Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: Honorable Mentions

Dear Friends,

I really have enjoyed visiting with you here and talking about dog movies.  It has been fun chatting about these movies, especially some of my personal favorites like One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, and The Ugly Dachshund.

When I started this project, friends sent in many wonderful dog movie suggestions!  I wanted to mention some other movies that were recommended by readers:

Where the Red Fern Grows - sad movie about a boy and two hunting Coonhounds (1961). 
Beethoven - a Saint Bernard dog leads to family adventures (1992).
Marley and Me - a couple's life with their Lab, through his whole lifespan (2008).
My Dog Skip - a Jack Russell changes a boy's life in the 1940's (2000).
All Dogs Go to Heaven - a dog casino owner returns to earth from Heaven (1989). 
Turner and Hooch - a police officer inherits a dog.  (1989)
K-9 - comedy about a police officer working with a drug-sniffing dog (1989).
Firehouse Dog - a Hollywood dog is adopted by firefighters (2007).
Rin Tin Tin - series of movies about a brave German Shepherd (1922 - 1947).
Best in Show - comedy set in the dog show world (2000).
Because of Winn Dixie - a lonely girl adopts a dog named Winn Dixie (2005).
Beverly Hills Chihuahua- a spoiled Beverly Hills Chihuahua is lost in Mexico (2008).
The Artist - making a silent movie, featuring a Jack Russell Terrier (2011).
Beginners - a man inherits his father's Jack Russell (2010).

I have seen a few of these movies (Beethoven, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Turner and Hooch, Best in Show, and Beginners).  I still want to see My Dog Skip, Because of Winn Dixie, and The Artist.

Have you seen any of these movies, or do you have other dog movies that you particularly enjoy?

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

 

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: The Ugly Dachshund

Dear Friends,

I have been excited all week about our movie talk this week.  It is about my favorite movie in the world -- The Ugly Dachshund!  This is also my Momma's favorite live action Disney movie.

The Ugly Dachshund was made in 1966.  It stars Suzanne Pleshette and Dean Jones as a young married couple, Fran and Mark.  Fran loves dachshunds.  She has a beloved dachshund named Danke who has three beautiful puppies:  Heidi, Wilhelmina, and Chloe.  The puppies are born at the vet clinic and there Danke adopts a Great Dane puppy named Brutus, who was rejected by his own mother.

Danke and the puppies all come home.  They settle in -- but as Brutus grows, he thinks he is a dachshund, although he is 150 pounds!   The dachshunds are very fun loving and mischievous and Brutus gets blamed for a few of their adventures.

This is a little bit of a romantic comedy and a little bit of a screwball comedy -- but it is SO MUCH BETTER because it has dachshunds (and a Great Dane!).

I love this movie and highly recommend it to all my dog loving friends!

Trivia:

The movie was based on the 1938 book The Ugly Dachshund by G.B. Stern.  My Momma has read the book and said the movie was much better!

Brutus the Great Dane also appeared in the Disney movie The Swiss Family Robinson.

Suzanne Pleshette's little Yorkshire Terrier, Missy, was jealous of the dog smells she came home with during filming.  She had to shower and change every afternoon before leaving the studio!

Here is the trailer for the movie.  It will make you laugh!



Have you seen The Ugly Dachshund?  I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: Lady and the Tramp

Dear Friends,

I'm excited to share my Momma's favorite animated dog movie with you today.  Of course, it is also a dog movie!

Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 Disney movie.  It tells the story of a beautiful, refined Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a scruffy but lovable Schnauzer named Tramp.  They become friends and find love in this movie.  (Sigh!)  Of course, the path to love is not smooth.  Lady has a hard time after her people have a human baby and the aunt who is babysitting (and petsitting) takes a dislike to Lady.  At one point both Lady and the Tramp end up in the dog pound.  But, of course, this is a Disney movie, so they find their happy ever after with Lady's family -- with new puppies of their own.

Some trivia about Lady and the Tramp:

Disney writer Joe Grant started working on a story inspired by his English Springer Spaniel Lady in 1937.  Walt Disney thought the story was too sweet.  In the early 1940's, Disney purchased the rights to a short story "Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog," from Cosmopolitan magazine, and that character inspired Tramp.

The beginning of the movie, when Darling finds Lady wrapped in a hat box, was inspired by Walt Disney's own life.  He gave his wife a Chow puppy that way at Christmas time.

Singer Peggy Lee provided several voices for this movie, including Darling Dear, the Siamese cats, and Peg the Pekingese.

Thurl Ravenscroft ("Tony the Tiger" from Kellogg's Frosted Flakes commercials) also provided a voice in this movie - Al the Alligator. 

Darling and Jim Dear's faces are rarely seen;  this is to help set the movie from a dog's perspective.

The setting for the movie was inspired in part by Walt Disney's boyhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri.

Tramp was not always called Tramp.  In earlier versions of the script he was called Homer, Rags, and Bozo!

Lady and the Tramp is the first Disney movie filmed in Cinemascope wide screen.

Here is the original 1955 trailer for this movie.



This is my favorite scene in the movie.  Lady and the Tramp find love - and spaghetti!  I also like the song "Bella Notte."  (The video includes a short scene at the end from a Disney restaurant inspired by this scene.)



Have you seen Lady and the Tramp?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Dear Friends,

I am happy to be back to talk about another favorite dog movie this week.  One Hundred and One Dalmatians is a movie my Momma has loved since childhood, and we have the DVD here, so it is one of my favorites too!

One Hundred and One Dalmatians is the story of Pongo and Perdita, a Dalmatian couple who have 15 puppies!   They are living happily with their people, Roger and Anita, until a frightening villain named Cruella de Vil decides to steal the puppies for fur coats!   After a long chase, the puppies do find their way back home and they have a happy reunion with their family.  They bring along 84 other puppies that were also being held by Cruella.  Roger and Anita decide to buy a farm so they can keep all 99 puppies -- which makes 101 Dalmatians along with Pongo and Perdita.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians was a 1961 Disney movie.  It was based on the children's  book The One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith.  (Momma recommends the book as well!)  Dodie Smith enjoyed the movie adaptation and said that she thought it improved upon her original story!  The movie was both a box office and critical success.  When it was released, this was the top grossing animated movie to date.

Some trivia about this movie:

Author Dodie Smith actually had a Dalmatian dog who had 15 puppies!  That was her inspiration for the original book.  She also owned a Dalmatian named Pongo.

The dogs in the movie have deeper voices than their owners so they are seen as having more power.

Some of the dog sounds in the movie are provided by Clarence Nash, who was the voice of Donald Duck.

A new type of animation involving Xerox was used in this movie, and it helped give the movie its distinctive look.

Several characters from Lady and the Tramp make cameo appearances in this movie. Jock is seen barking through a drainpipe to a dog in an upstairs apartment.  Peg and her bulldog friend are seen in a pet store.  Lady and the Tramp are seen during the Twilight Barking scene.

The boy puppies wear red collars and the girls wear blue.  This is also true of Pongo and Perdita.

Cruella de Vil was inspired by actress Tallulah Bankhead.  Old time character actress Mary Wickes provided a live reference for Cruella de Vil.

Author Dodie Smith said her favorite scene in the movie was the one near the beginning where Pongo is stretching out by a window.

This is one of the only Disney movies to feature cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking.

This was the first animated Disney movie in a contemporary setting.

Here is the movie trailer:



The Twilight Barking is my favorite scene in the movie.  This is how the dogs communicate at twilight, by barking to one another to spread the news.  I often try to do this with friends in my neighborhood.  My dear Momma says she likes the Twilight Bark more in the movie than in real life.  When you watch this scene, be sure to look for the characters from Lady and the Tramp!



Have you seen One Hundred and One Dalmatians?   I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: Asta from The Thin Man

Dear Friends,

Today we are going far back in dog movie history to talk about Asta the Wirehair Fox Terrier from The Thin Man movies of the 1930's. 

