A Boy and His Dog

A BOY AND HIS DOG suffers from being nothing more than a short tale about a boy who sets free a dog being cruelly treated by a neighborhood man (RUSSEL SIMPSON). When the man tries to reclaim his dog, there's a trial at which the country judge (HARRY DAVENPORT) decides in favor of the boy as the new owner of the mistreated animal. That's it.

Strangely enough, this is directed by LeRoy Prinz, who later became the dance director for many a Warner film. And the boy is played by BILLY SHEFFIELD, who looks like he would have made a good Tom Sawyer except his acting skills are unremarkable. He's the brother of Tarzan's Johnny Sheffield. DOROTHY ADAMS lends some warmth to the tale with her portrait of the boy's sympathetic mother.

But it's a sugary confection, easily forgotten.