Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" has just been re-released on video, which brings to mind a number of other videos featuring our furry and four-pawed friends. Let's think back on all those tales - and tails - that we remember . . . of puppy love at the movies.
Cartoon canines
- "Lady and the Tramp" (1955): Later remade with a human cast and called "Titanic." But Jack and Rose's sketching scene has nothing on these pooches' spaghetti dinner. Listen for the one and only Peggy Lee, who not only sings as the sultry pound-hound Peg ("He's a Tramp") but also provides the unforgettable voices of the Siamese cats ("We are Siameeese, if you pleeeease").
- "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961): A movie that makes you glad you're seeing spots before your eyes. It took 300 Disney animators and three years to complete this story of the fur-hungry Cruella De Vil and the pups she tries to convert into a coat. Do not, under any circumstance, rent the live-action remake by mistake.
- "Balto" (1995): An underrated animated adventure based on the true story of the sled dog who, in 1925, carried lifesaving anti-diptheria serum to sick children in Nome, Alaska. The voices include Bob Hoskins, Bridget Fonda, Phil Collins and, in an animated moment of six degrees of . . . Kevin Bacon as Balto.
Other top dogs: "The Fox and the Hound," "All Dogs Go to Heaven," Pluto, Goofy . . ..
Supporting pups
- Asta in the "The Thin Man" (1934): Asta, the wire-haired terrier belonging to Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy), was as fashionably art deco as his owners' apartment. "The Thin Man," which spawned five sequels, offers a still irresistibly breezy mix of murder, marriage and martini-laced banter. Loy later recalled that several terriers played Asta and that the first one, known off-camera as Skippy, bit her.
- Matisse in "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986): It's not easy to upstage Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler, but a border collie named Mike managed the near-impossible in Paul Mazursky's comedy of manners about the idle, overprivileged rich of Beverly Hills. Like David Bowie, Matisse/Mike had one blue eye and one brown eye. But has Bowie ever had his own stunt double? Mike did: a look-alike named Davey who handled the heavy running and jumping scenes.
- Jed in "The Journey of Natty Gann" (1985): A very young John Cusack co-stars with Meredith Salenger in this fine family flick about an adolescent girl traveling cross-country during the Depression with her wolf companion, Jed. Actually, Jed was only part wolf (and part malamute), but that half was enough for his trainer to turn down a guest shot on "The Tonight Show." The trainer explained that Jed's mixed heritage made it difficult for him to relate to people.
Other top dogs: Jack Nicholson's Brussels griffon in "As Good as It Gets," Jim Carrey's Jack Russell terrier in "The Mask," William Hurt's Welsh corgi in "The Accidental Tourist."
Serious dog stars
- Benji: He made his feature debut in 1974's "Benji" and was once called "the most appealing short actor since Dustin Hoffman." Actually, the original Benji starred in only one movie; his daughter did the rest, including "Oh, Heavenly Dog" (1980). Chevy Chase is a murdered private eye who comes back as Benji to find his killer.
- Rin Tin Tin: Rescued as a pup from World War I Germany by his owner-trainer, Lee Duncan, the heroically photogenic German shepherd starred in numerous silents in the 1920s and was, for several years, Warner Bros.' major wage-earner. Rinty's films aren't easy to find, but a good alternative is "Won Ton Ton - The Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976), a spoof of his career and '20s Hollywood, starring Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn and Art Carney.
- Old Yeller, a.k.a. Spike: Get out your handkerchiefs. This is the sort of story that scars kids for life, but that doesn't mean they can't take it. "Old Yeller" (1957) is a boy-and-his-dog story with real bite. Set in Texas in 1869, it's about the effect a stray dog named Old Yeller (Spike) has on a lonely boy (Kevin Corcoran) and his rural family. The cast is family-fare first-rate, including Fess Parker (a.k.a. Davy Crockett) and Dorothy McGuire as Corcoran's parents.
- Lassie: As almost everyone knows, the original Lassie was actually a guy-collie named Pal who got his chance when the original female lead shed her coat. The classic Lassie film has to be the first, "Lassie Come Home" (1943), based on the popular story by Eric Knight. But given the wave of Word War II nostalgia sparked by "Saving Private Ryan," a more interesting choice might be "Courage of Lassie" (1946), in which Lassie/Pal - here called "Bill" for some reason - plays a shell-shocked combat veteran rehabilitated by a young Elizabeth Taylor. (There's also a pretty good 1994 update, simply titled "Lassie.")