Main Cast: James Belushi, Mel Harris, Kevin Tighe, Ed O'Neill, Jerry Lee
Release Year: 1989
Country: US
Run Time: 111 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
James Belushi stars in this cop actioner about a loner narcotics officer who has to break in a new partner. The twist here is that the new partner is barely housebroken, but he's still sharp and keeps his nose close to the ground. Dooley (Belushi), who works on the San Diego narc squad, is an eccentric guy who has pizzas delivered to his car and likes a good steak. He is working on a stakeout of a local drug dealer when he barely escapes with his life as a helicopter blows up his car. When he asks the department for a new car, they give him a new partner instead --a police dog called Jerry Lee (Jerry Lee the Dog). Jerry's good at sniffing out the criminals but Dooley doesn't really hit it off with his new partner until the pooch saves his life. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
James Handy - Lt. Byers; Cotter Smith - Gilliam; Jeff Allin - Chad; Alan Blumenfeld - Rental Salesman; Marjorie Bransfeld - Receptionist; Dan Castellaneta - Maitre d'; John Castellanos - Man in Rolls Royce; David Haskell - Doctor; Sherman Howard - Dillon; McKeiver Jones III - Sergeant; Jerry Levine - Ernie; Wendel Meldrum - Pretty Girl with Dog; Colleen Morris - Woman in Rolls Royce; Bill Sadler - Salesman, Don; J.W. Smith - Pimp; John Snyder - Freddie; Pruitt Taylor Vince - Benny the Mule; Gary Combs - Sculley; Daniel Davis - Halstead; Dean Hill - Butler; Bob Ari - Dr. Saunders; Lucy Butler - Nurse; Rick Cicetti - Waiter; Mark Mooring - Cop; Judith Weiner
Credit
Jay Burkhardt - Art Director, Lloyd Levin - Associate Producer, Judith Weiner - Casting, Charles Gordon - Co-producer, Lawrence Gordon - Co-producer, Steve Siegel - Co-producer, Eileen Kennedy - Costume Designer, Rod Daniel - Director, Lois Freeman-Fox - Editor, Donna Smith - Executive Producer, Miles Goodman - Composer (Music Score), Donald Summer - Musical Direction/Supervision, Charles Balasz - Makeup, Charles Balazs - Makeup, Don Devine - Camera Operator, George Costello - Production Designer, James D. Brubaker - Production Designer, Jack N. Green - Cinematographer, Dean Semler - Cinematographer, Rance Barela - Set Designer, Maria Rebman Caso - Set Designer, Gary Combs - Stunts, James M. Halty - Stunts, Scott Myers - Screenwriter, Steve Siegel - Screenwriter, Richard L. Anderson - Supervising Sound Editor
Belushi plays bad tempered San Diegopolice detective Michael Dooley, who has been tagged for execution by a major international drug dealer (Lyman, played by Kevin Tighe). To help, a so-called "friend" (Brannigan, played by Ed O'Neill) gives Dooley a police dog, "Jerry Lee," trained to sniff drugs. The two attempt to put Lyman in prison, but Dooley soon learns that Jerry Lee is a mischievous smart alec who works only when he wants to. Many of the movie's gags revolve around Jerry Lee's playfully destructive episodes.
The plot of this movie is extremely similar to that of Turner and Hooch, which was released three months later. The success of that movie may be in part to K-9 being released in theaters first.
The German Shepherd Dog "Jerry Lee" was played by Koton, a real-life police dog from the Kansas City, Missouri police department. In 1991, Koton was shot and killed while trying to apprehend a suspect in the murder of a police officer. Ten days before his death, Koton found ten kilos of cocaine worth more than $US 1.2 million.[citation needed]
