Scruffy (1980 film)

Last updated
Scruffy
Written bySheldon Stark
Directed by Charles A. Nichols
Voices of Nancy McKeon
Hans Conried
June Foray
Alan Young
Michael Bell
Music by Dean Elliott
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
Producer Jerry Eisenberg
Running time70 minutes
Production company Ruby-Spears Productions
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseOctober 4 (1980-10-04) 
October 18, 1980 (1980-10-18)

Scruffy is a 1980 animated film produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and based on the 1978 British children's book Scruffy: The Tuesday Dog by Jack Stoneley. [1] It originally aired in three parts on ABC Weekend Special series on October 4, 11 and 18, 1980 and was also the first animated television special to be shown in three parts on consecutive Saturday mornings. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

Scruffy is a puppy with beautiful eyes, a loving heart and an eager intelligence, born in a deserted house she shares with her mother, Duchess. The story begins when Duchess' owners decide to move from their house to an apartment building and give Duchess to their neighbor Helen. However, Duchess sneaks back into the boarded up house and misses Helen when she comes by looking for her. Afterwards, Duchess gives birth to Scruffy. A demolition crew begins a controlled burn of the house which forces the dogs to escape through the chimney onto the roof. They are briefly adopted by their kindly rescuers who cannot bear to send them to the animal shelter and a possible untimely death. Soon, however, Duchess insists that she and Scruffy set off to find her original owners. Tragedy strikes when Duchess is shot dead by 2 hunters who mistakes them for wild dogs threatening their sheep, leaving Scruffy on her own in the countryside, until she finds her way to a nearby city.

The orphaned Scruffy, frightened and freezing is alone in the big city until she finds an affectionate new master, a ragged but regal Shakespearean street performer named Joe Tibbles. Scruffy successfully howls her way into his act and cleverly learns every trick the old man can teach. Their happiness is only fleeting – Mr. Tibbles collapses from a heart attack. As he is being taken away to a hospital in an ambulance, Scruffy chases after it; accidentally tumbling into a swirling river in the process.

Butch, a tough stray with a heart of gold rescues the drowning Scruffy and takes her to join his motley family of strays; these dogs have set up a canine commune in an abandoned station wagon in a junk yard. Their names are Randy, Collie, Sam and Solo. Scruffy and the strays are eventually betrayed by a thief named Catlin and his dog Caesar, caught by dog catchers and thrown in the pound to face their doom. There the dogs bark loudly for attention from people coming by hoping to get adopted. Scruffy and Butch, having been caught on a Tuesday are quickly running out of time, knowing that after a week, dogs are disposed of. Luckily, the day Scruffy and Butch are to be put down, an article is published by a local reporter titled, "Scruffy The Dog In The Tuesday Cage" and is about how strays like Scruffy have only a week to find a home. As a result, Scruffy and Butch are given an extra day and are saved just in time along with all the other dogs in the pound who all found a loving owner. Scruffy grows up to have puppies of her own with Butch.

In the epilogue, the narrator states that the story of Scruffy the stray was a true story, but that most strays are not as lucky and that millions of them are "abandoned by unfeeling people, hungry, neglected, lost; it shouldn't be that way. Maybe some of us can think of ways to change it".

Voices

Home video release

Scruffy was first released on VHS by Worldvision Home Video in the early 1980s and later re-released on VHS in association with Kids Klassics Home Video in 1989. To date, it has not been released on DVD by current rightsholder Warner Home Video.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Hundred and One Dalmatians</i> 1956 childrens novel by Dodie Smith

The Hundred and One Dalmatians is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith about the kidnapping of a family of Dalmatian puppies. It was originally serialized in Woman's Day as The Great Dog Robbery, and details the adventures of two dalmatians named Pongo and Missis as they rescue their puppies from a fur farm. A 1967 sequel, The Starlight Barking, continues from the end of the novel.

<i>Lady and the Tramp</i> 1955 American animated film

Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. It was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske, and features the voices of Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Bill Thompson, Bill Baucom, Verna Felton, and Peggy Lee. The film was based on the 1945 Cosmopolitan magazine story "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog" by Ward Greene, and tells the story of Lady the pampered Cocker Spaniel as she grows from puppy to adult, deals with changes in her family, and meets and falls in love with Tramp the homeless mutt.

<i>Lady and the Tramp II: Scamps Adventure</i> 2001 American direct-to-video animated film

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure is a 2001 American animated direct-to-video musical romance film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and the sequel to Disney's 1955 animated feature film Lady and the Tramp. This film was released on February 27, 2001, 46 years after its predecessor in 1955. It involves Lady and Tramp's only son, Scamp, who runs away from his home and joins a gang of stray dogs. He also ends up in a romantic affair with one of the gang's members, Angel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearded Collie</span> Dog breed

The Bearded Collie, or Beardie, is a herding breed of dog once used primarily by Scottish shepherds, but now mostly a popular family companion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wire Fox Terrier</span> Terrier dog breed originally from England

The Wire Fox Terrier is a breed of dog, one of many terrier breeds. It is a fox terrier, and although it bears a resemblance to the Smooth Fox Terrier, they are believed to have been developed separately. It originates from England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miniature Bull Terrier</span> Dog breed

The English Miniature Bull Terrier is a breed with origins in the extinct English White Terrier, the Dalmatian and the Bulldog. The first existence is documented in 1872 in The Dogs of British Island.

