Interviews - Wolf Dog 1958
Austin Willis
I had been procrastinating for some time over an idea I had about interviewing some of the surviving cast members of the movie WOLF DOG. On Tuesday, January 13, 2004, I was finally moved to action and had the great fortune to contact actor Austin Willis (Clem Krivak) by telephone at his home in the Canadian Maritimes.
Unfortunately, Austin said his recollections from that event almost 50 years ago include virtually nothing about Markdale. He recalled that "Wolf Dog" was (as Austin put it...) "filmed on the plains of Owen Sound." He and much of the cast stayed in an Owen Sound motel (Eddie Sargent's "Downtowner") and were basically kept there until it was time to shoot. He estimated the feature only took 2 weeks to shoot and the producers were notoriously tight-fisted. It was a "B" movie, after all. Still, he claimed to have enjoyed the experience, because he got to better know actor John Hart, who shares his age (86 at the time of this interview).They remained close friends the rest of Austin's life.
Austin spoke highly of Hart's equestrian skills. "John was an experienced horsemen as well as a fine actor." He recalls one scene in Wolf Dog that Hart was well paid for. It involved him taking a horse galloping at full clip for about a mile. Like the rest of the onlookers, Austin was in awe. When he had finished the ride, Hart led the horse and walked the full mile back on foot. When he returned, Austin asked him "What did you walk back for? Are you hurt?" Hart said "Nope! They only paid me to ride that far!"
In the fifties, the heyday of the western, actors who could ride horses were in great demand. There weren't many Canadian actors who could ride and Austin Willis was not certainly not one of them. First of all, Austin did not adjust well to cowboy boots, which made him feel as though he was falling backward all the time. He'd suffered difficulties with his feet since early youth and the condition lingered into adulthood As a result he is barely able to walk today. This difficulty was multiplied when Sam Newfield expected him to ride a horse.
"First of all, I played this gang-leader in the movie. Whenever I would climb on this horse, John (Hart) would say 'Here's our fearless leader.'' As soon as Austin swung his horse around, it would bolt away from the other horses and run into an open barn door. The event happened over and over and eventually, Austin's riding scenes were cut altogether. It was WOLF DOG that caused him to vow to never do another western!
Austin told me about his memorable fight scene with WOLF DOG's star, Jim Davis. Austin began, "Jim was a great actor and a fine man". This scene, like all but one of the indoors in the picture, was shot at Lakeshore Studios, Mimico at The Queensway and close to Sunnyside Amusement Park, Toronto. Sam Newfield and colleagues had the two actors repeat the scene over and over, leaving the two fit young actors exhausted and frustrated. Austin's feet again tortured by the cowboy boots, while the rest of his body was being tortured by the athletic Davis. The experience was the worst he'd ever endured in his storied career.
Austin regaled in that deeply resonant voice, "Jim came over to me and said 'Ch--st, Austin! This isn't right! We should have stunt doubles doing this', but they had us redo that scene over and over." Austin indicated this was further proof of the bargain-basement budget in place for WOLF DOG: Not hiring stunt extras for these scenes.
Right after filming WOLF DOG, Austin went to work on the what he considered the most wonderful film he'd done to that point in his career: "Ten Girls Ago," an unreleased feature which also starred such luminaries as pop singer Dion, Bert Lahr, Buster Keaton and Eddie Foy Jr. Canadian author and media personality Pierre Berton was thought by Austin to have composed the screenplay. Sadly, the film was never completed, but what scenes had been developed were thought so good, that people literally fought over the few completed segments like starved seagulls. The filming is alleged to have been done at a sound stage in Markham, or Kleinberg. Only disjointed remnants of this feature are known to have survived. I have had the good fortune to view brief snippets of T.G.A. on You Tube. One is Dion's performance of the song, "Feeling No Pain" and the other, a brief scene exhibiting Austin's comedic side, as part of a video resume compiled by film historian Ernest Dick.
