Infantry--dogfaces

"Dog Face" is a pilot film for a TV series that never was approved by the networks. While this isn't unusual, it is because it was written and directed by Sam Fuller, a man who seemed to be a genius at making good yet economical films. It can't help but make you wonder what would have resulted if the series had been approved.

The series was to have been about iUS nfantry soldiers (nicknamed 'dog faces') in North Africa during WWII...topics seen in several other Fuller films.

In this pilot episode, American soldiers are wandering about the hillside. They see a German Shepherd and think nothing of it...not realizing it's an EVIL dog! They don't know that the beast has been trained to spot enemy troops and signal the German soldiers. As a result, the Germans know the Americans are coming and slam them with artillery. Now, the soldiers must use all their efforts to find and kill that doggy!

My guess is that the reason "Dog Face" was not approved as a series is because although this pilot IS very good, the notion of soldiers tracking and shooting a pooch probably worried network execs. After all, you apparently CAN kill people on TV...but not dogs! This sort of moral ambiguity was a trademark for Fuller...and I guess his stories were just a bit too gritty for American TV of the era. It's a shame, as it is well made and compelling.

By the way, if you want to see this pilot episode, it's currently posted on YouTube.

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Unaired pilot for a dramatic WWII series on CBS about the US invasion of Nazi-held North Africa and the troops who must suffer the most and make morally ambiguous choices to survive.

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