AllMovie

For the Love of Rusty is an easy-to-take entry in Columbia's brief "Rusty" series of the late 1940s. Danny Mitchell (Ted Donaldson) can't seem to get along with his father Hugh (Tom Powers). An especially sore spot is Danny's affection for his dog Rusty; Hugh Mitchell can't stand Rusty, and demands that the boy lose the mutt immediately. Everything is straightened out with the help of another dog named Flash, and by lovable old veterinarian Aubrey Mather. For the Love of Rusty represented one of the earliest directorial assignments for John Sturges, who graduated to such high-priced fare as Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape.