Review of Red Dog

Okay, on the scale of 1 to 10, this entry is likely a 3, but there are several reasons to catch up with this otherwise turgid mess. First, there's one of movieland's most compelling character actors, the great John Carradine in a patented feature part. Here he's a crooked judge and criminal mastermind, so he gets to intone all that flowery literary dialogue in a basso-profundo voice like no other. He cuts quite a commanding figure; plus, he looks like he's having a good time. Then there's evil-eyed Lee Van Cleef, sort of standing around waiting to become the headliner he would one day be. Frankly, he acts bored, probably with good reason since the direction has all the snap and verve of a soggy doughnut. But most of all, for the guys, there's the nubile young Sherry Jackson in the perkiest Maidenform this side of Twin Peaks. I especially like the shot that frames Beau ogling in the background as one of those snazzy little wonders juts out in the foreground. Family TV was seldom this obvious. Too bad the episode itself is so static and full of palaver. It's like the producers only had 50 bucks to spend and spent 49 on the cast. Sherry Jackson or no, I expect this 60 minutes did the ratings no good at all. (In passing—note the fleeting reference to Marshal Dan Troop {John Russell} and deputy {Peter Brown} of Laramie, Wyoming —likely a shameless plug for another network {ABC} series, The Lawman. And, what's more, they do it with a straight face!).