Kinda creepy.

[thebitterguy]

Anyone remember The Littlest Hobo? Turns out there was a very similar show on in the Holy Republic called Run, Joe, Run!.

Whereas Hobo was just a dog who wandered from locale to locale, doing good and helping people, Joe was an Army K-9 accused of a crime he did not commit. He went underground, helping those who needed help, all the time pursuing the three legged dog who had... No, wait. That's not right.

But, anyway, yes. Two very similar shows. At least in the old days they'd wait a few years before putting a very similar concept on the air, instead of rushing it into production to beat the original to air.

Comments

[lowercaseem.livejournal.com]

I kind of thought you were going to suggest that Joe was put into a maximum security military kennel but that he'd escaped and that, if you could find him and had the kibble, he could help you.

Heh...

[dewline.livejournal.com]

It's too easy to come up with a logo to match that for this joke, you know that, right?

[thebitterguy]

It was tempting, but I wanted to use the three legged dog.

You got my curiosity going...

[dewline.livejournal.com]

...and lo and behold, you can actually buy the 1979-1985 theme music from one of the original composers! (http://hobotheme.com/)

A pleasant surprise that was.

Re: You got my curiosity going...

[thebitterguy]

Oh, man! Suddenly, a voice IS calling me!

[dogbreathcanada.livejournal.com]

What 30+ year old Canadian doesn't remember The Littlest Hobo? I now have the theme song running through my head. Thanks!

There's a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road is where I'll always be

Every stop I make, I'll make a new friend
Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

Down this road, that never seems to end,
Where new adventure, lies just around the bend.

So if you want to join me for a while
Just grab your hat, come travel light - that's hobo style.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, the whole world is my home.

So if you want to join me for a while
Just grab your hat, come travel light
That's hobo style.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

There's a world, that's waiting to unfold,
A brand new tale, no one has ever told,

We've journey'd far but, you know it won't be long,
We're almost there and we've paid our fare, with the hobo song.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

So if you want to join me for a while
Just grab your hat, come travel light - that's hobo style.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll find what I call home
Until tomorrow, you know I'm free to roam.

[thebitterguy]

Yeah, it was a pretty iconic show. He was the best dog ever, traveling all around and helping people and stuff. And the Corner Gas episode was great.

The theme is catchy, true. I might just spring for the CD.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I've never seen Run, Joe, Run!, but the same plot has been use in a multitude of US TV shows, another example (an ensemble show involving 4 ex-military members) was The A-Team. Of course, such shows are rarer now in the US, since in the modern US media, accused criminals are now always assumed to be guilty.

The contrast of Run, Joe, Run! and The Littlest Hobo is perhaps an interesting microcosm of the differences between the US and Canada.

[thebitterguy]

Heh. I remember the A-Team, but it was about four ex-mounties who... Nah, I'm just kidding.

I guess Prison Break has to give us some hope, then, since it's both huge and about a guy on death row who's been wrongly convicted (at least, I assume).

[tfbretz.livejournal.com]

I remember "Run, Joe, Run!"

Hadn't thought about it in about a million years, but I remember it. Joe's handler, who was always just on his tail, trying to bring him back and let him know everything was OK, drove around in a jeep and had an early '70s mobile phone that was roughly the size of two shoe boxes, and he had to contact the "mobile operator" every time he had to make a call.

[thebitterguy]

That's great; the chasing guy wants to make sure the hero knows everything is Ok, and it was just a misunderstanding. And, since Joe's a dog, they can't just put it in the paper.

Early mobile phones are the best. I remember an x-files episode set in the late '80s where Mulder had this huge clunker.

[tfbretz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the whole "Run, Joe, Run!" schtick came from the fact that those words were the last order Joe received from his handler, who stalled the Army or something so Joe could get away.

It was all very deep.

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this is a show that you watch but there was a VERY funny episode of CORNER GAS this season that totally took the piss out of LITTLEST HOBO, with many specific lyric quotes by the cast and the Littlest Hobo Theme played over the closing credits.

It was a hoot, I thought.

[thebitterguy]

Oh, yeah, I loves me some CG. That was a really cool episode, if only for the CanCon bits.