The Littlest Hobo | |
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Directed by | Charles R. Rondeau |
Written by | Dorrell McGowan |
Produced by | Hugh M. Hooker |
Starring |
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Cinematography |
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Edited by |
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Music by | Ronald Stein |
Distributed by | Allied Artists [1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 77 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Littlest Hobo is a 1958 American film directed by Charles R. Rondeau. [2] [3] The film stars London, a dog owned and trained by Chuck Eisenmann, [4] in his acting debut, playing as a stray German Shepherd. [5] [6] [7] It was the debut production of Hugh M. Hooker, [8] as well as Rondeau's debut production. [9] Filming took place around Bryce Canyon in Utah. [10] The film featured the song Road Without End, sung by Randy Sparks. [11] [12] It was released by Allied Artists Pictures, [13] [14] and would later become adapted into a Canadian television series in 1963. [15]
Hobo, a homeless German Shepherd, arrives at an unfamiliar town after leaving a freight train. He comes across a lamb and rescues it from being killed at a slaughterhouse, and is later tasked with restoring happiness to a boy and girl.
The film received 3.5/5 stars by Wanda Hale of the New York Daily News . [16] According to Rondeau's obituary, he received a Cannes Award in 1958 for directing the film. [17] [18] In March 2024, London was ranked by The Times as the sixth best TV and film dog of all time. [19]
Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, Lee Duncan, who nicknamed him "Rinty". Duncan trained Rin Tin Tin and obtained silent film work for the dog. Rin Tin Tin was an immediate box-office success and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame. Along with the earlier canine film star Strongheart, Rin Tin Tin was responsible for greatly increasing the popularity of German Shepherd dogs as family pets. The immense profitability of his films contributed to the success of Warner Bros. studios and helped advance the career of Darryl F. Zanuck from screenwriter to producer and studio executive.
Paul Bettany is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021), for which he garnered a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, including the actors Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges. He started his career as a contract performer for Columbia Pictures, appearing in films such as Sahara (1943), A Walk in the Sun (1945), Little Big Horn (1951) and High Noon (1952). On television, he starred in Sea Hunt 1958 to 1961. By the end of his career, he had re-invented himself and demonstrated a comedic talent in such parody films as Airplane! (1980), Hot Shots! (1991), and Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998). Among other honors, Bridges was a two-time Emmy Award nominee. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 1, 1994.
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer. Born in Brooklyn to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until age 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in rural Missouri. In 1953, at age 15, Stevens relocated with her father to Los Angeles.
Here's Boomer is an American adventure/drama television series produced by Paramount Television that premiered on the NBC network on March 14, 1980. A television film called A Christmas for Boomer aired on December 6, 1979, and served as the pilot. A spin-off of the live-action series The Red Hand Gang, the show follows the adventures of the titular stray dog, "Boomer" and ran for two seasons, ending its run on August 14, 1982, with the final original episode, "Flatfoots," airing on July 3 of that year.
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie dog named Lassie and her companions, both human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 25, 1973. The eighth longest-running scripted American primetime television series, the show ran for 17 seasons on CBS before entering first-run syndication for its final two seasons. Initially filmed in black and white, the show transitioned to color in 1965.
The Littlest Hobo is a Canadian television series based upon a well-known 1958 movie of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived for a popular second run on CTV, spanning six seasons, from October 11, 1979, to March 7, 1985. The concept of the show was that of "an ownerless dog".
Houseboat is a 1958 American romantic comedy film directed by Melville Shavelson. The songs, "Almost In Your Arms" sung by Sam Cooke, and "Bing! Bang! Bong!", sung by Sophia Loren, were written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. It was presented in Technicolor and VistaVision.
Keith Andes was an American film, radio, musical theater, stage and television actor. He is known for films such as Blackbeard the Pirate (1952) and Clash by Night (1952), a film in which he shared the screen with Marilyn Monroe.
Jeffrey Wincott is a Canadian actor and martial artist best known for his lead role in the television series Night Heat.
The Billion Dollar Hobo is a 1977 American comedy film starring Tim Conway and Will Geer.
Devil's Partner is a 1958 American film starring Ed Nelson, directed by Charles R. Rondeau and produced by Hugh Hooker, an actor and stuntman who had previously made the 1958 film The Littlest Hobo. However the film was not released until 1961 when it was acquired by Roger and Gene Corman's Filmgroup and released as a double feature with Creature from the Haunted Sea. The film was co-written by actor Stanley Clements and Laura Jean Mathews.
George Blair was an American film director who worked generally on supporting features including many B-Westerns. Two of his earliest films were British-set thriller films starring C. Aubrey Smith, made for Republic Pictures.
Joyce Taylor is an American actress. She starred in feature films and television primarily during the 1950s and 1960s.
Dorothy Mae Johnson was an American actress and print model. Starting her career as a beauty queen, she was best known for acting on television and in motion pictures during the Golden Age of Hollywood as a starlet during the 1950s. Dorothy Mae Johnson won the 1955 Miss Oregon beauty pageant and was first runner-up in the 1956 Miss America pageant. The United States Marine Corps chose her to be their official Miss Leatherneck.
Jeanne Doris Baird was an American actress. During her career, her name was often confused with that of singer Eugenie Baird.
Charles R. Rondeau was an American television director.
Charles Paul Eisenmann was an American baseball pitcher and dog trainer who played in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) from 1940 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1953 after serving in the United States Army. He is best known for being the owner and trainer of multiple dogs, most notably London, who starred in the Canadian television series The Littlest Hobo.