Trusty: As my grandpappy, Ol' Reliable, used to say . . . I don't recollect if I ever mentioned Ol' Reliable before?
Jock: Aye, ye have, laddie. Frequently.
I love Lady and the Tramp. But maybe not for the reasons that most people do. You see, I most love the side characters, like the bloodhound and Scottish terrier neighbor dogs in the opening quote to this blog. Their banter and their absolute loyalty won me over as a child. I also adore the scene at the zoo with the beaver, when Tramp is trying to get the muzzle off of Lady. And, of course, who doesn't love the spaghetti-eating scene in the alley behind the Italian restaurant while Tony serenades their puppy love with Bella Notte ?!
WATCH-ALIKES
All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
This Don Bluth film also features a dog with a dubious past. Charlie the German Shepherd (voiced by Burt Reynolds) is murdered by his double-crossing business partner. As a dog, he naturally earns a spot in heaven, but he gives it up to return to Earth to help his dachshund BF Itchy (voiced by Dom DeLuise) and an orphan girl Ann-Marie. I wasn't in the United States when this movie came out, so I didn't realize until TODAY that it opened on the same day as The Little Mermaid. Tough break.