The Thin Man was a series of detective comedies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles.  They lived with their dog Asta.  These movies were based upon The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.  (My Momma asked me to add that the book is a great read!)

Asta was portrayed by Skippy the dog (also known as Asta) for the first two movies, The Thin Man (1934) and After The Thin Man (1936).   There were several later Thin Man movies that starred other dogs (who were still billed as Asta).   These movies were: Another Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, Song of the Thin Man, and the 1950's TV series The Thin Man.

The popularity of Asta made Wirehair Fox Terriers a popular dog breed in the 1930's!

Skippy, who portrayed Asta, was born in 1931 or 1932 and worked in movies until 1941.  Skippy was owned and trained by Henry and Gale Henry East.  He had a reputation as being one of the smartest and most responsive dog actors in classic Hollywood.

Asta with owner Henry East

Skippy later appeared in The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, and Topper Takes a Trip.

Here is a very short (and very cute!) video of Asta in After the Thin Man.



Have you seen any of The Thin Man movies?  I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies - Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Dear Friends,

I'm back to follow up on a previous Favorite Dog Movie.   We chatted about The Incredible Journey (1963) before.  In 1993 Disney remade this movie as Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.

Like The Incredible Journey, Homeward Bound was based on the novel The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.  Homeward Bound features an American Bulldog (Michael J. Fox), a senior Golden Retriever (Don Ameche), and a Himalayan cat (Sally Fields).  The pets belong to a family with a mother and children.  When their mother remarries and relocates to San Francisco, the pets end up staying with a friend on her ranch.  They decide to go exploring - and find their family, now far away.   The journey is long and dangerous, but they do safely make it home to be reunited with their family and the boy that loves them.

Trivia:

This is one of classic movie actor Don Ameche's final films.

Unlike The Incredible Journey, which relied on narration, the pets actually talk in this movie.

The pet breeds were changed from The Incredible Journey (1963).  In that movie they were a Labrador Retriever, Bull Terrier, and Siamese cat.

Here is the original movie trailer:



Have you seen Homeward Bound?  I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: Oliver and Company

Dear Friends,

Several friends have mentioned Oliver and Company as a favorite movie that includes dogs, so I wanted to be sure to include it here.

Oliver and Company is a 1988 Disney movie.  It is a clever retelling of the story of Oliver Twist.   However, in this movie Oliver is a cat and his friends on the street are all dogs!  Oliver and Company is set in present day New York.  The dogs in the movie include a mixed breed dog (the Dodger), an Afghan Hound, a Chihuahua, a Bulldog, a Poodle, and a Great Dane.  Voice actors in this movie include Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Richard Mulligan, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Dom Deluise, Robert Loggia, Bette Midler, and more.

The movie features songs by Billy Joel, Huey Lewis, and Barry Manilow.  The movie's song "Why Should I Worry?" won a Golden Globe award.

A little trivia:

The animators who worked on this movie shot footage of New York City from 18 inches off the ground in order to capture a dog's eye view!

Roger Radcliffe from 101 Dalmatians makes a cameo.  He appears when Oliver wakes up after sleeping on the truck.

The "Why Should I Worry" number also features Pongo (101 Dalmatians) and Jock, Trusty, and Peg (Lady and the Tramp).

The dogs do dances that are inspired by the work of Bob Fosse.

Here is the trailer for this movie:



Have you seen Oliver and Friends?  Or do you have any other dog movies to share?

Thanks for visiting - have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: The Fox and the Hound

Dear Friends,

When I asked for favorite dog movies, several people mentioned the Disney movie The Fox and the Hound.  I have not seen this movie, but enjoyed learning more about it to share with you.

The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 Disney movie.  It tells the story of the unlikely friendship of a young fox and a hound puppy.  The fox is named Tod (voiced by Mickey Rooney) and the hound is Copper (voiced by Kurt Russell).  As the fox and hound grow up they are separated.   When they reunite as grown animals, Tod is living in the wild and Copper is owned by a hunter -- who wants to hunt foxes.  The movie is about the strength of friendship.   (And it sounds like a tearjerker, despite a Disney ending!) 

