Gone to the Dogs is a 1939 musical comedy vehicle starring George Wallace. It was the second of two films he made for director Ken G. Hall, the first being Let George Do It (1938).[3]
Synopsis
George is a disaster-prone zoo attendant who accidentally discovers a substance that accelerates motion, enabling his greyhound to run faster. This attracts the interest of a gang of criminals, led by Doctor Sundermann (a foreigner), who have their base in a "haunted house" next to the zoo. The criminals kidnap George's dog and plan to substitute their own in an important dog race. George and his friends defeat the crooks and their dog wins the race.
George's housekeeper, Mrs McAllister, has a daughter, Jean, who romances vet Jimmy Alderson - but who is also loved by Ted Inchape. Ted kisses Jean after the song 'Gone to the Dogs', causing Jimmy to punch out Ted and Jean to call Jimmy a "beast".
Stephen Doo as Sing Lo, who sings a song that Wallace danes to
Hughie as Aloysius, the dog
Production
George Wallace signed with Cinesound in February 1937. Stuart F. Doyle announced that Gone to the Dogs would be his first movie for the company[4] but he ended up making Let George Do It first.
As with all Cinesound comedies in the late 30s, uncredited work on the script was performed by Hall, Jim Bancks and Bill Maloney. Frank Coffey was Cinesound's in house story editor.[5] The story followed a formula developed in Wallace's Ticket in Tatts: "George is given a simple labourer's job... Quite innocently is fired... He then becomes involved in a simple wish-fulfilment device... the device is complicated by an equally simple set of stereotyped gangsters who have no motivation beyond innate greed for greater wealth, and in each situation they are foiled, usually accidentally, by George and his friends."[6]
Filming started in January 1939 and was completed by May.
Wallace's female co-star was Lois Green, an actor with extensive stage experience with J. C. Williamson Ltd, who left Australia after filming to go work in London.[7][8] The romantic male lead was an unknown amateur actor called John Fleeting, who later appeared for Hall in Come Up Smiling (1939).[9]
The cast also included John Dobbie, Wallace's long-time stooge on stage, and Howard Craven, a former publicity writer for MGM in Sydney who had gone into acting.[10] Hughie the dog, who played George's greyhound, was selected over 100 other applicants.[11] Extras were drawn from Cinesound's Talent School.[12]
A set built for the film was promoted at the time as being the largest ever built for an Australian movie at over 12,000 square feet.[13] Some location shooting took place at Taronga Zoo.[14]
While on location in Campbelltown, a scene was filmed where George Wallace was run over. A farmer saw this and called the police.[15]
A highlight of the film involved a "greyhound ballet". This involved training greyhounds for two weeks so they would be used to the lights and working with ballet dancers.[16] The opening sequence involves Wallace having an encounter with gorillas. Cinesound's special effects man J Kenyon recalled an incident with creating the costumes:
The costumes were made first of all by the furrier, but they fitted so perfectly the actors could hardly move in them, so I got to work. I had to unpick all the stitches and then redesign the costumes, allowing for more accommodation. Even then, none could cope with being enclosed in such a 'hot house,' and in the end we had to get a professional wrestler to play the part of both animals. He lost three stone while the scenes were being taken.[17]
The theme song was composed by a Viennese composer living in Sydney, Henry Krips.[20]
Songs
"We'll Build a Little Hone" - lyrics and music by George Wallace (arranged by Henry Kripps)
"Gone to the Dogs" - lyrics by Harry Allen, music by Henry Kripps
Release
Gone to the Dogs had its world premiere at the Majestic Theatre, Launceston in 1939.[21] Hall later wrote that the two films he made with Wallace "were very substantial hits".[22] Reviews were generally positive.[23]
The film was released in England in a shortened version. Hall said "They cut them down regardless to make a specific time, to
make it into a second feature. They said that they wouldn’t buy the picture unless they got the negative. So the Company gave them the negative and they cut the bloody thing. What we got back was 55 minutes out of a 75 minute film. They cut out a lot of good comedy, to suit their own ends; to get it to second feature length and to pinch the title."[24]
References
^Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 185.
^"STAGE AND SCREEN SHOWS". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. XCVIII, no. 49. Tasmania, Australia. 9 May 1939. p. 4 (LATEST NEWS EDITION and DAILY). Retrieved 30 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^Ken G. Hall, Directed by Ken G. Hall, Lansdowne Press, 1988 p147
