped the War (1984) (this one is tragic). Then there are more recent releases like The 12 Dogs of Christmas (2005) and A Dog's Tale (1999). This one is about a boy who turns into a German Shepherd for Christmas. It was just rereleased under the title A Christmas Tail.

Hope you will enjoy the Reel Dogs holiday tribute below, featuring A Dog Named Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

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)

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.

Girls and Their Dogs

While the "boy and his dog" story line is well picked over from Old Yeller (1957) to Air Bud (1997), there are relatively few "girl and her dog" films out there. Notably Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), adapted from Kate DiCamillo's bestselling juvenile novel, and Little Heroes (1992), about a girl learning love and loss through her canine friend. 

One of the really outstanding girl and dog films is not about a girl and her dog at all, but a girl who rescues a wolf on her cross-country journey to find her father during the Great Depression. The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) stared Jed, a Malamute/wolf mix trained by Clint Rowe. Jed also appeared in The Thing (1982) and was most famous for his role in the 1991 adaptation of White Fang. It was the first time in a live-action film that White Fang had been portrayed by any breed other than a German Shepherd Dog.

Some other films featuring a girl and dog are Courage of Lassie (1946), More Than Puppy Love (2000), Sunny's Ears (1997, from TV series), Eyes of an Angel (1991), Annie (1982), Annie (1999), Big Chuck, Little Chuck (2004), The Bashful Elephant (1962), and Poco: Little Dog Lost (1977).

Pictured: Theatrical release poster of The Journey of Natty Gann, from author's collection, showing Jed, Meredith Salender and John Cusack. Copyright The Walt Disney Company, 1985.

Fox and Hounds

In the 1950 British film, Gone to Earth, a woman tries to save her fox from huntsmen, running desperately from a pack of English Foxhounds with her pet in her arms. But both fox and hounds almost didn't make it into the movie at all.

When the producers set about the daunting task of trying to find not only a tame, but trained, fox for the role of "Foxy," they almost gave up. Turning instead to a Corgi dog to play the part. Yes, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, with a fox tail attached to its own stub tail. It is extremely fortunate for the integrity of the film that they did at last find the foxes needed as Foxy and the Corgi idea was abandoned.

Then came the problem of the hounds: When the British Field Sports Society learned about the production of Gone To Earth, they made a statement requesting that no master of hounds should allow his pack to appear in it on the grounds that the film was propaganda promoting anti-hunting attitudes. Directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were furious over the BFSS roadblocks in completing their "work of art," and their troubles were not over.

The American executive producer of Gone to Earth, David Selznick, was so unhappy with the way the film turned out, he sued Powell and Pressburger in an effort to get it changed. Although he lost the case for the British release, he was able to change the film for its US release. And change he did, re-shooting large portions in Hollywood instead of England and cutting out others. Unfortunately Selznick could not be bothered to go through the trouble Powell and Pressburger had to find trained foxes. In the scenes that were redone of the flight across the countryside with the fox in her arms, actress Jennifer Jones carries a stuffed dog instead.

But Powell and Pressburger had the last laugh: In the end they got the fox, got the hounds, and Gone to Earth was a success in the UK.

Pictured: English Foxhounds catch the scent of the fox in a scene from Gone to Earth.

Playing the “Fluke”

Director Carlo Carlei wanted to adapt Fluke, a novel by James Herbert, into a feature film as soon as he read it. He optioned the rights for $5,000 but it was twelve years before Carlei's dream became a reality. The story of a dog who has been reincarnated and is searching for the family he knew as a man, Fluke was released in 1995.

The first dog to audition for the role was Comet, a Golden Retriever who appeared as the family dog in the TV show Full House. Although Carlei was blown away by Comet's skills, the dog in the novel was a black mixed breed and the search continued. It was only after auditioning over a hundred dogs that Carlei went back to Comet and asked if he could be made to look like a mutt.

Comet's coat was dyed dark and trimmed short. To make sure they had done enough, the producers asked a dog show judge to take a look at Comet. The judge pronounced the dog to be a Golden cross and Comet got the role.

Although animatronic puppets were made to double for him in especially dangerous or difficult scenes, Comet proved to be such an outstanding performer that he hardly ever needed one. Comet can be seen in his normal coat in the 1997 made-for-TV film, My Magic Dog a.k.a. My Ghost Dog.

Discussing Comet's acting abilities, his trainer, Cristie Miele, said, "If ever there was a dog who was a person at one time, it's him."

Pictured: Photo from author's collection; "Fluke" makes a phone call. Copyright MGM, 1995.

You can buy Fluke, easily one of the best dog films ever made, and My Magic Dog through the links below.

Blair: The Beginning of Canine Film Stars

It seems fitting for the first post of this blog, which is dedicated to dogs in film, to be about the first canine movie star; Blair. A male Collie, Blair was the star of Cecil Hepworth's six and a half minute film, Rescued by Rover (1905). 

In the film, "Rover," must rescue a baby who has been stolen from her maid by a gypsy. He trails them to an attic hideout, then races home to bring the infant's father (Hepworth) back to save her. Most of the footage is devoted to the dog's brave journey, a brand new concept in film at the time. The public loved it and Rescued by Rover became so popular it had to be remade twice because the original negative degraded to badly.

Hepworth cast his own wife, who also wrote Rescued by Rover, and baby daughter for the film, as well as the family dog, Blair.

Pictured: Blair with the Hepworths in a scene at the end of Rescued by Rover.