Rusty Leads the Way

Rusty Leads the Way (1948)

** (out of 4)

Bland and forgettable sixth entry in the series has Danny (Ted Donaldson) becoming friends with a 13-year-old blind girl (Sharyn Moffett) but she and her mother soon find themselves in trouble because she's not in school. The public school refuses to allow her in so Danny comes up with the idea of a guide dog and of course Rusty is the subject. RUSTY LEADS THE WAY is a pretty bland entry and I'd say it's the worst film in the series so far. There were several reasons for this but the biggest is the screenplay, which seemed to have been written so fast that they didn't bother trying to come up with anything original or interesting. At just 57-minutes, this is certainly the shortest film in the series and not much ever really happens. We're introduced to the blind girl and then we get back and forth dialogue sequences where the debate on what type of school happens over and over again. None of this dialogue is very interesting and it certainly doesn't help that none of the characters are written to where you really care about them. Once again Donaldson is good in his role as is John Litel as his father. Ann Doran is pretty much wasted in her role of the mother. Moffett isn't too bad as the blind girl but her character is probably the worst written in the film. With such a short running time everything seems rushed and it's clear that no one bothered coming up with a better story. The forced ending really comes out of nowhere and is rather embarrassing.

By now Ted Donaldson, who played Danny Mitchell in the series, was obviously too old to be the center of some childhood angst - in fact in the first scene not only is Ted noticeably taller, but his voice has changed! Other changes include John Litel playing Hugh Mitchell, and he certainly seems more like an attorney and reliable father figure than predecessor Tom Powers did in the same role. This is good, since Hugh Mitchell's job as city attorney figures prominently into the plot. Ann Doran remains as Mrs. Mitchell, Danny's stepmom. However, other than a little typical teenage/parental conflict in the first ten minutes, you don't see much of Danny or Rusty in the rest of the film, at least not as its focus. Quite by accident, Rusty and Danny meet Penny Waters (Sharyn Moffett) as a girl of thirteen who was blinded two years prior in an accident. Since then she has kept to herself and never really returned to school. From this point forward she is the focal point and the lead character of the film.

The school board has decreed that Penny must attend school, and not only that, the state school for the blind. Penny is willing to talk her mother into quitting her job and leaving town to avoid that fate. Danny suggests a compromise solution - that Penny get a guide dog, thus making it safe for her to attend the public schools. Danny's father, as city attorney, gets the school board to agree. Will everything work out? Watch and find out.

At first the whininess of the main character in this entry, Penny, had me somewhat annoyed. Then I began to think - most 13 year old girls whine and some even run away from home over an outbreak of acne, this girl actually did have her life turned upside down by anyone's measuring stick by blindness. This would be the likely reaction of anyone her age. In fact her reaction is probably much more realistic than other films in which the handicapped put on an all-too happy face considering their adversity.

I'd recommend this if you're in the mood for a family film of the post-war era, but this time there's not only a smaller dose of Rusty than normal, but of Danny Mitchell too.

Ace the Wonder Dog ended his starring career and is replaced by Flame in this continuation of the 'Rusty' series. The plot is, as always, well-meaning, concerning itself with a blind girl and her efforts to get a seeing eye dog.

The adult cast is excellent, including the ever-dependable John Litel, but the dialogue is very stiff, particularly as spoken by the child actors.

Flame has a different set of tricks from Ace. Ace was good at baring his teeth and looking menacing. Flame does a lot more capering.

While not an awful movie, there isn't really that much entertainment here, although the movie's social conscience may make it worthwhile for the concerned moviegoer.

(Slight Spoilers) Rusty is more then happy to play second fiddle in this movie about a blind 13 year-old girl Penny Waters, Sharyn Moffett, who feels that she's been abandoned by the dog, Tubby, that was assigned to her to be her seeing-eye guide dog. More of a public interest documentary then a boy, and in this case girl, and his dog type of film "Rusty Leads he Way" goes out of its way in showing the audience how important it is to have trust between ourselves and our best friends, dogs, to succeed in what ever we're involved with them. Which in this case is them being our eyes as well as ears when we are, by accident of quirk of nature, unable to use our own.