Trivia:

The movie is based on the book The Fox and the Hound by Daniel P. Mannix.  The book sounds much, much sadder than the movie.

Tim Burton did some uncredited animation work on this movie.

The producer's son had a pet fox who visited the Disney studio and met the animators.

Phil Harris and Charo voiced cranes in this movie, but their parts were cut from the final film.

Here is the original trailer for the movie:



Have you seen The Fox and the Hound?   I would love to hear from you about this movie, or other favorite dog movies, in the comments.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Movie Dogs: Lassie

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a good week!

We talked about Lassie before as a TV dog (you can read that blog post here:  Famous TV Dogs:  Lassie), but before Lassie was on television, she was in the movies.

Lassie Come Home was a 1943 MGM movie starring Roddy McDowell and collie Pal.  When Lassie is sold to a wealthy man, she finds a way to return home to the boy who loves her.

Son of Lassie (1945) continues the story with the same boy, now grown up.  It is about Lassie's son who becomes a "war dog" during World War II.   This movie stars Peter Lawford and June Lockhart - who later appeared in the Lassie TV series.

Courage of Lassie (1946) is about a collie named Bill who loves a young girl (played by a young Elizabeth Taylor).   He is separated from her and becomes a war dog.  However, he finds his way back to the home he loves.  This movie costars Frank Morgan, the wizard from The Wizard of Oz.

Hills of Home (1948) is about a Scottish doctor who has a dog named Lassie.  Lassie is afraid of water, but fights this fear to rescue the doctor.  The doctor in this movie is played by Edmund Gwenn, who played Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street.

The Sun Comes Up (1949) tells the story of a former opera singer (Jeanette MacDonald) who lives with her dog Lassie and bonds with a young orphan in the Brushy Gap area of the Smoky Mountains near Asheville.

Challenge to Lassie (1949) is about a collie so devoted to her deceased person that she does not want to leave his grave.

The Painted Hills (Lassie's Adventures in the Goldrush) is a 1951 movie about a collie who wants to find revenge when her person is murdered.

In all seven original Lassie movies, the role was played by Pal.  Pal was a male Rough Collie who lived 18 years (1940 - 1958).  

There are also later Lassie movies after this series of 7 collie films:  Lassie's Great Adventures (1963, made for TV), The Magic of Lassie (1978), and remakes of Lassie in 1994 and 2005.

Have you seen any of the Lassie movies, or the Lassie TV series?   I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: Benji

Dear Friends,

I'm back to continue talking about dog movies with you here this week!  Our movie this week is Benji.  This was the third most popular movie at the box office in 1974.

Benji tells the story of an adorable, shaggy mixed breed dog.  Benji is a stray, but he picks out the perfect family.  The only problem?  The father in the family does not like dogs!  When the children in the family are kidnapped, Benji saves the day ... and finds the perfect family as a result!

Benji was portrayed by Higgins the dog.  Higgins was rescued from the Burbank Animal Shelter by dog trainer Frank Inn.   He was a Poodle - Cocker Spaniel - Schnauzer mix.  He made guest appearances on Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies, but found fame when he portrayed "Dog" on Petticoat Junction.  He had already retired, but came out of retirement to play Benji in this movie.  He retired again afterward and lived to the fine old age of 18!

Higgins the Dog with his person, Frank Inn

Higgins had famous puppies, including Mac, who played Tramp on My Three Sons, and Benjean, who starred as Benji in For the Love of Benji.

This was the final movie of Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe from Petticoat Junction) and Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee from The Andy Griffith Show).

It is said that Alfred Hitchcock considered Benji a favorite guilty pleasure.

Here is the movie trailer for this 1974 film:



Have you seen Benji?  Do you have any other dog movies you would like to recommend?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: The Shaggy Dog (1959)

Dear Friends,

Today I would like to share an older Disney movie called The Shaggy Dog.  This movie, from 1959, was Disney's first live action comedy.  It was based on a novel called The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten, who also wrote Bambi.

