June Hammerstein Movies

In this heart-warming drama, a beggar and his performing dog, Flip, struggle to eke out a living upon the cruel streets. He is hired to perform at a rich kid's birthday party. There, the beggar is offered $500 for his beloved dog. He refuses and again hits the streets. Soon he becomes so impoverished that he can no longer provide food for his four-legged friend; he sells him for $20. The beggar is then beaten and robbed. Later he learns that Flip died. The man soon follows the dog to heaven where they begin performing for God. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Tender Hearts was the pre-release title of Hugo Haas' Edge of Hell. The film could also have been called Umberto D, Hollywood Style, inasmuch as star-producer-director-scripter Haas plays a kindly old derelict whose only friend is his pet dog. Living on the fringes of a big city, former circus clown Haas depends upon his trained pooch to scrounge around for food. When he becomes too old and feeble to care for the dog, Haas seeks out a wealthy home for his beloved pet. Despite the prevailing sentimentality in Tender Hearts, Hugo Haas manages to work a trashy blonde into the proceedings, in this case a streetwalker played by Francesca de Scaffa, and a climactic murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi