Killer-Dog

A Smith called Pete narrates the tale of a dog who is accused of killing a neighbor's sheep. The evidence is that the dog left his home about the time the deed was done; that his sire was a sheep killer; and he is scratched. On the other side, there's a little girl who loves her dog, and her father is insistent that justice be done.

They used to hold trials for animals in the Middle Ages. For example, on September 5, 1379, some pigs were put on formal trial for killing two men. There were cases of rats being sent letters to leave a house, and locusts were held legally responsible for eating crops. Most of these cases were tried in ecclesiastic court. So to see a judge in a court room, with a prosecutor making an argument here is a bit odd, and well worth making a short about.

Like Pete Smith's shorts, it's all acted as a silent film, with Smith's narration telling us what's going on.

Killer-Dog (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Nice short from MGM and Pete Smith has a dog put on trial for the murder of a couple sheep. It turns out that the dog, Major, has some wolf blood in him and his own father had to be shot for killing sheep. The dog eventually has to go on trial where he has to be defended by his owner (Ralph Byrd). This is a pleasant little short that manages to tell a pretty good story that doesn't try to do anything special except to just entertain. I thought the story was a good one that managed to keep the viewer wondering if the dog was innocent or guilty but I think everyone will know the outcome. The ending is a pretty good one as Tourneur's dark style is evident in a very good sequence that I won't ruin for anyone reading this. Byrd is best known for the role in various DICK TRACY movies but he's quite good here even though he doesn't get any speaking lines. Babs Nelson is also in the cast and she's best remembered for being one of the folks who led their voices to Bambi.

An MGM PETE SMITH SPECIALITY Short Subject.

Major, the beloved farm hound of little Betty Lou, is accused of being a KILLER-DOG after sheep on a nearby farm are found mauled.

This tightly-plotted little story is a good example of the early American work of director Jacques Tourneur, who would gain fame in the 1940's with his horror films at RKO. Any dog lover in the audience will empathize with Major's sorry legal plight.

Movie mavens should recognize an unbilled Ralph Byrd, later famous as Dick Tracy, playing Betty Lou's father.

Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something like writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.

I saw this movie right after it was released and I found it very exciting. Probably because it is exciting to see yourself on the screen.

I appeared in several movies from 1935 to 1941. Killer Dog (which was a silent) was one of them. My screen name was Sally Martin. I have a few still photos of myself in this movie. If anyone knows of an existing copy of this film - in any form - I would very much like to obtain a copy. I recall an exciting scene in which I am playing with my dog and I fall into the path of my mother pulling the car out of the garage. My dog pulls me from the path of the oncoming car. I was heavily padded on one side so the dog could grab me with his teeth. He never hurt me. I finally received a copy in 2005 thanks to Turner Classic Movies. This is being added later...I have now obtained a copy. Thanks to all that helped me.

Major, a dog of mixed blood, is the faithful companion of a young girl living on a sheep farm with her parents. The farm is owned by a man who is trigger happy whenever something goes wrong . Major's father was a ferocious breed that mated with a peaceful collie producing a gentle dog that responds to the girl as though it was human. We even witness Major saving the girl when her mother's car almost ran her over.

When a few sheep are found killed by what appears to be Major, the owner of the farm thinks Major is the culprit since he bears a scar on his rump, something he thinks the dog did when he tried to go under a barbed wire fence. The young girl and her parents are horrified when they realize the dog will be put to death. Rather than give up, the parents ask to have a judge decide the dog's fate.

Major, the gentle dog, is proved innocent when the real culprit is found as everyone keeps an eye on the pen at night.

This is another one reeler by Jacques Tourneur, a director who went to do bigger and better things. Mr. Tourneur shows he knows how to get the most out the thin material out of the story.