The Littlest Hobo (1979–1985) User Reviews

Bring back the days of Old

[willallan77 · 8/10 · 27 May 2006]

This show was really one of the highlights of my youth(I don't consider it sad). Not too long ago(I'm 29 now) my Spanish mate and I were sitting down and talking about the days of old and this show came up. Still to this day my friend and I remember most of the theme song which was worth a laugh.

All I can say is as a young child I always found the stories fascinating. As the show occurred in my youth, that would explain my ignorance to its picture quality. I can tell you there are not many, if any shows these days that I would consider positive viewing for todays youth. All in all it was great show with passable acting and always a passable story line.

It is still being aired on CTV

[jasonbenj · 9/10 · 9 August 2008]

It is still being aired on CTV, at least in the Vancouver area.

CTV-VAN Ch. 9

Saturday, August 16, 2008 7:30 AM Episode: "Snapshot" Hobo helps a young boy (Mark Polley) and his mother to understand each other better.

Saturday, August 23 7:30 AM Episode: "Diamonds are a Dog's Best Friend" An elderly magician (Patrick Macnee) unwittingly assists in a diamond theft and is blamed for the crime.

I also watched it this morning; episode where a guy just gets out of jail... there is a crazy taxi ride, some stolen money, goofy criminals... I was howling.

Great show. Hard to find

[suntop007 · 9/10 · 24 October 2006]

Maybe it was the theme, maybe it was the great continuing story plot, or maybe it was the fact that it was filmed on videotape rather than film. Maybe it was a combination of it all but this show is unforgettable. I bought the old black and white version and was disappointed. scans thru google and ebay show no finds for people with a collection of the late 70's early version of the show. I wrote the people who released the older version on DVD asking to release the newer version and they sent me a generic email stating that littlest hobo is available on DVD, the old version. Grrr! If anyone has found a way to acquire even some of the 79-81 series of Littlest Hobo please email me Suntop007 hotmail. Thanks! Incidentally I have a clean MP3 copy of the theme song if anyone wants it email me, will email it to you. Incidentally, the comparisons to Rambo in a later post seems a bit out of touch to me. I never saw the final episodes but as I understand it the voice that was calling London was his homeworld. He was a visiting alien from another world which is why he was smarter than the average bear. I have no clue how the series finally ended, if it had a proper ending but I can imagine Londong beaming back up to go home in the end. Any verification? Cause I don't think Hobo's voices were at all like Rambo's.

A fab TV show and nowhere near the cheesiest thing to come from Canada!

[TheSlayer · 5 April 2001]

I grew up with this TV show and I thought it was great, London the dog helping people just when they needed it and then refusing their offer of a home and moving on to help someone else, for me as a child it was a tear jerker, but London was an undeniably cute German Shepherd and whatever anyone else reckons I think it's a really cool show and I really enjoyed it.

Notable guest stars who appeared in the show include Al Waxman and DeForest Kelley who was best known for playing Dr "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek.

Best TV show ever from Canada

[jameselliot-1 · 8/10 · 21 March 2021]

I'm more a fan of the original 1963 series shot in color and on film. Very hard to find now and most copies are B&W. I'd love to see the entire 60s series on DVD. It's basically Route 66 with a German Shepard instead of George Maharis, Martin Milner and a Corvette. London wanders the Canadian landscape alone, sometimes by boxcar and finds people to help. When I look back on it, there was something supernatural in the way this highly sensitive, highly intelligent dog tunes into humans' problems and solves them, then wanders away alone every episode. The theme song by Terry Bush is a classic and much loved.

All Time Canadian Classic

[gabrielkoot · 10/10 · 21 July 2018]

The Littlest Hobo was an amazing show! London the dog played the unnamed "Littlest Hobo", a dog who would roam from town to town and each episode befriend and help a different person or family. Some episodes were more basic things like helping a blind person be more independent or help reunite family members who were estranged, but the show especially in later years got much more out there with the dog stopping bank robberies and jumping through windows to rescue people from kidnappers, or dragging unconscious people from burning buildings. The theme song was top notch and every episode is sure to entertain!

Come 'ere, pooch!

[The_Light_Triton · 8/10 · 29 April 2012]

Most people love dogs. they're great as pets, they're cute, they're fun to play with, and they are smarter than we think. Such as the case with London, who portrays the stray German shepherd known as the littlest hobo. Unlike most hobos (who sit at traffic lights and tell sob stories and beg for change) The littlest hobo helps out those in need and makes someone's day just a little bit brighter.

In each episode, someone has a problem, and just at the right time, the dog appears and helps them with their problem. whether it be as little as motivating a bullied boy into running a race for his school against the school bully, or as big as helping a Mime and her deaf friend stop 2 thugs from robbing an old man, no task is too big or too small for the littlest hobo.

You can still catch this show on the Canadian network CTV on weekends.

8/10

Childhood Memories

[refinedsugar · 8/10 · 16 October 2023]

There were countless cartoons & shows of varying degrees of quality growing up, but most were meant to hock action figures, dolls or some type of toy kids nagged their parents to buy them. Looking back we were blessed with many decent programs that featured solid messages or fun life lessons. You can include the second run of 'The Littlest Hobo' in this category.

Featuring a pleasant, upbeat & yet emotional theme song in 'Maybe Tomorrow' the wayward adventures of a friendly travelling dog with no owner helping people in a bind was always a solid watch. It was very family friendly even when it dealt with "bad" people it did it in a subdued non-frightening manner. This Canadian born show featured some known acting faces doing guest spots back in it's day and about the only negative thing you can say about the material was that it was shot on video rather than film.

This wholesome quality might be seen as cheesy today, but you had to grow up with this stuff to understand. It was a different time. Exhibiting a child-like innocence matched by the ages of it's viewing audience. When I think back to being a kid there isn't many shows that really left a mark on me, but 'The Littlest Hobo' is certainly one of them. I put it up there aside 'Sesame Street', 'Mister Rogers Neighborhood' & Canada's own 'Mr. Dressup'.

great song

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 18 May 2017]

There's a voice, keeps on calling me

Down the road, that's where I'll always be.

Every stop I make, I'll make a new friend

Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down

Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

So if you want to join me for a while

Just grab your hat, we'll travel light – that's hobo style.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down

Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

It's a great memorable song. It is the best thing about the show. The story itself is a nameless hobo dog played by London (and his relatives) who travels around for unknown reasons. He stops to help at the start of every episode. Sometimes, the people give him a name but by the end, he leaves for the open road after saving the day. It is family fare. The stories are melodramas, crime dramas, and even episonage dramas. The production is strictly early Canadian TV. There is a parade of professional Canadian actors. Since there is no regular human cast, there are new people every week and only a few do professional work. The quality is videotape rather than film. That leaves the show with an older faded look. For all the negatives, the song is undeniable and there is an endearing innocent charm to the show.

There's a voice that keeps on calling me!

[mm-39 · 6/10 · 2 January 2013]

There's a voice that keeps on calling me! I remember that song every time the kid's show started. A catchy tune! "The Littlest Hobo" had a storyline about a drifting dog that solved problems. "The Littlest Hobo" sure could solve problems which involved: family, crime, grumpy people, disasters etc. The dog should work at the White House. The drifting dog with no name would leave after the conclusion of each story and go on to the next problem. The ending was sad for the dog never did find a home. The T V series became redundant after a while, just like the Dukes of Hazzard, which had a similar formula. However if you loved cars you loved the Dukes. The same could be said for "The Littlest Hobo" if you love animals. My wife loves animals and The Littlest Hobo and would give the show a nine, and I would give the show a four. "The Littlest Hobo" is worth six out of ten stars. One of the few Canadian shows I remember watching as a kid.

