Here is the oft-told tale of a young fellow of dubious background and hard-scrabble existence finding his way in a cruel and judgmental world. In fact, you might even call our hero a stray.
Wildfire is a bull terrier and we become part of his life's journey through the sassy narration of Vic Morrow. The turn of the 20th century Bowery is no place for gentlefolk or gentle dogs. Separated from his mother and only knowing the name of his grand champion father, Regent Royal, Wildfire falls in with the tough and abusive Patch McGill played by Jeff Richards (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). Patch is out for the quick buck and doesn't care who gets hurt along the way.
Where will this twisted road take our hero? Will he find resolution or redemption? As the cold autumn wears on, you will enjoy a familiar story told in an unfamiliar manner. Sometimes that is what we need, plus the studio sheen of MGM and some Eastmancolor.
It's a Dog's Life is based on the 1903 novel The Bar Sinister by Richard Harding Davis. In my youth, I found a compilation of the noted foreign correspondent's journalistic endeavours at a second-hand bookstore and lived the adventures and tragedies of history through his eyes. Davis's plays and novels were no less successful and influential, forming the basis of several films, shorts, and features. This screen telling was adapted by John Michael Hayes (The Trouble with Harry) and directed by Herman Hoffman (The Invisible Boy).
