Hound-Dog Man

Hound-Dog Man is a 1959 American musical comedy drama film directed by Don Siegel, based on the 1947 novel by Fred Gipson, and starring Fabian, Carol Lynley, and Stuart Whitman.

In 1912, Clint McKinney and his younger brother Spud talk their father Aaron into letting them go on a hunting trip with their older friend, the womanizing Blackie Scantling.

I was writing about real people straight out of my childhood and I couldn't seem to get them stopped and finally wound up with a complete novel.

"[7] In 1952 Ida Lupino expressed interest in obtaining the film rights, as a possible vehicle for Robert Mitchum.

)[12] Ricky Nelson, Lyndsay Crosby, and David Ladd were mentioned early on as possible stars, along with Stuart Whitman, who did wind up playing the title role.

20th Century Fox had enjoyed success launching pop stars Elvis Presley and Pat Boone into film careers and thought they could do the same with Fabian.

[18] Dodie Stevens was cast because Wald's teenage sons liked her song "Pink Shoe Laces".

[21] LQ Jones later recalled that Fabian "was not that talented as an actor, but he worked hard and was just a nice person.

[25] Fox executives later put this down to public rejection of Fabian, in particular the fact that his fans were very young and not ticket-buying teenagers.

"[21] Siegel said "it's difficult to get over in a precis the fun, the beauty, the splendid acting, the wondrous feeling of robust freedom in Hound Dog Man" calling Whitman "a brilliant actor.

"[7] However, Fox later found Fabian could be effective in supporting roles of major stars for the studios, such as John Wayne in North to Alaska and Bing Crosby in High Time.

Fabian later reflected in 1971 that he thought the title was to blame for the film's poor box office reception.