Dondi

I first saw the movie Dondi back in 1966. I was 9.

The audio on this film was terrible and/or the producers simply just picked the wrong child actor in the seven (7) year old David Kory to play Dondi. We the audience are expected to have sympathy for the war orphan seven (7) year old Dondi as the sailors led by David Janssen are suckers for his sad face and really poor language but sadly, the little Dondi just irritated me every time he opened his mouth and mumbled something incoherent.

I watched this years ago and am surprised I made it all the way through (must not have been anything else on and this was long before streaming.).

The comic strip Dondi about the Italian war orphan adopted by some GIs is given the big screen treatment in this film. It was a a disaster and made the Michael Medved list of the 50 worst films of all time.

As children, my brother and I watched this film on television and we both enjoyed it. The story really tugged at our hearts because it was funny and sad at the same time.

To me, seeing "Dondi" is a special treat. It's the 44th film I've seen from the book "The 50 Worst Films of All Time" by Harry Medved--and I hope to one day see them all.

Italian boy, not only orphaned but apparently nameless, stows away with a group of too-chummy American GIs sailing for New York City; soon, little mush-mouthed 'Dondi'--as his soldier buddies have been instructed to call him--gets lost in the crowd and attaches himself to a con artist and an orphaned dog. Screenwriters Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen, basing their characters on the not-too-popular comic strip, certainly leave family audiences orphaned with this ridiculous treacle, full of artificial hugs and kisses.

Dondi is not the worst movie I have ever seen or even in my bottom 20. That said, it is still a terrible movie.

This movie came on after another movie I'd been watching ended. I didn't bother changing the channel, and BOY-O-BOY I didn't know what I was in for.