| Lad: A Dog | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Lad_A_Dog_Poster.jpg) Original theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Leslie H. Martinson Aram Avakian |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune |
| Produced by | Max Rosenberg |
| Starring | Peter Breck Peggy McCay Carroll O'Connor Angela Cartwright |
| Cinematography | Bert Glennon |
| Edited by | Tom McAdoo |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Lad: A Dog is a 1962 American drama film based on the 1919 novel of the same name written by Albert Payson Terhune. Starring Peter Breck, Peggy McCay, Carroll O'Connor, and Angela Cartwright, the film blends several of the short stories featured in the novel, with the heroic Lad winning a rigged dog show, saving a handicapped girl from a snake, and capturing a poacher who killed his pups and injured one of his owners. Warner Bros. purchased the film rights for the novel from Vanguard Productions, and acquired the film rights for the other two Lad novels from the late Terhune's wife.
Aram Avakian was initially selected to be the film's director, but when he continually refused to do a sentimental-type dog story, he was replaced by Leslie H. Martinson. Lillie Hayward and Roberta Hodes wrote the screenplay for the film, adapting several of the short stories from the novel to create a single narrative, and adding in an all-purpose villain. The film was released on June 6, 1962. The studio hoped it would be successful enough to be followed by a second film and a television series. Though it has been praised by fans and modern reviewers, contemporary critiques felt Terhune's work did not translate well to film and it was considered a low-budget B-movie. It was released to home video in 1995.