A Dog's Love

A Dog's Love

A DOG'S LOVE (October 4 1914) Helen Badgley, Shep (The Thanhouser Collie) (Courtesy of Dominick Bruzzese)

(One reel of 1,007 feet, released October 4, 1914)
Directed by John Harvey. Scenario by Nolan Gane
Print source: Museum of Modern Art, 11 minutes, 12 seconds.
Cast: Shep (The Thanhouser Collie, as himself), Helen Badgley (Baby Helen), Arthur Bauer (Helen's father), Ethyle Cooke Benham (Helen's mother), Fan Bourke (a visitor).

The fantasy centers on a dog and a child, a universally appealing movie subject. The loyal dog's attachment to his little girl playmate is treated with pictorial beauty and simple, honest sentiment. Reviewers of the time praised the double-exposure passages for their dramatic effectiveness.

Baby Helen, also known as The Thanhouser Kidlet, was a precocious child actress who was very comfortable and expressive in front of the camera. Also a regular, Shep, The Thanhouser Collie, was a well-trained member of the studio's repertory company.

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