Mr. Willis spoke highly of John Hart, whom he says he saw regularly until health became an issue for the two good friends. Austin said that John approached life very pragmatically and didn't allow himself to get too emotionally attached to projects. Hart is still getting paid to make appearances today as the Lone Ranger and has been in greater demand since the death of Clayton Moore. Austin recalled that John had a career in the production/development end of things with Universal Pictures before his retirement. When he retired, he moved to the scenic mountains of San Diego from greater Hollywood. I also discovered from Austin that John's wife, Canadian actress Beryl Braithwaite was the original "Maggie Muggins" from the CBC Radio kid's show. As of 2018, Beryl was still alive, while husband John passed a few years ago.
Austin was himself a resident of Hollywood for 20 years, performing in such top-notch American TV shows as Mannix, I Spy, Rat Patrol. He spent most of that time coming and going onboard Air Canada jets for work in Canada. At the time I interviewed Austin, he had retired to his native Nova Scotia, experiencing some chronic health challenges.
Until about 2002, He was doing a 'stage show,' in which he would regale audiences with humorous anecdotes of behind-the-scenes movie happenings, while showing some of his old movie clips. He recalled most of his films were easy to locate, noting WOLF DOG proved impossible. Assisting Austin with finding clips of his film/TV appearances was Ernest Dick, a film archivist and researcher from the Halifax area. It was Ernest who pointed me to the National Archives of Canada in my search for "Wolf Dog" and to whom I am most grateful.
In conclusion, WOLF DOG had been found I was so glad to have found Austin for this most exciting half-hour chat! He favoured me by speaking my name in that inimitable voice. I wished him continued good health and thanked him for his time!
On April 6th, 2004, I received the sad news that actor Austin Willis had passed away at his home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I am indeed thankful for the brief opportunity to chat with this exceptionally talented gentleman. ~J.W.
Don Garrard
I decided early in its infancy, that the internet was the most wonderful invention in the world! Why you may ask? Way back in early 2006, I ran a search on the name "Don Garrard" on Google.com and discovered that this actor who appeared as one of the villains in WOLF DOG, was still alive, well and abiding in Kenilworth, South Africa!! And so much more I learned about him! A native Canadian, Don was a world reknowned bass singer, who has thrilled audiences around the globe in opera and concert. A far cry from his brief stints in WOLF DOG, FLAMING FRONTIER and LAST OF THE MOHICANS. In these, he didn't sing a single note. Thus it was a surprise...no....a shock to discover this talent had been on CBC-TV and radio for decades before I came to know who he was. How much we see, but how little we really absorb.
I contacted Don through the South African publishing house "NEW VOICES" website (Thanks publisher Barbara Mueller) and he wrote me the following airmail letter dated February 1, 2006.
Dear Jeff Wilson,
Barbara Mueller has kindly passed onto me your email and I am only too delighted to oblige (with this response). Sorry that I am not on the web as yet, but my memories of those days are very clear and I have recorded them in detail in my autobiography, which I hope to publish within the year. The book ("Anecdotage" by Don Garrard) I have just published is about my Opera/Concert career and consists of musical limericks.
Now, as to the films you mention: i.e. "WOLF DOG," where Juan Root and I played the bad guys. I recall a very strong scene between me and the young boy (child actor Tony Brown), for which I worked overtime on the scripts; a very sexy leading lady (Allison Hayes) and a big shoot out at the end. I've got the odd still from the shoot and the bogus newspaper headlining our escapades. I also managed to see it in a crummy little theatre in New Jersey, while I was working briefly in New York. There were only four other guys in the theatre and I was not that well pleased by my contribution. I can't remember the lead's names, but I think he ended up in "DALLAS", correct? (Correct! The late Jim Davis, AKA Jock Ewing).
