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[This Just In]

TELEVISION
Yorkie talkies

BY CHRIS WRIGHT

The dog as TV host is not a new idea — at least not for local television producers Henry Dane and Joe Tyburczy. Dane and Tyburczy came up with the concept for Dog After Dark in the mid ’80s, but it’s only recently that they’ve had the wherewithal to do anything about it. “It’s kind of a crazy project,” says Dane, talking from his studio in Winthrop. “It’s about a stray dog who wanders into a TV station, shows films, and comments on how they apply to modern life.”

The dog, a semi-professional Yorkshire terrier, doesn’t actually do any talking, of course, but he does move his lips. “This is not a high-tech operation,” explains Dane. “We mostly have him chew peanut butter, things he might not get bored with.”

So what’s the dog’s name?

“The dog has no name. It’s The Dog — or Dog, if you prefer,” Dane says, adding, “He’s a cute little dog, a lot cuter than Rocco.”

Rocco is Rocco Giuliano, a onetime NPR and Channel 38 personality who both writes and provides the voice for the dog’s commentary. Though he admits there have been “some complications” (dog won’t sit still, dog spits out peanut butter, and so on), Giuliano says he’s delighted to be a part of the project. “I think it’s entirely possible that this could catch on,” he says. “People like dogs.”

In essence, Dog After Dark is a variation on the Sci Fi Channel’s hit show Mystery Science Theater 3000: the films featured — and picked apart — are vintage, obscure, and dreadful. But Dane is quick to point out the differences between the two shows. For one thing, the commentary on DAD is sporadic rather than continuous. And, unlike the madcap quipsters on MST3K, the dog in Dog After Dark often has something serious to say.

“He’s a little bit cranky,” says Dane. “He’s streetwise. He tells it like it is. You see a lot of talking animals on the air, but I’ve yet to see a program hosted by a talking animal that actually tells you something. His words are words to live by, clues to the mysteries of life.”

“He’s sort of a dog philosopher,” adds Giuliano. “I like to think that he’s highly intelligent.”

Lately, the producers of Dog After Dark have been touting a pilot for the show — which features a 1934 howler called Maniac — around network TV stations. So far, they have had no bites. “Comedy Central passed on it,” Dane says. “Right now AMC is looking at it. I don’t know if it will be accepted or rejected.” Is he optimistic? “I want to be optimistic,” he says. “I would like to see it fly, of course, and I believe it deserves to get picked up, but I’ve been inside the networks, and I’ve seen incredible shows turned away.” He adds, “I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.”

To learn more, visit www.dogafterdark.com.

Issue Date: June 14 - 21, 2001