User reviews

EVERY movie nut has a few in his collection that he hides from his friends... films that "aren't cool", trashy films with no redeeming social value, outrageous films with no importance whatever. Films that you secretly watch from time to time just because they're FUN!

I'll come clean here... ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, POOTIE TANG, SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT, CANDY and ROCK & ROLL HIGH SCHOOL are among MY Guilty Pleasures.

An outstanding member of my back-of-the-shelf collection is WON TON TON, THE DOG WHO SAVED Hollywood.

This one is DEFINITELY for those folks whose knowledge of American cinema goes back a LONG way... back to the Mack Sennett comedies, and to the days before Hollywood became a multibillion dollar Money Machine. It's a sort of Love Letter to the silent screen stars of the 1920's; they appear in a copious number of cameos here. If you don't know who the Ritz Brothers were, you won't get this film!

Madelein Kahn literally steals the show from a somewhat dopey German Shepard, a MAJOR achievement for ANY actor or actress! There's an old stage saying that one should NEVER work with kids or animals; they'll steal your scenes every time without even trying. Kahn MORE than held her own, even successfully stealing scenes from the pooch. Check out the scene where the roast chicken falls off of the delivery truck, and Kahn and Won Ton Ton fight over possession of it. She just DUSTED the dog, and overall HE comes off as the comedic straight man!

The only other recent actor that comes close to this level of thespian gallantry and sheer talent is Jim Bellushi in his performance in K9... he's ANOTHER screwball comedian who can pull it off successfully.

Bruce Dern's performance is somewhat wooden. Dern's persona literally radiates instability and danger... NOT good for comedy. He's gamely going through the motions here; it quickly becomes painfully apparent that Dern, as fine an actor as he is, has NO potential in comedic roles.

Art Carney does his usual masterful job of playing a curmudgeonly movie producer, constantly shooting down Dern's half baked movie ideas ("There's this little girl in Kansas, see, and a tornado takes her and her house to this magic land, somewhere over the rainbow...").

One of the unsung heros here is Ron Liebman; he shows a flair for subtle comedy that's totally unexpected.

It's not a film for everyone; a LOT of folks will HATE it. But.. if you love the REALLY old movies, and you can FIND it, WON TON TON is good for an evening's entertainment.

My friend knew I was a fan of Michael Winner, as previously I lent him a copy of "SCREAM FOR HELP". So he returned the favor with the polar opposite "WON TON TON THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD". This was one of those films I heard of, but never went out of my way to see. Watching it was eye-boggling, as I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's the "Where's Wally" of Hollywood filmmaking, as star after star after star of golden age cinema show up in small and at times, unimportant roles. Just looking at that cast listing, is a curiosity, but what a waste. Still all of this does become a distraction, with it simply being a hyperbolic hodgepodge of situational humor done at a frenetic pace. It's obviously trying for that charming old-school slapstick comedy of errors and mischief, yet the scatterbrain energy, comic interplay and running gags begin to wear out its welcome. When you think it can't get any more ridiculous, it does, but that's when it kind shows up the shortcomings and lack of variety. It's very shallow, but I could be possibly missing something? A social commentary of the infatuating highs and devastating lows that makes Hollywood what it is? Nah, it's just an aspiring showbiz tale of a gal (Madeline Kahn), a guy (Bruce Dern) and a dog in twenties Hollywood consisting of numerous in-jokes and animated performances. The amusingly gleeful Madeline Kahn and an exaggerated Ron Leibman do steal most of the scenes. Well that's when Won Ton Ton is not doing his thing. It might be a train wreck, but it had its moments. Or you'll be pondering what were they thinking?

Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood is by far a comedy masterpiece, but it stars the lovely Madeline Kahn in a truly hysterical performance. She rises so above the material. She possesses the same kind of movie magic of the screwball comediennes of the 30's and 40's and even comes off much better. I think if Madeline Kahn were a star in those days we would have had at least 100 films starring her. But when she made her film debut in 1972 she was a true Hollywood find. After all her first four movies are all now classics and two considered masterpieces. Not to mention two Oscar nominations. But with all that greatness the movie studios offered her parts in so-so comedies. I mean she made some more very good films, but not up to her first four. She was as beautiful and extremely talented as all her peers of the day. I always felt she was one day going to get her Academy Award in her older years, but unfortunately she died much too soon. Bruce Dern, Art Carney, Teri Garr, Phil Silvers, Ron Liebman, Nancy Walker and so many stars from the past appear in this take off on Rin Tin Tin. Paramount has yet to release it on DVD. 2006 is here today and its the films 30th anniversary. I wish they would release it for us all to enjoy and cherish a underrated performance from Madeline Kahn.