As for MOHICANS, its unfortunate we were paid a "one off" fee, since they kept repeating those episodes for years and the royalties would have been nice. I did about five of these, mostly small parts on location near Pickering and the Company built a fort. The worst one was when I played Chief Grey Wolf and and we had to do a fight scene with John Hart, who was bigger and a lot stronger than me. I was also half-naked (with breeches and a headdress) and it was October!! Of course, I got thrown around a lot, over logs, etc, and lost in the end. The next morning, I couldn't get out of bed and had to get treatment for my back, but whiskey did help!!
Apart from that, the most horrifying thing was seeing Lon Chaney coming out of his trailer at 6:30 in the morning, after a heavy night. Now THERE was a sight!
By far, the most fun I had was doing the other feature in which I played Bruce Bennett's Irish sergeant in "FLAMING FRONTIER". I really had a ball doing that. I had a great horse called "Pigeon" (because that's how he stood) and I used to ride him around the hills in the mornings while the crew were setting up. Then the director, Sam (Newfield) - one of the funniest men I knew - would get on the megaphone and yell "Where the hell is that damn kid?" and I would have to hightail it back to the set.
Oddly, there's a fellow named Steve Jensen from Cedar Falls, Iowa, who also emailed Barbara about me. He's set up a website for John Hart from LAST OF THE MOHICANS and is trying to organize some sort of memorial marker in Pickering. His email is stevejensen@cfu.net.
Maybe I can get Barbara to scan some of those stills and send you some. I hope this helps your project and I can probably dig up more, if you like. I'm age 76 now.
Would you be good enough to spread the word among any of your classical music friends about my book and new song CD? Thanks and all the best for now.
~Don Garrard
Note: the scene Don mentions above, depicting he and Tony Brown, was chosen by editor Philip Lubert and depicted in the Rogers-TV news-piece on WOLF DOG back in the summer of 2005.
Also, a scene featuring the first appearance of Don and Juan Root in the movie is also part of the Rogers piece. Don Garrard appears in LAST OF THE MOHICANS a number of times, with his name spelled a variety of different ways: Donald Gerard, Don Garrad and Don Gerrald among these.
The proposed LAST OF THE MOHICANS memorial marker by Steve Jensen that Don refers to was actually a combined effort by Mr. Jensen (who is webmaster for the JOHN HART fansite) and Mr. Clay Self (webmaster for the FOREST RANGERS and ADVENTURES IN RAINBOW COUNTRY fansites). It was undertaken nearing the 50th anniversary of the MOHICANS program being filmed on the lot near Concession #3 and Valley Farm Road, in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. See Clay and Steve's website devoted to the Pickering Plaque Project at this link. Eventually, the town decided to name the streets after military and police veterans who had passed away, also very worthy of distinction. I still believe this to be a great idea for some point in the future and encourage anyone interested to contact the Town of Pickering with a request for this commemorative plaque.
Personally, I'd like to see the Village of Markdale/Grey Highlands have something similar for the filming of WOLF DOG. If you feel this way too, please email me at the "Contact Us" link on the top of this page.
I am appreciative to Mr. Garrard for his kind indulgence in passing along these priceless anecdotes to us! I hope the site's regular visitors will show their appreciation by purchasing Don's CD and his autobiography, put out by New Voices Publishing. Sadly, Don passed away September 21, 2011.
~Jeff Wilson
During a recent event involving a former place of my employ, a co-worker mentioned a name which rang quite familiar to me from my researching the film "WOLF DOG." That name was Alex Dunseith. Doing a little followup research with the little info I had to go with, I found the gent's telephone number and made a telephone inquiry and found this Alex Dunseith was in fact the son of the late Alex Dunseith who had been heavily involved in the making of "WOLF DOG" and another Regal Films Canada movie from the late summer of 1957 - "FLAMING FRONTIER."
I deem myself most fortunate to have had numerous phone calls and meetings with Alex, gleaning many first-hand accounts of the 1955/56 shoots of "LAST OF THE MOHICANS" TV series, not to mention "WOLF DOG" and "FLAMING FRONTIER" shoots of summer/autumn of 1957.