It's when Danny Mitchell, Ted Donaldson, is outside playing with his dog Rusty that he almost by accident comes across little Penny Waters when he sees Penny through her window, that she slams on him. Later Danny hears Penny playing the piano and decides to introduce himself. Danny feeling a bit hurt in what he thinks is Pennys unneighborly reaction to him soon finds out that she's blind and also very depressed in not being able to go to the local school because of her blindness. Being an expert piano player at the tender age of 13 Penny is consumed in playing the piano and becoming a concert pianist. Yet it's her inability to overcome her blindness that seems too much for Penny to handle and that causes Penny to fall into a very dangerous depression in always feeling sorry or herself.

It's with the help of both Danny and Rusty, who for a while acts as her seeing eye dog, that Penny gains confidence in being able to fend for herself outside the safe confines of her home. Later when Penny's mother Mrs. Waters, Peggy Converse, enroll her at the Reed Institute that provides seeing eyes for the blind everything at first seems to be going great for Penny. It's there that she's assigned the dog that's to be her eyes and ears when she's outside in the world that she's been terrified of a sad-sack looking boxer called Tubby.

Touching and at the same time educational film about how important it is for man and canine to bond together in order to be able to help each other. Which in this case has to do with a very frighten Penny being guided through the streets and roads of the town and nearby countryside by her seeing eye dog Tubby. Tubby only wants, the only thing that he'll ever want, from Penny in return for his effort is her love and friendship as well as confidence in him being able to look after her and see that nothing bad would happen to Penny.

Because of her feeling rejected by Tubby when he mistakenly followed his trainer Miss Davis, Mary Currier, out of her room when she introduced Tubby to her Penny never felt comfortable with Tubby. Later when she and Tubby were given the final test in seeing how compatible they were with each other in walking thought the heavily traveled streets alone, with out Miss Davis being there to watch over them, Penny suffered a severe panic attack and almost ran, leaving Tubby behind, into traffic. Tubby coming to Penny's rescue charged after her and prevented Penny, by knocking her down, from being killed in a car accident.

Penny not being able to see what Tubby did for her, saving Pennys life, thought that he abandoned her and lost all her confidence in being able to go through life with Tubby, or for that matter any other dog, as a seeing-eye guide. It's later when Tubby is sent back to the Reed Institute to be assigned to another blind person that he makes a break for it jumping out of the car and shoots back to his friend Penny Waters. It's then that Tubby get his lease caught in a tree stump but fear not everything is taken cares of by Rusty, whom you for a while forgot was in the movie.Rusty picks up Tubbys barks for help and runs to his rescue reuniting him and Penny who, finally realizes what a loving and caring friend he really is, now has someone to look after as well as see for her.

In small-town Lawtonville, teenage Ted Donaldson (as Daniel "Danny" Mitchell) decides to run away from home, after a scolding from father John Litel (as Hugh). All is forgotten due to the lure of goulash cooked by mother Ann Doran (as Ethel). While out on a walk with his dog "Rusty", young Donaldson meets newly arrived Sharyn Moffett (as Penny Waters), from Carmel, California. The 13-year-old piano player is somewhat sheltered, but warms up to Donaldson and Rusty. Donaldson is surprised to learn that Ms. Moffett has not enrolled in the local school due to her disability. She is blind...

The Mitchell family urges Moffett to attend the regular school with her non-blind peers, but she is rejected for safety reasons. Donaldson suggests Moffett get a Seeing Eye dog. She is sent to the "Reed Foundation" to work with Paula Raymond and learn about Seeing Eye dogs. Everyone hopes Moffett will be able to participate in regular activities with a guide dog, but she has trouble bonding with "Tubby" the boxer. Rusty and Tubby help in the story's resolution. This is an above average entry in the "Rusty" series, with the film's message nicely presented for young viewers.

****** Rusty Leads the Way (7/22/48) Will Jason ~ Ted Donaldson, Sharyn Moffett, Paula Raymond, John Litel