Lad, A Dog (film)
| Lad: A Dog | |
|---|---|
Original theatrical poster
|
|
| Directed by |
Leslie H. Martinson Aram Avakian |
| Produced by | Max Rosenberg |
| Written by |
Screenplay: Lillie Hayward Roberta Hodes Original novel Albert Payson Terhune |
| Starring |
Peter Breck Peggy McCay Carroll O'Connor Angela Cartwright |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld |
| Cinematography | Bert Glennon |
| Edited by | Tom McAdoo |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
|
Release date
|
June 6, 1962 |
|
Running time
|
98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Lad: A Dog is a 1962 American drama film based on the 1919 novel of the same name written by Albert Payson Terhune. Starring Peter Breck, Peggy McCay, Carroll O'Connor, and Angela Cartwright, the film blends several of the short stories featured in the novel, with the heroic Lad winning a rigged dog show, saving a handicapped girl from a snake, and capturing a poacher who killed his pups and injured one of his owners. Warner Brothers purchased the film rights for the novel from Vanguard Productions, and acquired the film rights for the other two Lad novels from the late Terhune's wife.
Aram Avakian was initially selected to be the film's director, but when he continually refused to do a sentimental-type dog story, he was replaced by Leslie H. Martinson. Lillie Hayward and Roberta Hodes wrote the screenplay for the film, adapting several of the short stories from the novel to create a single narrative, and adding in an all-purpose villain. The film was released on June 6, 1962. The studio hoped it would be successful enough to be followed by a second film and a television series. Though praised by fans and modern reviewers, contemporary critiques felt Terhune's work did not translate well to film and it was considered a low budget, B-movie. It was released to home video in 1995.
Purebred rough collie Lad and his owners, Stephen (Peter Breck) and Elizabeth Tremayne (Peggy McCay), are visited by their wealthy neighbor Hamilcar Q. Glure (Carroll O'Connor) and his 8-year-old daughter Angela (Angela Cartwright), who is crippled from polio. While Lad befriends the girl, Glure invites the Tremaynes to show the prize-winning Lad at his upcoming dog show. However, Glure is jealous of Lad's success and has rigged one event to have such specialized rules that he believes only his recently purchased high-priced, English-trained collie can win. During the competition, which involves directing the dogs through a tricky set of a maneuvers, Lad is able to complete the course, while Glure's champion does not recognize the hand signals Glure makes while holding a cigar.
...
Wikipedia