Only diehard movie lovers of a certain age might be familiar with "Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood", a 1976 comedy from Paramount that came and went in the blink of an eye.The titular animal is a German shepherd whose "real name" was, rather amusingly, Augustus Von Schumacher. The film was the brainchild of David V. Picker, the mogul who ran several studios over the course of his career and who, as head of production of United Artists from the late 1950s through mid-1970s, brought the company to its most illustrious period. Picker developed "Won Ton Ton" while he was at Warner Bros., then brought the project with him when he moved to Paramount. Armed with a script by Arnold Schulman, based on a story idea by Cy Howard, Picker enlisted Michael Winner to direct the satire of the film industry during the silent movie era. Winner might have seemed like a strange choice at the time, given he was coming off a string of successful, but often very violent crime thrillers and westerns. He had recently scored the biggest success of his career with the controversial "Death Wish". However, he had made his mark in the British film industry a decade earlier by directing some well-received counter-culture comedies that perfectly tapped into the emerging mod scene.
The movie may be about a pooch but it's an odd duck of a film. It centers on Estie Del Ruth (Madeline Kahn), one of many wanna-be movie stars who has gravitated to Hollywood during the early days of the industry. She has a chance encounter with a stray German shepherd and can't find a way of losing him. Ultimately, they bond and she comes to realize that the dog is highly intelligent and capable of carrying out remarkably complex tasks. She meets Grayson Potchuck (Bruce Dern), an opportunistic aspiring director who has the ear of grumpy studio boss J.J. Fromberg (Art Carney). As Grayson forms a romantic relationship with Estie, he observes her dog's abilities and pitches an idea to Fromberg to allow him to direct a film starring the canine, who will be renamed Won Ton Ton. The movie turns out to be a hit, spawns a franchise and the dog becomes a national sensation. However, Estie's career is still in limbo and she uses her control over Won Ton Ton to persuade Fromberg into allowing her to star as the leading lady in heartthrob Rudy Montague's (Ron Liebman) next film. Ultimately, she, Grayson and even Won Ton Ton learn that loyalty and security in Hollywood are transient things as they all fall from fame and fortune into virtual obscurity.
It's hard to imagine just why David Picker thought this film would be a hit. Full disclosure: I was a friend of his and now regret not having ever discussed the movie with him, especially since Picker was not adverse to discussing his career failures as well as his triumphs (he gives the film only one incidental mention in his memoirs). In any event, "Won Ton Ton" was a bomb. Critics savaged the film, correctly pointing out that Michael Winner's direction was erratic. Screenwriter Arnold Schulman accused Picker of having the script largely rewritten without his knowledge and he publicly disassociated himself from the final cut of the movie. He said it was directed with all the charm and wit of a chain-saw massacre. The story is erratic and never very funny. However, Madeline Kahn shines in the lead role (after Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin turned it down). She had remarkable comedic timing and one can only wonder why her career never soared the way many had predicted. Bruce Dern is fine as the male lead but the funniest bits belong to Art Carney as the sex-crazed studio mogul who "interviews" prospective starlets without even bothering to put on his trousers to greet them. Ron Liebman is also very amusing as a legendary Valentino clone who privately lives as a flamboyantly gay man with a passion for cross-dressing. There are some other saving graces. The production design is very impressive and it's fun to watch the sights and sounds of 1970s L.A., which at the time could still be convincingly transformed into the Hollywood of the silent film era. As for ol' Won Ton Ton, he's adequate as a trained dog but never quite achieves the kind of miraculous feats that would have made him a nationwide sensation. (The dog's screen name was clearly inspired by Rin-Tin-Tin, whose copyright holders sued Paramount for infringement.) The film was harshly criticized for its cynical view of the silent era, although one would have to be very naive to believe that Harvey Weinstein-like practices didn't exist from the very beginning of the movie industry.
The one notable aspect of the movie is the glorious assemblage of old-time movie stars in cameos, some of them appearing on film for the final time. But Winner was accused of mishandling this opportunity. While a few have parts with some meat on the bone, most appear in blink-and-you'll-miss-'em pop-ups that are not very creatively staged. Some are just extras in a crowd scene while others have a few innocuous lines. Nevertheless, it's great to play spot-the-star, especially since the film itself isn't very engaging. Among the remarkable cast of cameo players: Stepin Fetchit, Yvonne De Carlo, Rudy Vallee, Dorothy Lamour, Tab Hunter, William Demarest, Andy Devine, Johnny Weismuller, Ethel Merman, Billy Barty, Broderick Crawford, Rory Calhoun, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Arlen, Ann Miller, Jackie Coogan, Robert Alda, Henry Wilcoxon, Edgar Bergen and countless others. Generally speaking, the inclusion of gimmicky cameos usually distracts from a movie's merits. However, since "Won Ton Ton" is so lacking in said merits, the cameos provide the primary reason for staying through the end credits.
The Olive Films Blu-ray has a nice transfer but no bonus extras. That's a pity because a critical analysis of the movie by film historians would make for a compelling commentary track.
