- Jed Barlow's arrival in Lawtonville sparks rumors. A trial follows an incident with explosives and an injured dog, leading to a surprising verdict and a lesson in redemption for the townfolk.
- In Lawtonville, the current foci for preteen Danny Mitchell and his friends, Squeaky Foley, Gerald Hebble, Nip Worden, and Tuck Worden, are to hang out in their clubhouse - an old shack in which they are squatting on the private property of retired lawyer Franklyn B. Gibson - listening to the radio serial "Fang, the Detective Dog" while they work toward collecting enough Vitabark dog food box tops, the serial's sponsor, to get the book "How to Train Your Dog to Be a Detective" to train Danny's faithful German Shepard, Rusty. Rather thank kick them off his property or let them get away with being on his property without his permission, Mr. Gibson instead uses the opportunity to teach the boys some responsibility in their actions. The foci for the boys changes with the arrival into town of a reclusive young man who they will learn is named Jed Barlow, and his German Shepard, Barb. Seemingly, Barlow is sharecropping on the dilapidated and long empty Gruber farm. Barlow doesn't want to spend any time with his new neighbors, and when he is forced to, he has a surly demeanor. Based on circumstantial evidence, the boys believe he is an ex-GI who spent time in military prison, a story which gets spread and expanded upon throughout the town, with Gerald's older brother, Luther Hebble, the chief rumor-mongerer. Luther believes he has the moral right also as an ex-GI, but one who never saw battle, never having made it any further than Chicago and never being promoted beyond the rank of Private. Luther blames the world for his current unemployment rather than his own sloth. But in Rusty and Barb's friendship - dogs who will be dogs - Danny gets to see another side of Mr. Barlow. Mr. Gibson, with a little help from Danny's father, city counselor Hugh Mitchell, may be able to give Danny, the boys, Luther and the narrow minded townsfolk a further lesson in the consequences of hurtful actions, this specific action being the gossip.—Huggo
- The fourth film in Columbia's "Rusty" series is a lecture against spreading gossip. A young army veteran comes to town, and Danny and his friends learn that he had spent time in a military stockade for an infraction of a regulation. Danny's friends spread the story all over town. The seriousness of the minor infraction grows with each telling. As a sidebar, Rusty finds a mate and becomes a father.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
- Twelve-year-old Danny Mitchell and his amateur detective pals spy on a new arrival in their town of Lawtonville, a reclusive and mysterious World War II veteran named Jed Barlow. Although the residents of the town believe that Jed is a misanthrope, Danny decides to pursue a friendship with him. When a letter addressed to Jed from the U.S. Army Military Prison arrives at the town post office, rumors quickly spread through Lawtonville that Jed is a "jailbird." A short time later, Danny follows Rusty, his dog, to Jed's, where he discovers that Jed is feverish and suffering from malaria. Danny helps Jed recover from his illness, but when Danny asks questions about Jed's personal life, Jed refuses to give him any answers. Jed makes a full recovery, and he and Danny eventually become good friends. While attending a pro-military rally at the town square, Jed is disturbed by a patriotic speech given by Luther Hebble, and as he walks away from the rally, Hebble follows him. A fistfight between the two men ensues when Hebble accuses Jed of being unpatriotic and throws a punch at him. Danny later avenges Luther's mistreatment of Jed by throwing a blueberry pie at him. One day, Jed accidentally injures Rusty while using dynamite to uproot a tree stump. The townspeople accuse Jed of deliberately trying to harm Rusty, and he is arrested. Certain that Jed did not intend to injure Rusty, Danny tries to help him by getting Mr. Gibson, a lawyer, to take his case. Gibson, a champion of fairness and an advocate of teaching children about how the justice system works, believes Danny's assertions and accepts Jed as his client. During the trial, Jed testifies that he is a veteran who was spurned by his girl friend and, as a result, became embittered at the world. Gibson uses Jed's testimony to argue that society, often too quick to judge someone by their outward appearance, has condemned Jed before learning the facts. Because of Gibson's emotional plea, Jed is fined only $100 for the accident, while Hebble is charged with slander.
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