The movie starred Fred MacMurray (later seen in My Three Sons) as the father of a boy named Wilby.  Wilby, played by Tommy Kirk, is a boy who loves inventions.  Wilby finds a mysterious ring belonging to the Borgias at a museum and it transforms him into a dog!  Wilby the dog is adventurous -- just like Wilby the teenage boy.  He even enjoys driving an old jalopy!  After a number of fun-loving misadventures, Wilby turns back into a boy ... and his family ends up adopting a dog.  It seems they discovered they loved dogs when he was one!

Here is a photo of Fred MacMurray and Wilby the sheepdog:

This photo shows Tim Considine (who also later appeared in My Three Sons), a dog friend, and Tommy Kirk (Wilby).

Some fun trivia about this movie:

The Shaggy Dog was originally imagined as a TV pilot.

The producer of The Shaggy Dog liked to joke that perhaps The Shaggy Dog inspired My Three Sons:  "Same kids, same dog and Fred MacMurray!"  

The movie was later the inspiration for a Scholastic book for children (1967) and a comic book.

There was a sequel in 1976 starring Dean Jones as a 45 year old version of Wilby.

It was also remade in 2006 with Tim Allen.

Here is a clip from the movie:



Have you seen The Shaggy Dog or the remake?   I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

I enjoyed visiting with you today and look forward to catching up again next week!

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: The Incredible Journey

Dear Friends,

I am happy to visit with you again today.  A couple of friends have mentioned the movie The Incredible Journey.  I have not seen this film, but it sounded interesting, so I looked into it to share with you.

The Incredible Journey was a 1963 live action Disney movie.  It starred two dogs - a Retriever and a Bull Terrier - and a Siamese cat.  They were on vacation with their family and they got lost.  The movie is about their journey home.  The pets are named Luauth (Labrador Retriever), Bodger (Bull Terrier), and Tao (kitty).  The movie is filmed in the Canadian wilderness.

Trivia -- the kitty from this movie, Syn Cat, also appeared in the Disney movie That Darn Cat!

More Trivia - the movie was later remade as Homeward Bound.  More on that in an upcoming blog post!

Here is an old fashioned movie trailer for The Incredible Journey:



Have you seen this movie or the remake Homeward Bound?  I would love to hear from you about this, or any other favorite dog movies, in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies: The Adventures of Milo and Otis

Dear Friends,

Today I am happy to introduce a new blog series about favorite dog movies.  I asked readers for their favorite dog movies, and I will be blogging about movies that my friends mentioned here and on Facebook.

The Adventures of Milo and Otis is a movie that was mentioned several times.  I have not ever seen this movie, but I enjoyed reading about it and learning more.  This movie was about the special friendship of a kitten named Milo and a pug dog named Otis.  They are great friends, but they are separated, and go on a journey to find their way back together. 

This movie was in production in Japan for four years, and the original Japanese title translated to A Kitten's Story.  The original movie was released in 1986, but Columbia Pictures re-edited the movie and shortened it, adding narration by actor Dudley Moore.  It was a great success, both in Japan and in the United States.

Here is the original trailer from this movie:



The trailer was fun!  I really like pug dogs and love stories about friendships between cats and dogs.

Have you seen The Adventures of Milo and Otis?   Do you have other favorite dog movies you would like to see featured here in the future?   I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great day!

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Favorite Dog Movies

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a wonderful week!  We are having up and down weather here - cold then warm, dry then rainy - so it has been an adventure in dog walking here.

I have a new series coming up about Favorite Dog Movies and I would love to hear about YOUR favorite dog movies.

I'll share my favorites -- but look for longer posts about them in the future!  My all time favorite is The Ugly Dachshund.  It is a live action Disney movie starring Suzanne Pleshette, Dean Jones, a Great Dane, and of course, several Dachshunds!

I also love Lady and the Tramp.  Momma says it is her favorite childhood animated movie.  I say it is actually a love story (sigh!).

And then there is the great Disney classic 101 Dalmatians!

What are YOUR favorite dog movies?  I would love to hear about them so I can feature some of your favorites in future weeks.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Love,
Abby xoxoxo