''It's a Dog's Life'' is a 1955 film adapted from

Richard Harding Davis Richard Harding Davis (April 18, 1864 – April 11, 1916) was an American journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish–American War, the Second Boer War, and the First ...

’s 1903 novel ''The Bar Sinister''.

Plot

''It’s a Dog’s Life'' is narrated by Wildfire (voiced by

Vic Morrow Victor Morrow (born Victor Morozoff; February 14, 1929 – July 23, 1982) was an American actor. He came to prominence as one of the leads of the ABC drama series ''Combat!'' (1962–1967), which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstandin ...

) a dog

bull terrier The Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. There is also a miniature version of this breed which is officially known as the Miniature Bull Terrier. Appearance The Bull Terrier's most recognizable feature is its head, described ...

who betters the life of the affluent family that adopts him. At the turn of the century, he and his mother roam the streets of New York for food and shelter. Wildfire soon becomes curious about his past and seeks answers from a knowledgeable old neighborhood dog, who informs him that his father, Champion Regent Royal — supposedly a prize-winning fighter dog—abandoned his mother while she was pregnant. Wildfire resolves to track down his father and kill him, just before discovering that his mother has mysteriously vanished. Now on his own, the determined stray sets out on his quest for honor and winds up in the dangerous Bowery district, where he becomes a successful pit fighter at a saloon. Wildfire flourishes under the expertise of a ruthless hustler named Patch McGill ( Jeff Richards), but his winning streak comes to an abrupt end when his master greedily matches him against a much larger dog; McGill blames Wildfire for the loss, prompting the dog to return to the waterfront. Fortune strikes when an admirer of Wildfire’s—animal caretaker Jeremiah Nolan (

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won th ...

) — takes the dog back to his quarters at a massive countryside estate owned by a self-made millionaire (and dog breeder), Mr. Wyndham, played by

Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 7, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film, stage, and television actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Henry King (director), Henry King's ''Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949). E ...

. Bitter over his own failing health, Wyndham initially opposes the presence of the “mongrel,” but his daughter Dorothy (

Sally Fraser Sally Fraser (December 12, 1932 – January 13, 2019) was an American actress who appeared on television and in numerous films. She became best known for appearing in low-budget science fiction films of the 1950s. Biography Spotted after singin ...

), recognizes the dog’s beauty and convinces her father to let him stay if he qualifies for a ribbon at a local dog show. Wildfire falls in love with a fellow contender named Miss Ladyship, and not only qualifies but goes on to win first prize at the competition. It turns out his father was not a fighter but a renowned show dog, and Wildfire is a chip off the old block. Wyndham subsequently warms to the fearless dog, admiring his courage, and learns to enjoy life again by accepting his own mortality. Dorothy enters Wildfire in the Grand National Championship at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, where the hero faces his destiny by competing against Regent Royal. Wildfire wins once again, but decides not to kill his father, having been touched by his Regent Royal’s gracious acceptance of defeat. A dog riot breaks out when Wildfire defends his father from heckling canines; thinking he has disgraced the Wyndhams, the hero flees the scene and subsequently becomes trapped by dogcatcher, one who coincidentally has Wildfire’s mother in his wagon. Wyndham arrives on the scene and buys Wildfire and his mother from the dogcatcher. Back at the estate, Regent Royal reunites with Wildfire’s mother and escaped pageant contestant Miss Ladyship goes on to give birth to a litter of Wildfire’s puppies.

Cast

* Jeff Richards as Patch McGill *

Jarma Lewis Jarma Toy Lewis (June 5, 1931 – November 12, 1985) was an American film actress and model active in the 1950s. Biography Jarma Lewis came from a family of Anglo-Irish ancestry, attended Los Angeles City College. She first appeared in sch ...

as Mabel Maycroft *

as Jeremiah Edward Emmett Augustus Nolan *

as Mr. Wyndham *

Willard Sage James Willard Sage (August 13, 1922 – March 17, 1974) was a Canadian-American film and television actor. Born in London, Ontario. Sage began his career in 1951, where he appeared in the film ''The Butler's Night Off'', playing the role of a ...

as Tom Tattle *

as Dorothy Wyndham * Richard Anderson as George Oakley *

J.M. Kerrigan Joseph Michael Kerrigan (16 December 1884 – 29 April 1964) was an Irish actor. Early life Joseph Michael Kerrigan was born on 16 December 1884 in Dublin, which was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland at that time. H ...

as Paddy Corbin * Wildfire as Wildfire - a Dog

Music

In 2010, ''

Film Score Monthly ''Film Score Monthly'' is an online magazine (and former print magazine) founded by editor-in-chief and executive producer Lukas Kendall in June 1990 in music, 1990 as ''The Soundtrack Correspondence List''. It is dedicated to the art of Film sco ...

'' released the complete scores of the seven Lassie feature films released by MGM between 1943 and 1955 as well as

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

’s score for this film in the collection: ''Lassie Come Home: The Canine Cinema Collection'', limited to 1000 copies. Due to the era when these scores were recorded, nearly half of the music masters have been lost so the scores had to be reconstructed and restored from the best available sources, mainly the Music and Effects tracks as well as monaural ¼″ tapes. The score for ''It's a Dog's Life'' was composed by

. It was released in its entirety and in stereo, as it comes from the three-track magnetic film era. Track listing for ''It's a Dog's Life'' (Disc 5) #Main Title/Wildfire’s Song 1:54 #Wildfire’s Shame/Decision 1:59 #Fame at Last/Masterful/Defeat 2:42 #Nolan/Getting Acquainted/What a St. Bernard 1:46 #Jocks/In the Hay/Trophy Room 3:39 #After the Fight/Wyndham’s Story 2:50 #Wash Day/Training 1:55 #Tattle 0:51 #Wyndham Walks and Talks/Nocturne/Going Home 5:16 #Wildfire’s Training 0:51 #Mother 1:54 #The End 2:33 Total Time: 28:33

Reception

According to MGM records the movie earned $357,000 in the US and Canada and $152,000 elsewhere, making a loss to the studio of $848,000.

References

External links

*
''It's a Dog's Life''
at

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