My Dog Rusty (1948)

Another entry in Columbia’s bucolic "Rusty" series, My Dog Rusty again pairs apple-cheeked Ted Donaldson with Flame the Dog. This time around, Hugh Mitchell (John Litel), father of mischievous Danny Mitchell (Donaldson) is running for mayor. Thanks to Danny’s propensity for lying, the elder Mitchell is disgraced in the eyes of the community. Somehow, Danny’s faithful hound Rusty (Flame) not only cinches the election for Mitchell, but also helps him to understand the underlying psychological reasons for his son’s prevarications. Columbia contact actress Ann Doran does her usual fine job as Mrs. Mitchell, while Whitford Kane, former member of Orson Wells’ Mercury Theater, delivers an effective performance as a philosophical blind man.

1948, B&W, 67 minutes