This is a nice slapstick-comedy about the good old days in Hollywood and also a hommage to Rin Tin Tin, the most famous silent-movie dog-star. Bruce Dern plays a director who starts to have success after discovering the dog. All-star guest appearances from Milton Berle over Cyd Charisse to Rory Calhoun and Johnny Weissmueller are also included but the best actor is the dog who plays Won Ton Ton. He is fantastic. In some scenes it doesn't work to put the humor and slapstick from the Twenties into the Seventies but this movie is really worth to take a look.

I knew if I came here I would see review after review telling me this is funny and a lost gem. It's not funny. It's not a lost gem. It doesn't matter whether you were in high school when you saw it, or whether you were eighty or whether you were six - it is truly one of the unfunniest comedies ever made, perhaps the unfunniest of all time. The dog is great. Madeline Kahn and the large cast of cameos are fun. Bruce Dern - not exactly Mr. Comedy. Michael Winner - the man who made Death Wish - that's who I'd hire to direct a comedy. The script is horrible, Winner is a Loser, and I just marvel at the deluded people who come to post at the IMDb. I know there is no accounting for taste, but when a movie is this bad, this blatantly bad, then one's mind is boggled reading these ridiculous comments. I was around Paramount at the time this film was released - they were really on a roll with terrible comedies - this, The Big Bus, and not only their comedies, but all their films save for one or two. Perhaps that's what happens when an Production Designer is made the head of a studio (Dick Sylbert).

I didn't really think I could find this film worse than when I saw it on its original release, but having just watched the DVD, it is indeed worse. An all-time bomb. The critics and audience of the time were right - the delusional here are completely wrong.

I love Madeline Khan and Teri Garr. So, when I saw this movie for sale, I thought: "How could I have missed this gem?" After watching it, I now know why. It isn't a gem, it is a lump of coal. The movie tries to be tongue-in-cheek and high-camp but doesn't even succeed there. Yes, I know the movie isn't meant to be taken seriously (eg Young Frankenstein) but it fails there. The cast is full of stars, most of whom make cameos. Remember, the movie came out in 1976 so a lot of the old time actors and stars were still alive. But they were very hard to recognize and most only had just a few seconds of screen time. Seriously, this might be the worst movie I've ever seen.

I never saw Won Ton Ton when it was released (although I was certainly old enough). The reviews were so damning that, in spite of a chance to see some of my favorites (The Ritz Brothers, Joan Blondell, Fritz Feld, Terri Garr and a host of former stars), I put it off until I bought the DVD and played it tonight. Perhaps the direction could have been better; certainly the camera-work wasn't consistent, but we thought it far funnier and more clever than many other 1970s movies that were better-received. The dog (or series of dogs) in the title role was (were) brilliant, even in extended shots. Harry & Jimmy Ritz (who, contrary to the IMDb cast list, WERE billed) showed, 40 years after their prime, why they were comedians' comedians. Art Carney didn't disappoint. I like Madeline Kahn but am not the fan that many are, and rather wish Terri Garr had the opportunity to play the lead. Rob Liebman and Fritz Feld gave topnotch comic performances. And Bruce Dern brought energy and comic sense to his lead role. It was a delight to watch the many former stars who, in a few moments of screen time, still knew how to nail a character and a scene. I wish Joan Blondell, now recognized as one of the finest and freshest actors of Hollywood's studio era, had been given a larger role. Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood isn't a comic masterpiece, but it is far better than its reputation. More important: it is fun!

