Gone to the Dogs

December 9, 2009 11:55 AM

From 1929 to 1931, MGM produced a series of short comedic films that featured an all-dog cast. Ladies and Gentlemen, The All-Barkie Dogville Comedies. The Big Dog House, Part 1 The Big Dog House, Part 2

College Hounds, Part 1
College Hounds, Part 2

Who Killed Rover, Part 1
Who Killed Rover, Part 2

Love Tails of Morrocco, Part 1
Love Tails of Morrocco, Part 2

So Quiet on the Canine Front, Part 1
So Quiet on the Canine Front, Part 2

Hot Dog, Part 1
Hot Dog, Part 2

The Two Barks Brothers, Part 1
The Two Barks Brothers, Part 2

Trader Hound, Part 1
Trader Hound, Part 2

posted by louche mustachio (10 comments total)

This is because of Neko Case on TCM, right? I loved the movies she picked especially A Face in the Crowd.
posted by GavinR at 12:00 PM on December 9, 2009

No animals were harmed in the making of these films.
If you want to make a comedy omelet, you have to be willing to break a few poodle necks.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:29 PM on December 9, 2009

I'd love to see more films like these made today.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 12:34 PM on December 9, 2009

Removed for copyright.

That was fast.
posted by Clave at 1:06 PM on December 9, 2009

I'd love to see more films like these made today.

How about an adaptation of Heidi starring shelter dogs? In funny costumes? With conspicuous CGI? And the voices of Richard Kind, Angela Lansbury, Julian Sands, Stephen Rea and Steve Guttenberg? Is that something that would interest you?
posted by Iridic at 1:28 PM on December 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc..

:-(
posted by oinopaponton at 1:43 PM on December 9, 2009

Recently my wife and I were in L.A., staying on the Sunset Strip. We were upgraded to a "rock star/movie star" style two-story suite and ran around like little kids, trying everything out (The fireplace! The espresso machine! The remote-controlled curtains!). The last thing we tried out was the television in the bathroom. We clicked it on while we were brushing our teeth and were instantly rewarded by black and white images of dogs dressed as humans, walking on their hind legs, drinking gin, etc. We stood in the bathroom transfixed by L.A. weirdness until the movie ended (only five minutes or so-- we tuned in right at the end). "What the Hell was that? " I asked. My wife did some Googling and we found the film: The Big Dog House.

Too bad these others are down. I would've liked to have basked in their bizarreness, even though the films might not seem so strange while viewed from the (much) more modest setting of my own living room.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 2:56 PM on December 9, 2009

Ah crud.

TCM has them on their site:

So Quiet on the Canine Front

The Big Dog House

The Dogway Melody

Love Tails of Morrocco

Trader Hound
posted by louche mustachio at 7:31 PM on December 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

How about an adaptation of Heidi starring shelter dogs? In funny costumes?

Thanks Iridic, that's just what I was looking for.

I also like the "Jingle Bells Dogs". Once a year or so.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 10:21 PM on December 9, 2009

Sigh. I love dogs, but this sort of thing is hard for me to watch. Some of the way dogs show stress are by licking their lips, yawning, panting...I see all of that happening in these little movies. I'd like to just relax and enjoy the cute pups, but I keep thinking that they're just feeling anxious the whole time. I would love to know it's not true.
posted by TochterAusElysium at 7:58 PM on December 16, 2009