The William Castle Blogathon :: A Story that’s Slightly Different… (October, 1946)

 

 
As a character, Rusty the dog had a total of eight movie adventures. Here, in the first sequel, Castle gives us a thinly veiled retread of Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen’s Dondi — a popular syndicated comic strip (who has its own tale of cinematic infamy), where our canine hero helps another war orphan, who stowaway-ed his way to the States, in an attempt to find the G.I. who befriended him back in Czechoslovakia. Other directors who handled Rusty’s leash include John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape) and Lew Landers (The Raven, Return of the Vampire).
 

 
This post is part of Goregirl’s Dungeon and The Last Drive-In’s The William Castle Blogathan, a week long tribute to the King of Schlock. Follow the linkage, Boils & Ghouls. It’s gonna be a great week. And stick around, as we’ll be showcasing Castle’s film career from its fairly normal beginnings through it psychotronic glory days. Stay tuned!

The Return of Rusty (1946) Columbia Pictures / P: Leonard S. Picker / D: William Castle / W: Lewis Helmer Herman, William Sackheim / C: Philip Tannura / E: James Sweeney / M: George Duning / S: Ted Donaldson, John Litel, Mark Dennis, Barbara Woodell, Dwayne Hickman

The Last Crooked Mile (1946) Republic Pictures / P: Rudolph E. Abel / D: Philip Ford / W: Jerome Gruskin, Robert L. Richards, Jerry Sackheim / C: Alfred S. Keller / E: William P. Thompson / M: Joseph Dubin / S: Don Barry, Ann Savage, Adele Mara, Sheldon Leonard, Nestor Paiva