Alex Jr. was just public school age when the events surrounding WOLF DOG came to be. His father, by this time, already enjoyed a well-rounded career in television and wrestling circles. He had appeared in several episodes of TV's "Last Of The Mohicans" (starring Lon Chaney Jr. and "Wolf Dog" actor John Hart) as a stunt extra, when he decided to move into the Holland Township acreage where many memorable scenes of WOLF DOG were filmed. It appears some movie men came to the Dunseith door and seemed interested in the family's half-wolf dog, "Nash" for a movie project. Alex Jr. said that Nash had been found the same way as "Dog" was found in WOLF DOG. An acquaintance came across this injured part wolf / part dog, then the Dunseith household took the wounded creature in.
He believed the infamous dogfight scene which caused such a stir in Markdale was actually between the family's two farm dogs. He claims Clem Krivak's black Alsatian dog "Thunder" was played by the Dunseith's other farm dog and that the two canines didn't have to coaxed too hard into a fight. They had 'rehearsed' many times back on the farm! As Mr. Dunseith Sr. was a consultant for animals on "Last of the Mohicans," Nash made some appearances on that program, also.
Besides being a member of the 1950s pro wrestling scene, the senior Dunseith appeared in "Hawkeye," "Tugboat Annie" & a number of early Canadian TV shows as a stuntman.
While Alex Jr's memories of his times as a little boy on the Holland Twp farm are fleeting and few, when taking a recent drive with me to find the property, he had little difficulty remembering the landmarks. Apparently, he and his siblings used to make the long walk down 20th Sideroad when they wanted to get to town. He also pointed out part of their school bus route to Chatsworth Public School (as of 2018, converted into an apartment complex at the north end of the village)
When we arrived at the old brick farmhouse, I recognized the layout immediately! Over a dozen scenes were made on the farm. The old barn has since been dismantled and the log cabin in a field has disappeared, but as I walked across the grounds with Alex, I felt WOLF DOG coming to life almost as much as it had for me every time I passed the former White Rose/BP gas station or former firehall building in Markdale!
Alex Jr. has himself enjoyed an interesting and memorable career as a stunt double in the Canadian filmmaking industry, appearing in bit roles and as a stunt horseman in several Canadian and international film projects. He joined Paul Hutton, doubling for Tony Brown in a scene where Tony and the dog look peer over a cliff at cowboys driving cattle through a river.
His film career started early, when as a small boy his father's clout helped him get into scenes of "Last Of The Mohicans." He is listed in the Internet Movie Database as having appeared in "Treacherous Beauties," a filmed-in-Canada TV movie made for Harlequin. He also did stunts in the "Lonesome Dove" & "Night Heat" Canadian-made TV series', as well as various other productions. I delighted in his anecdote about "Tugboat Annie" actor and part-time magician, Walter Sande, who wowed Alex and other child extras during shoots of that series, also his story of how Sam Newfield worked some of his directional magic to cause Alex and the kid extras to react with just the right amount of shock for a certain "Last-Of-The-Mohicans" scene.
Oh and so much MORE I learned in other unrelated areas! Alex's mother remarried and he became a step-brother to former Montreal Canadiens Hockey Hall-Of-Famer, Steve Shutt! I was also stunned to learn he personally knew Mount Forest dentist and freelance cartoonist, Jack Kennedy (of the "Cork N' Beans" comic strip) who I had previously known only by reputation, but these are perhaps other stories for other websites.
In closing, he spoke with concern over the initiative by then California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger to keep all Hollywood film projects in Hollywood, USA and away from important international locales, such as Toronto, Canada.
NOTE: By 2018, many unforeseen changes had taken place in the film industry worldwide. The independent filmmaking model was still shooting in Canadian locales, while the old Hollywood model was contracting quickly. In 2018, actors in North American politics appeared on the increase, with reality television star Donald Trump having been elected U.S. President, while drama teacher Justin Trudeau (also eldest son of former PM Pierre Trudeau) had become Canada's Prime Minister.