What-a-Mess is a series of children's books written by British comedy writer Frank Muir and illustrated by Joseph Wright. The title character is a dishevelled, accident-prone Afghan Hound puppy, whose real name is Prince Amir of Kinjan. The book series was later made into two animated series, both narrated by Muir.

<i>The Starlight Barking</i> 1967 childrens novel by Dodie Smith

The Starlight Barking is a 1967 children's novel by Dodie Smith. It is a sequel to the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians.

The Puppy's Further Adventures is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises and broadcast on ABC from September 25, 1982 to November 10, 1984. It is based on characters created by Jane Thayer about Petey, a young dog who attached himself to a lonely orphan boy named Tommy.

<i>Beethoven</i> (TV series) American animated TV series

Beethoven is a 1994 American Saturday morning cartoon television series loosely based on the 1992 motion picture of the same name. The series was produced by Northern Lights Entertainment and Universal Cartoon Studios, and aired for one season on CBS Saturday Mornings, with 13 episodes with two 10 minute segments produced. Dean Jones, who played Dr. Varnick in the film, voiced the role of George Newton. Nicholle Tom, who played teenage daughter Ryce in the film and Beethoven's 2nd, was the only cast member from the films to reprise her role in the series, partly due to her presence in CBS's own prime time series, The Nanny, in where she was contractually obliged to portray the Maggie Sheffield character.

<i>A Dogs Life: The Autobiography of a Stray</i> 2005 novel by Ann M. Martin

A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray is a children's novel written in 2005 by Ann M. Martin and is published by Scholastic Books. The target audience for this book is grades 4–7. It is written from the first-person perspective of a female stray dog named Squirrel. Ann M. Martin bases her books on personal experiences and contemporary problems or events.

<i>Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs</i> 2004–2010 Japanese manga series

Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukiya Sakuragi. It started in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump on September 22, 2004, and was later transferred to Monthly Young Jump on August 18, 2009, where it ran until April 28, 2010For much of her life, 18-year-old Suguri had been sheltered and tightly controlled by her parents. With her loyal mutt, Lupin, by her side, she yearns to break free from the countryside and forge a new path in bustling Tokyo. However, an unexpected turn of events occurs when Lupin, unnoticed by his owner Teppei, mates with another dog, dashing Teppei's hopes for a litter of purebred puppies. Seeking to make amends for her dog's unexpected escapade, Suguri agrees to work at the pet store managed by Teppei. Little does she know, this decision sets her on a series of adventures filled with canine mischief and unexpected encounters..1.

<i>Madelines Rescue</i> Book by Ludwig Bemelmans

Madeline's Rescue is a children's picture book by Ludwig Bemelmans, the second in his Madeline series. Released by Viking Press, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1954.

<i>Ma-Mha</i> 2007 Thai film

Ma-Mha is a 2007 Thai comedy-drama film directed by Pantham Thongsang and Somkiet Vituranich about a pack of stray dogs in suburban Bangkok who want to cross a busy highway in hopes of finding a better life on the other side of the road. It is the first Thai live-action feature film to feature main characters that are animals.

<i>Pound Puppies</i> (2010 TV series) Canadian TV series or program

Pound Puppies is an animated children's television series developed by Wendy Klein Moss, Nancy Steingard, Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere for the Hub Network. It premiered on October 10, 2010 in the United States as the first Hub "original series". It also aired on YTV in Canada and on Boomerang in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Produced by Hasbro Studios, it was the second series to adapt Pound Puppies into a cartoon format. Originally a property by Tonka, Hasbro acquired Tonka itself and currently manages Pound Puppies. The plot style and music were similar to the 1960s TV series Hogan's Heroes and to films like Stalag 17 and The Great Escape. 9 Story Entertainment animated the first 7 episodes of the series, but DHX Media/Vancouver took over production starting with episode 8.

Dog Daze is a 1937 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies directed by Friz Freleng and animated by Robert McKimson. The short was released on September 18, 1937.

<i>Underdog</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Oh Sung-yoon and Lee Chun-baek

Underdog is a 2018 South Korean animated film about the story of abandoned dogs. The film is directed by Lee Chun-baek and Oh Sung-yoon and stars Doh Kyung-soo, Park So-dam and Park Chul-min. It was released in theaters on January 16, 2019.

<i>Dogs in Space</i> (TV series) Animated television series

Dogs in Space is an animated action-adventure streaming television series created by Jeremiah Cortez and developed by Cortez, James Hamilton and Adam Henry for Netflix. Produced by GrizzlyJerr Productions and Netflix Animation, with animation purchased from Atomic Cartoons, the series premiered on November 18, 2021.

References

  1. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 55–56. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  2. Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 355–356. ISBN   0-8108-2198-2 . Retrieved 27 March 2020.