Rusty Leads the Way
Brief Synopsis
A boy and his dog help a bitter blind girl adjust to life.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Will Jason
Director
Ted Donaldson
Danny Mitchell
Sharyn Moffett
Penny Waters
John Litel
Hugh Mitchell
Ann Doran
Ethel Mitchell
Paula Raymond
Louise Adams
Film Details
Also Known As
Rusty Takes a Walk
Genre
Drama
Release Date
Oct
21,
1948
Premiere Information
Los Angeles opening: 22 Jul 1948
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on characters created by Al Martin.
Technical Specs
Duration
59m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Synopsis
In the small town of Lawtonville, thirteen-year-old Danny Mitchell decides to run away from home with his dog Rusty after his father punishes him for not doing his chores. Certain that Danny will change his mind and stay at the last moment, his parents, Hugh and Ethel, help him pack his bags. Danny leaves, but returns a short time later when he smells his mother's goulash cooking. Later, Danny discovers that a new family has moved into his neighborhood and visits their house, where he listens to Penny Waters, a blind girl, play the piano. Penny, who lives with her widowed mother, becomes the subject of much debate at Danny's school when the education board discovers that she is not officially enrolled. Some board members suspect that Penny's mother is too sensitive about her daughter's blindness to enroll her in school, and other members, including Harry Ainsworth, object to any plans to spend school money to accomodate Penny. While Hugh, the city attorney, is obligated to enforce a law requiring Penny to attend a special state school for the blind, Danny, realizing that Penny does not want to attend such a school, tries to find another solution. After seeing Penny and Rusty at play, Danny gets an idea to provide Penny with a Seeing Eye dog. With the help of his father, Danny persuades the school board to give the plan a chance and postpone its decision to send Penny to the state school. Penny is instead referred to the Reed Foundation, where she begins her training in the use of a Seeing Eye dog. Under the supervision of Louise Adams, the chief trainer at the Reed Foundation, Penny is assigned a dog named Tubby. A short time later, however, Penny becomes frustrated by Tubby's loyalty to Louise, and longs for her familiarity with Rusty. She decides to quit the training program, and asks Louise to drive her back to Lawtonville. As Penny resigns herself to going to the to the state school for the blind, she is suprised by the unexpected arrival of Tubby, who has found her way back to her after running away from Louise. Tubby's return is proof enough for Penny that the dog will be loyal to her, and she gladly accepts him as her new guide dog.
Director
Will Jason
Director
Cast
Ted Donaldson
Danny Mitchell
Sharyn Moffett
Penny Waters
John Litel
Hugh Mitchell
Ann Doran
Ethel Mitchell
Paula Raymond
Louise Adams
Peggy Converse
Mrs. Waters
Flame
Rusty
Harry Hayden
Harry Ainsworth
Ida Moore
Mrs. Mungy
Mary Currier
Miss Davis
Fred Sears
Jack Coleman
Mickey Mcguire
Gerald
Teddy Infuhr
Squeaky
Dwayne Hickman
Nip
David Ackles
Tuck
Wanda Perry
Secretary
Al Thompson
Attendant
Dick Elliott
Board member
John Hamilton
Board member
Paul E. Burns
Postman
Crew
Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Music Director
George Brooks
Art Director
Robert Cohn
Producer
George Coulouris
Tech Director
Carter Dehaven Jr.
Assistant Director
Vincent Farrar
Director of Photography
Helen Hunt
Hairstylist
Irving Klein
Camera Operator
Russell Malmgren
Sound tech
Wyonna O'brien
Script Supervisor
Arthur Ross
Screenwriter
Pat Sutherland
Grip
James Sweeney
Film Editor
Frank [a.] Tuttle
Set Decoration
Joe Walters
Stills
Nedrick Young
Story
Film Details
Also Known As
Rusty Takes a Walk
Genre
Drama
Release Date
Oct
21,
1948
Premiere Information
Los Angeles opening: 22 Jul 1948
Production Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on characters created by Al Martin.
Technical Specs
Duration
59m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Articles
Rusty Leads the Way
A boy and his dog help a bitter blind girl adjust to life.
Rusty Leads the Way
A boy and his dog help a bitter blind girl adjust to life.
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title for this film was Rusty Takes a Walk. The picture was one of many in Columbia's "Rusty" series. For more information on the series, consult the Series Index and see the entry above for Adventures of Rusty.