Alex Dunseith Jr., if only we knew then, what we see now. I thank you for our terrific meetings. I learned a lot about Canadian TV and film, as well as about local history and wish him well in all present and future pursuits.
UPDATE: In November 2024, world politics devolved into a bad circus sideshow. Republican Donald Trump surpassed Democrat Joe Biden, who performed weakly in TV debates, then at the last minute, Democrat Kamala Harris, to win a second U.S. Presidential term, but has since embarked on what could only be described as a diplomatic shakedown campaign, making offhand comments about annexing Canada, Greenland and other sovereign nations, while imposing tariffs on almost every nation on the globe, but Russia. Justin Trudeau resigned as Canadian prime minister before the federal election of May 2025 and was replaced by Mark Carney, who won a decisive majority for the Liberals. Another interesting footnote is that former California governor Arnold Schwartzenegger has been vociferously opposing conflicting policies of President Trump. God help us, between now and my next update.
On Monday, June 20th, ROGERS Cable television videographers Kris Bernard and Philip Lubert met with Ron Wyvill and Paul Hutton of Markdale, Canada and Jeff Wilson of neighbouring Dundalk for local news coverage about WOLF DOG, a 1958 Hollywood picture that was partially filmed in Markdale. The feature ran on the Owen Sound affiliate's "First Local" newscast for that week.
The segment featured Wyvill, Hutton and Wilson reminiscing about their discovery of a rare copy of WOLF DOG & their continuing discovery of recollections & remembrances of the celebrity surrounding the event. They also touched on the film's present historical value and the possible future benefits their findings could mean to the village and surrounding area.
On Wednesday, June 22, 2005 ROGERS Cable TV videographers Kris Bernard and Philip Lubert revisit locations where the 1958 movie WOLF DOG was filmed in Markdale. Ms. Bernard conducted script / interviews and Mr. Lubert designed, conceived and edited the piece for the "First Local" newscast.
With Kris and Philip coming to Markdale later in the week for shots featuring the movie's Markdale locations, one was reminded of how exciting the filming of this movie, temporarily titled "A Boy & His Dog" when in production in 1957, must have been for residents of Markdale at the time. The whispers among curious townsfolk questioning what was going on, adults querying the crew as to when and where the piece would air and excited young children hollering out "Markdale is gonna be on TV!"
The concept that the event has been recorded for all time enters one's mind, but of course, that is how people felt when WOLF DOG was filmed, before the movie all but disappeared for over 40 years. Let's hope this recent video piece is kept forever and that it remains the key to this special part of Markdale history remaining available to residents for time immeasurable.
For this, I suggest we will all owe Kris, Philip and Owen Sound ROGERS Cable TV a huge vote of gratitude. Thanks for coming to Markdale and sharing our vision! All the best in the present and best wishes to you and all your endeavors of the future!
~Jeff Wilson
P.S. Thank you Philip for the following letter I received from you...
July 8th, 2005
Hi Jeff,
This is Philip Lubert, the cameraman/editor of the news piece Kris Bernard and I did on WOLF DOG in June. I am so pleased to see a link to the work we did on your website and I hope it is having an effect with local people and perhaps beyond.
I have spent many a happy hour assembling the various material we gathered and hopefully presenting the movie and the historical significance of the movie in a way which enhances your cause. If there is anything else I can assist you with in that regard, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I have made a DVD disc of the complete movie for you, plus the news clip in high quality - I am just sorting out with Rogers how it is to be sent to you - could you confirm the postal address as the P.O. Box in Dundalk?
Lastly, Rogers TV will be re-visiting Markdale and the "WOLF DOG" movie as part of our vignette series - the producer and contact for that will be Adam Oliveiro and I have given over to him the original work and movie clips for that purpose, so as they say in the business, "watch this space."
