Flame the Dog Movies

Shep Comes Home was the belated sequel to Screen Guild's My Dog Shep (1946). The title pooch is played by "Flame" (who also starred in Columbia's "Rusty" series), while his orphaned master Larry is portrayed by Billy Kimberly. Escaping from an orphanage, Larry and Shep hit the road, with a sympathetic old sheriff (J. Farrell McDonald) in pursuit. The boy and his dog come to the rescue of an innocent emigrant (Martin Garralaga) who has been blamed for the perfidy of a two-bit crook (Sheldon Leonard). Thankfully, the film's inherent sentiment never gets too gooey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Columbia's "Rusty" series was entering the homestretch with 1949's Rusty Saves a Life. The eponymous doggie hero, portrayed by a very busy canine thespian named Flame, does exactly what the film's title says he does. But before this prophecy can be fulfilled, the story spends a great deal of time with young Danny Mitchell (Ted Donaldson), who briefly turns to juvenile delinquency when he's denied an expected inheritance. Gloria Henry, best known to TV fans as Alice Mitchell on Dennis the Menace, is the fresh-faced heroine. Also on hand in a featured role is future "Dobie Gillis" Dwayne Hickman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This preposterous post-WWII drama stars Flame the dog as a retired military pooch who lost his beloved master to the murderous hands of a trench-coat wearing Nazi. After the war, Flame was sent to retire in a peaceful hunting lodge. One day, three visitors come to the cabin. One of the suspicious fellows wears a trenchcoat identical to the one the killer war. Overcome by memories, Flame attacks the trio. Later his instincts are proven true when the three are proven to be German spies come to steal information about a nearby nuclear project. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this romantic western, the real stars are a mustang and a police dog. The human aspect of the story centers on a rodeo rider whose late father bequeathed him a ranch in Calgary, Canada. The rider really tries to settle down to ranching, but finds himself pining for the rodeo. His forewoman, also a former rodeo performer, thinks her employer is shirking his duties and needs to forget about broncos, and bull-riding and settle down. Meanwhile, the fellow also longs to catch the white stallion running wild. The dog helps out. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

If Eagle-Lion's Out of the Blue looks more like a slick Warner Bros. product at times, it's because the film was peopled by former Warners personnel, both in front of and behind the cameras. George Brent and Carole Landis play the Earthleighs, tenants in a roomy Greenwich Village apartment. When Mr. Earthleigh isn't being nagged by his domineering bride, he's enmeshed in a feud with his neighbor, loose-living artist David (Turhan Bey). During his wife's absence, Earthleigh makes the mistake of inviting Olive (Ann Dvorak), a glamorous interior decorator who's somewhat the worse for drink, to his apartment. When Olive passes out on his floor, Earthleigh assumes that she's dead-and in the course of subsequent events, so does everyone else. Adding to the general zaniness is Deborah (Virginia Mayo), one of David's sexier models, who weaves in and out of the proceedings at the most inopportune moments, and a huge, cantankerous canine named Rabelais. Despite some formidable competition, the comedy honors in Out of the Blue are won hands-down by Ann Dvorak, in a truly offbeat performance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An unwanted orphan decides to run away with his dog, but later becomes the goal of an urgent quest when his relatives discover that he has inherited a fortune. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide