Come listen to a story about a boy named Danny and his Gestapo-trained German Shepherd, and we're not talking about a guy in lederhosen tending sheep. This was the first in a series of Rusty movies made in the late 1940s.

Danny Mitchell is having the hardest time of his young life. His widowed father has recently remarried, his new stepmother is trying to fill some pretty big shoes and he's positively friendless. Things start looking up when Danny finds Rusty, a dog that seems too aggressive at first. However, Danny sees through all the barking and snarling to the heart of gold encased in fur. He also discovers the reason for Rusty's social problems: he was previously a canine soldier for the Nazis who trained him to be vicious and bloodthirsty. Risking imminent mauling, Danny starts to train Rusty in a kinder, more American way and slowly the dog overcomes his distrust of the world and becomes a loyal companion.

Many more Rusty movies followed his 1945 debut, like The Return of Rusty,  For the Love of Rusty, Son of Rusty and Rusty Leads the Way. They were mostly sweet, sentimental stories about the bond between Danny and Rusty or about other children and their dogs, often incorporating valuable lessons about life, honesty and compassion.

Ace the dog portrayed Rusty in the first film but other canine actors stepped into the role, like Flame, who played Rusty in four of the eight movies.