No need to recap the plot. Dog and horse stories were especially popular following WWII, perhaps because of MGM's highly successful Lassie series. This installment of the Rusty series is on a tight budget. The one outdoor set is more dream-like than natural, but fits the mood surrounding the ethereal F.X. Fay (Mather) who camps in the hollow. When Danny (Donaldson) comes over the hill, it's as if he's entering a different world. Fay's an interesting character, unfailingly polite, understanding and wise. In short, he serves as the answer to the Mitchell family's problems. And if I picked up correctly, there are hints that he may not be mortal, but sort of a diplomatic angel serving as an animal doctor.
Be that as it may, the cast is an interesting one. Just count the number of smiles from Ted Donaldson, who's unusually dour as the boy. We don't have to imagine his Danny Mitchell is unhappy—he really appears to be. Add to that actor Tom Powers, best known as the cranky fall-guy in the noir classic Double Indemnity (1944), who seems to have specialized in cold, unfriendly characters. The result is a distance between father and son that appears unusually real for a movie of any type. We have no difficulty believing there's a gap here to be overcome. Then there's a very pretty young Ann Doran as Danny's mom. I'm used to seeing her in one of her many later character roles. Here, her understanding nature knows how to deal with both son and husband (note how cleverly she influences Dad), but can't overcome the gap between them. What a fine, fine actress she was.
Note too, the volunteer fire department bringing together diverse elements of the community into a harmonious weekly poker night. It may be idealized, but comes at a time when small town values were still celebrated. Anyway, the movie's a slender little exercise that manages not to get too sentimental, the pitfall for films for this type. But, more importantly, it's the kind of gentle family drama that has largely disappeared from both big screen and little. And we're all the poorer for that.
Be that as it may, the cast is an interesting one. Just count the number of smiles from Ted Donaldson, who's unusually dour as the boy. We don't have to imagine his Danny Mitchell is unhappy—he really appears to be. Add to that actor Tom Powers, best known as the cranky fall-guy in the noir classic Double Indemnity (1944), who seems to have specialized in cold, unfriendly characters. The result is a distance between father and son that appears unusually real for a movie of any type. We have no difficulty believing there's a gap here to be overcome. Then there's a very pretty young Ann Doran as Danny's mom. I'm used to seeing her in one of her many later character roles. Here, her understanding nature knows how to deal with both son and husband (note how cleverly she influences Dad), but can't overcome the gap between them. What a fine, fine actress she was.
Note too, the volunteer fire department bringing together diverse elements of the community into a harmonious weekly poker night. It may be idealized, but comes at a time when small town values were still celebrated. Anyway, the movie's a slender little exercise that manages not to get too sentimental, the pitfall for films for this type. But, more importantly, it's the kind of gentle family drama that has largely disappeared from both big screen and little. And we're all the poorer for that.