Adventures of Rusty
The Adventures of Rusty is a 1945 drama film, the first in the "Rusty" series of children's films. The series of eight films were made in the 1940s by Columbia Pictures with stories centered on Rusty a German shepherd dog. The film is notable for featuring the famous Ace the Wonder Dog as Rusty, the only appearance by Ace in the Rusty films. It was directed by Paul Burnford.
| Adventures of Rusty | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | Paul Burnford |
| Produced by | Rudolph C. Flothow |
| Written by | Al Martin |
| Screenplay by | Aubrey Wisberg |
| Starring | Ted Donaldson Margaret Lindsay Conrad Nagel |
| Music by | Marlin Skiles |
| Cinematography | L. William O'Connell |
| Edited by | Reginald Browne |
Production company | Larry Darmour Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 67 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Danny Mitchell (Ted Donaldson), a young boy in the American town of Lawtonville, is grieving over the loss of his dog. He is also struggling to adjust to his new stepmother, Ann (Margaret Lindsay), and has a difficult relationship with his father (Conrad Nagel) - causing him to call on Dr. Banning, a psychiatrist (Addison Richards) for assistance. However, Danny befriends Rusty, a ferocious German shepherd who was brought to the United States from Germany during World War II. Having worked a police dog for the Gestapo, however, Rusty is ill-tempered and Danny struggles to train him.
A subplot involves two Nazi saboteurs (Arno Frey and Eddie Parker) who arrive in Lawtonville, attempting to evade the Coast Guard and blow up an installation. They ultimately try to take Rusty by speaking to him in German.
Cast
- Ted Donaldson as Danny Mitchell
- Margaret Lindsay as Ann Mitchell
- Conrad Nagel as Hugh Mitchell
- Gloria Holden as Louise Hover
- Robert Williams as Will Nelson
- Addison Richards as Dr. Banning, Psychiatrist
- Arno Frey as Tausig
- Eddie Parker as Ehrlich
- Ace the Wonder Dog as Rusty
- Terry (dog) as Skipper
Cast notes
The dog portraying Rusty would change over the course of the series, with Flame having the most appearances as the character. Danny's parents would also be portrayed by different actors in almost every installment.