Feature1945·10m·6.1

Story of a Dog

Documentary

A dog trains for the battlefield and becomes a crucial part of the United States military. This 1945 short documentary film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short, One-Reel.

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Cast

Knox Manning

Narrator (voice)

Details

Status
Released
Original language
English
Languages
English
Budget
Revenue
Age rating
Quality
4K UHD · HDR10 · Dolby Vision
Production
Warner Bros. PicturesThe Vitaphone CorporationUnited States Coast Guard

Crew

Director

Gordon Hollingshead

Writers

Saul Elkins

Victor Kline Jr.

Editor

Reviews

CinemaSerf

7/6/2025

6.0

Given what they were being fed, I was quite surprised these dogs didn’t turn on their handlers and eat them instead! Rather than that, though, the narration adopts the persona of these mutts as they undertake some brutal and onerous training so that they are as immune to the effects of war as it’s possible to be. That’s handy because the plan is to ship them off to the Far East theatre of the Second World War where they can be used to sniff out snipers hiding in the dense undergrowth - hopefully saving many a soldier’s life. It’s all fairly standard wartime fayre that I think could have worked better had someone like Pete Smith provided a more humorous and engaging commentary rather than this really quite dry and earnest output. It’s interesting just how much effort and import was placed on the training of hundreds of these animals and at just how much reliance the military placed on these creatures with enhanced senses and skills.