In small town Lawtonville, Illinois, teen-aged Danny Mitchell, his German Shepard Rusty, and Danny's five similarly aged friends have been close companions with aging and wealthy Counsellor ... Read allIn small town Lawtonville, Illinois, teen-aged Danny Mitchell, his German Shepard Rusty, and Danny's five similarly aged friends have been close companions with aging and wealthy Counsellor Frank Gibson for three years, the seven having dinner together every Sunday. The Counsello... Read allIn small town Lawtonville, Illinois, teen-aged Danny Mitchell, his German Shepard Rusty, and Danny's five similarly aged friends have been close companions with aging and wealthy Counsellor Frank Gibson for three years, the seven having dinner together every Sunday. The Counsellor, who sees the five boys as the world in miniature and who espouses an all inclusive view... Read all
- Tuck Worden
- (uncredited)
- Dr. McNamara
- (uncredited)
- Miss Simmons
- (uncredited)
- Roy Hebble
- (uncredited)
- Nip Worden
- (uncredited)
- Citizen at Pottery Works Meeting
- (uncredited)
- Jerome Hebble
- (uncredited)
- Squeaky Foley
- (uncredited)
- Passerby on Street
- (uncredited)
- Mr. Foley
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter a scene in the water with "Rusty", Stephan Dunne said he heard the director say "get him a towel'. Seconds later he realized the "him" was the dog. Dunne eventually got a towel, but only after the dog.
- GoofsAs Fred Gibson's car goes into the lake, it changes from a new Ford convertible to a much older Ford Model A.
- Quotes
Danny Mitchell: Counselor Frank says the five of us are the whole world if we were multiplied enough. So the way I see it, if the council gives us the house, it's like they're saving the world.
- ConnectionsFollowed by Rusty's Birthday (1949)
The story opens in Gibson's mansion with the gathering of his young friends, teenager Danny Mitchell (Ted Donaldson), his dog, Rusty (Flame), Tuck (David Ackles), Nip (Dwayne Hickman), Gerald (Ronnie Ralph) and Squeaky Foley (Robert Scott, filling in for Teddy Infuhr), who have their meetings in a clubhouse located in Gibson's yard. Following dinner, Gibson announces he's going to make up a new will in favor of the boys. That very night before going to bed, Gibson makes true to his promise, and after it's set, he places the will inside a book, concludes his evening with a cigar smoke (against doctor's orders) and goes to sleep. The following morning, the boys discover from Codo that Gibson died during the night of a weak heart. Gibson's sudden death hits the boys very hard. After the funeral, Fred (Stephen Dunne), Gibson's nephew, arrives from Chicago by automobile for the reading of the will. Almost immediately, he is disliked for many reasons: for accidentally hitting Rusty with his car (the start of many growls of Rusty towards Fred); his straightforward manner; forbidding the boys on the property where he animal traps are placed and intentions of building a brick wall around the estate. Unable to locate the revised will, Danny's father, Hugh (John Litel), a city attorney, reads the original will to Fred that requests for him to live on the Gibson estate and Lawtonville for an entire year as well as carrying on his tradition by entertaining the boys as their host every Sunday afternoon. As much as Fred would rather return to Chicago, he agrees to remain so to collect his fortune. During his stay, the boys, hoping to locate the revised will, come up with solutions such as writing nasty notes and doing damage to his property to get Fred to leave. When it's Danny's turn, who shows up during the night, he ends up having to save Rusty caught in one of the traps with a blaze of fire nearby. In spite of Fred's attitude, he does show kindness towards Lyddy Hazard (Gloria Henry), an young artist and secretary. After the two get into an argument, Fred drives off in a rage, losing control of his car that lands in the river, leaving Fred to call out for help. Recalling the title of the movie, it's anyone's guess what Rusty does at this point.
A sort of story that would be commonly found in 1950s TV family shows, such as "Timmie and Lassie" for example, RUSTY SAVES A LIFE provides entertainment along with a moral lesson being "two wrongs don't make a right," a philosophy that still relevant today. With the boys purposely causing mischief to avenge to an unlikable new neighbor is never the solution to anything, as told to Danny by his conservative-minded father in the manner of Hugh Beaumont's portrayal in the "Leave It to Beaver" TV series. Of the actors who portrayed Danny's father in the past, ranging from Conrad Nagel and Tom Powers, John Litel is a logical choice for the role (having played the father to Nancy Drew and Henry Aldrich in two separate film series) due to his natural and believable manner, along with Ann Doran as his faithful wife, Ethel. Historians of classic TV shows will not only discover Ellen Corby appearing as Miss Simmons, but Gloria Henry, best known as Alice Mitchell in the "Dennis the Menace" (1959-1962) comedy series starring Jay North.
Rarely seen on television in decades, RUSTY SAVES A LIFE, which runs at 67 minutes, finally turned up on Turner Classic Movies June 23, 2007. Next and last in the series: RUSTY'S BIRTHDAY (1949). (** dog bites)
- lugonian
- Aug 13, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Rusty Salva uma Vida
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 8 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1