Sadly this all star 'comedy' is a monumentally wasted opportunity to put a dozen or more famous old stars into the one film...and then irritatingly give them ALL nothing to do. Some just walk on and off, some have one line, some grunt, some just sit there. Too bad if you wonder what someone like Guy Madison looks like in his final film, you can barely find him. Someone like Madeline Kahn who is just divine and hilarious in everything else she ever did is completely loose and forced here. The film relentlessly sags and there is not much fun to be had at all. The opening night party must have been like a wake! Paramount, instead of opening their treasure vault of Technicolor musicals like Metro did and make a fantastic doco about their history, opted to instead actually make movies about film 30s production; so we got DAY OF THE LOCUST and GABLE AND LOMBARD. Universal made W.C .FIELDS AND ME, Fox made AT LONG LAST LOVE and sadly, crap like THE WORLDS GREATEST LOVER and UA actually did make a doco that nobody saw: the hilarious animal stars pic ITS SHOWTIME. While most of the above are actually interesting, it wasn't what the public wanted and they ALL bombed badly. WB even made one thing called UNDER THE RAINBOW which proved that Billy Barty at the time was the hardest working midget in Hollywood since he not only appeared in about 4 of the above new 1976 films, he even turned up in the genuine items from the 30s (Footlight Parade and the Wizard Of Oz). What the public wanted was the real footage and musical numbers from the past like the three THATS ENTERTAINMENT and THATS DANCING proved. Still to this day we don't have the Fox movie doco about their Technicolor years, or a celebration of CINEMASCOPE, the Universal musicals and sci fi pix epic doco, or Columbia's serial doco. Yes we have THE REPUBLIC PICTURES STORY and the AIP biopic IT CAME FROM Hollywood (I think), but we need a THATS ENTERTAINMENT from each of the major and minor Studios. I'd even cut the MONOGRAM-AA doco for them for free if they let me! The closest we got was the fantastic RKO history TV series narrated by Edward Asner. Won Ton Ton is awful and not worth watching, sad for the tragic sight of pensioner stars warbling one line here and there. Annoying.

I'm not surprised that someone who was in high school when this came out didn't appreciate it. It is of course as much a farce as Mad Mad Mad Mad World, but it has become a cult film for old movie buffs, because it has the most impressive cast of old movie stars, supporting actors, bit players and celebrities of any movie ever made. Movie buffs and clubs have had parties where they show the film and have people list as many players as they can identify. Don't believe it? Mouse up the whole supporting cast and feast your eyes!

I thought it was a kick - but then I've been watching movies that date from 1917 and know a little about the pictures. This romp combined cameos and bits by folks from Hollywood's good years (which I define as when they used people instead of digital simulation) as well as familiar faces from TV and pictures from the 50's and 60's.

It's a GO for my money (but then I wasn't in high school when I bought it). Don't see it unless you love pictures!

Director Michael Winner did make some good movies during his career, though not only did his talents lie more towards action and suspense, but even in his better movies he sometimes had a heavy handed style. So it's really surprising that he was chosen to direct this silly comedy. Actually, labelling it as "silly" is giving it too much credit. For the most part, it's a really lame comedy, never finding a constant tone and instead going all over the map from slapstick to satire. That might not have mattered had the humor been funny, but it never is, one reason being that it more often than not comes across in a low energy style. There is some fun seeing so many well known faces in cameos, but these actors are usually not given enough material to make a really good impression. It doesn't help that the movie is shoddily photographed, particularly in the outdoor sequences. "The Dog Who Saved Hollywood?" The dog (who is almost an afterthought many times) should have tried to save this movie instead.

I saw this movie years ago, and really liked it. It got bad reviews and disappeared from view. I have not seen it on TV or video stores. Kahn was great and so were the many cameos. Give it a try if you can find it.

I saw this movie when I was in high school. It sticks in my mind as the worst movie I've ever paid to see.

If you're a stargazer and like those films with all those names of yesteryear coming on for a brief walk on, then Won Ton Ton is your kind of film. It was nice to see a lot of those old familiar character actors and a few leads from days gone by do a brief appearance. Some of them might have needed a paycheck, I can think of one who probably did, but I won't say.

Told in flashback by tour guide Dennis Morgan, one of those names of the past it's the story of that great silent film star who spoke not a word, but barked on cue, Won Ton Ton. He starts out as a poor, but honest stray dog escaped from the pound and hooks up with hopeful Madeline Kahn who just wants a break in the film business. They in turn hook up with Bruce Dern a man who drives a tour bus, but when the bus makes a studio stop, Dern always rushes in to see producer Art Carney with yet another story idea. He has some good ones like a giant shark terrorizing a New England beach or a young adolescent girl possessed by the devil, just a bit ahead of the times.

The rest of the film is simply boy and girl meet dog, boy and girl make dog a star, boy and girl lose dog. But for the rest you have to see the film.

Dern, Kahn, Carney, and Won Ton Ton are wonderful and the Hollywood satire is funny. One thing however has lost its humor for me over the years. That's Ron Leibman playing the cross dressing Rudolph Valentino star of the silent screen.

Knowing what I know now about transgender people and the struggles they face that whole character has lost the humor for me. Not ten years earlier Albert Dekker was found in women's clothes having hung himself and Jeff Chandler may or may not have been a cross dresser depending whether you believe Esther Williams's memoir. These people were in a lot of pain in their lives, so a cross dressing star isn't all that funny any more for me.

Overlooking Leibman's character the rest of the film is nice and a great treat for those who want to see some stars of yesterday take another curtain call. For a few this was their last moment on the big screen.

I give this movie a 10. Because even though I can't seem to remember one scene in it, it touched my heart and I remember that dog to this day. Touching hearts, thats what movies should be about, so 10 out of 10.

Hearts are much more important than minds after all. I mean look at me, I've forgotten the film- but I still feel something nice when I remember the name. How many movies, or people, can you say that about today?

I think I saw the movie, like a dream, in black and white. However, like a dream, those old black and white movies could pull you in so you imagined the colour. Imagination, that is important in movies too- for both sides of the looking glass.

You know, I never would have considered myself a movie fan until I watched Swordfish and saw right through it. However, I have met a lot of nice people and seen a lot more while trying to find others that saw through it.

And so, while Swordfish is an outstanding film for the mind- perhaps Mr. Travolta was wrong, perhaps Hollywood didn't always make...

What can you say about a film that feels like a graduation exercise by the B-grade film students out of UCLA? "A, for effort." Now, not to get too side tracked here, but if SF State Students had done this film, it would have been all artsy and existential, but I digress.

"Won Ton Ton" is a nod to old Hollywood, and sends up the old classic system before the Golden Age of Hollywood. This was the period when visual gags and formulations that we see in today's films were forged and put on the screen for the first time for all to see. Pretty starlets in chorus lines, stage hands pretending to be big shots to take advantage of pretty young ladies, double dealing and creative bookeeping tinsel-town style, movie moguls and classic vaudeville actors are all showcased here.

One is hard pressed to malign the film, but let's face it, it's got charm but also some issues. The thing that somewhat torpedoes this film is the post production. The sound is raw. It's all scratch track (or mostly), and it gives the film a kind of amateurish family film feel, which makes it hard to accept the visual cues and other gags the movie trying to convey. There's some looped sounds, but one wonders why the post isn't a bit more refined.

For all that it's actually quite an endearing film. Certainly not the best, but definitely a charmer. A lot of classic faces from the 50s and 60s make cameos, and the lines they deliver are good, but the film is somewhat misdirected, and Bruce Dern (as good an actor as he is) seems somewhat odd for the role.

The film, as much work was put into this thing, seems a little on the low budget side. Still, after having viewing it after 30+ years later, I can still warm up to it some. It's really a film for industry insiders with as flare for their own history..

Then, there's the dog (or series of dogs used for the lead). This film and a few other shows popularized the German Shepard, and we see here the showcasing and capitalization of the Bavarian hound. Well, they say never work with children or animals, but Won Ton Ton holds its own in a low budget off-beat homage sort of way.

If you're a real Hollywood aficionado, then this film might satisfy. Otherwise maybe see it once, and then pass it off to a friend. :-)

It has been thirty years since I saw this movie when released for TV. The first thing that caught my attention was the movie was promoted for having a CAVALCADE OF STARS. There is a myriad of cameo appearances by stars from the past.

The story line starts out rather slowly, and I was fortunate to be patient enough until an actual plot began to develop. Similar to a good book, you almost don't make it to the point when it becomes interesting and then the fun begins and you have a hard time putting it down. It's a parody on former Hollywood Stars, their ego's and excesses. Very amusing yet silly, but there is realistic parallel to the current tribulations of today,s pop stars L.Lohnan and B. Spears.

I can't understand why it has not been shown on a Movie Channel This movie has somewhat of a cultishness to it. As a young boy Rin Tin Tin was and always will be my favorite but when looking for an unusual ethereal type movie WON TON TON is the STAR.

When I saw this I wasn't paying much attention to the credits. The presence of Madeline Kahn made me assume it was a Mel Brooks picture, that's how funny it is. Now that she's gone, this should become a collector's item.

About the only interesting thing about this movie is just how many old stars you'll see, and for many of them, it was to be their last movie. Too bad it was in a stinker.