Many thanks,
Philip Lubert, Videographer/Cameraman, Rogers TV
Thanks in largest part to Philip's efforts, DVD copies of WOLF DOG have been installed (available for viewing or borrow) in the GREY ROOTS HERITAGE & VISITOR CENTRE near Owen Sound, Ontario and the WALTER HARRIS MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY in Markdale, Ontario.
Thank you Philip for your kind involvement in this significantly important venture!
We thank Jeff Wilson for submitting the following:
TRANSCRIPT OF ROGERS FIRST LOCAL NEWS ITEM - First Aired JUNE 24, 2005
Newsreader: What a surprise for residents of Markdale when a film crew showed up in their quiet little town. As Kris Bernard found out, the crew managed to document a part of the area's history. Now, after years of searching, residents have finally found the Lost Movie of Markdale.
<fade in to theatre card of "Wolf Dog", switch to scene of Alan Hilgendorf mural on south wall of Old Markdale Firehall. Reporter Kris Bernard enters shot from stage right>
Kris Bernard: You might not know it, but in the late 1950s, Markdale only had about a thousand residents living here. Well, today, not much has changed only about 1,400 actually live in the township. Well, this small town got a taste of the big city. When Hollywood came knocking on their door.
<switch to close up of Paul Hutton>
Paul Hutton: There was all kinds of film people around, uh, people standing all over the place and actors actresses, whatever. Some of them, of course, that I knew. And, uh, it was...the whole town was pretty well shut down, as far as being blocked off and so on and so forth.
<switch to black and white "Wolf Dog" clip with actors Don Garrard as Lee Trent and Anthony Brown as Paul Hughes>
Paul Hughes: My father's a tougher man, than you'll ever be. He's got more bravery in his little finger than you got in your whole body.
<switch to close up of Ron Wyvill>
Ron Wyvill: I had this habit of riding my bicycle into Markdale to go swimming at the local swimming hole once in a while, and I think that's how I discovered "Wolf Dog" was being filmed, and at that point, it was probably one of biggest things that had happened in my life so far. The next few days were pretty exciting stuff.
<switch to black and white stills of Markdale, "Wolf Dog" clip of actor Anthony Brown dismounting a pony and tying reins to drain pipe in alleyway beside F. T. Hill store, then a establishing shot of said alleyway circa 2005>
Kris Bernard: Locals acted as walk-ons, while buildings were used as props. Throughout the entire movie, Markdale was front and center, making this film not just a piece of memorabilia, but also a piece of their history. But the tape of this once in a lifetime experience went missing for several years until local residents began their search for the film.
<switch to close up of Ron Wyvill>
Ron Wyvill: Well, I started about, I don't know, probably around 1981 or 2, thinking that, "Hey", this would be really neat to see that film again, particularly since the buildings in Markdale have changed, and some of them aren't there any longer, and others have had their fronts changed. So from a historical standpoint, it'd be really interesting for those who have always lived in and those who now live in Markdale for that matter, to look at as well. So, I started to search, but for me, it became a dead end, or I lost interest. One or the other, But I maintained a file. So, when a year ago, or a year and a half ago, the subject came up again, I dug up my file and started sharing ideas and thoughts on it and information with Jeff Wilson. And to Jeff's credit, he eventually tracked it down.
<switch first to close up, then medium shot of Jeff Wilson>
Jeff Wilson: I think it was, uh, was over two years ago, I found out what the movie's name was, and from there, I was able to research it, and it became fascinating, all the stories that were coming out about it and it became a passion.
<switch to shot of Toronto Street North, from just northeast of the main corner traffic lights>
Kris Bernard: Now that the tape has been found, locals are hoping to use the film to raise money for various charities, such as their new hospital, and they're hoping to get a copy for the library so that anybody wanting to see the Lost Movie of Markdale will have the opportunity. In Markdale, I'm Kris Bernard for First Local.
<fade to black. Duration: 3 minutes>