Absolutely Classic

[DavieG · 6 September 2000]

I was fortunate enough to grow up with this show, as those good people at RTE (Ireland's national tv station) used to show it regularly. What can I say? I loved it, and still do. One of the most important aspects of this programme is, for me, the unforgettable theme tune sung by Terry Bush - "maybe tomorrow, I'll wanna settle down, until tomorrow I'll just keep movin' on". This tune is still sung by me, my friends, and many like-minded Irish & Canadian people I've met who share my love & respect for this show. Definitely a cult classic.

What a beautiful show

[josesgreats · 12 August 2006]

Was a different era. No doubt.Man a dog like that one,you gotta love it.There's nothing else you can do with it. What embarrassment!!! The lesson that show taught me was that sometimes animals are more decent and have more dignity than some humans.

And the song. "Maybe tomorrow" when they knew how to compose a song. I mean.It's beautiful. The lyrics,the music,the images of the husky walking down the road.

Things we're different back then. I wished they showed it again.

I believe there was a person asking how to get the song. Well. I downloaded it the other day from lime-wire so the song is available.

In Defense of London

[teeveeke · 27 July 1999]

About the only popularly negative comment on this television show that I will accept is that because it was produced on video rather than on film, it lacks crispness and depth of color. I cannot and will not agree with people's sweeping, cynical put-downs of every other aspect of this production. The storytelling may be formulaic, but there is enough flexibility in the formula for the show to vary its episodes. Some are about crime-fighting, others concern rescue of people in perilous situations, and still others deal with solving interpersonal problems, finding lost items or animals, etc.. The acting is fairly often admirable, mainly by the primary guest stars in the episodes- and there are quite a few well-known and respected actors and actresses in guest star roles. Camera work is often inventive, music is appropriate to the action, and episodes are quite quick paced. For a television show shot on video in Canada, it holds up quite well, and there is a timelessness to its concept. Finally, with a charismatic canine star, it is innocent, wholesome family entertainment. There does not seem to be much of that on television anymore.

They don't make them like this anymore.

[podilato · 16 April 2006]

Saw this show again by accident while channel surfing. Immediately took me back to growing up in Australia watching this after school. OK, it doesn't have the highest production values or detailed plot lines but that's the point. You don't need car chases or explosions to be entertaining. It is still great television for youngsters even after all these years. As for the theme song; when I heard it again at the end together with the shots of London walking the streets, trotting down the road, and riding in the train, I got this lump in my throat when I was taken back to my childhood days. This song perfectly sums up all those youthful feelings of freedom and innocence and I don't think many theme tunes can do that.

There's a voice keeps on calling me.

[blackarachnia2 · 27 November 2005]

Down the road that's where I'll always be, every stop I make, I make a new friend, I can't stay for long, just turn around, and I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow I'll want to settle down. Until tomorrow I'll just keep moving on.

So if you want to join me for a while. Just grab your hat, come travel light, that's hobo style.

Maybe tomorrow I'll want to settle down. Until tomorrow I'll just keep moving on.

Until tomorrow the whole world is my home.

Absolutely one of my favourite shows in the world is the Littlest Hobo. I just adored London from the time I first saw him which was when I was three up until I was nine. I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that they used several dogs for London but this London was very well trained. I hope that if he has any descendants that they're chips off the old block like their dad is.

This show rocks!

[stuntgirl · 18 July 2000]

I love this show! It is one of the great Canadian shows, in my opinion. It depicts the time during which it was made, and has interesting stories to tell. And some of its guest actors are well known talents (eg. Leslie Nielsen and Mike Myers). Every Canadian should see this show at least once!

A milestone in Canadian television (well, as far as a milestone in how far the dog walked)....

[crazyrabbits · 7 January 2006]

For those of you who have never seen this show, The Littlest Hobo was a show made during the late 1970's which featured a dog named London that wandered around and helped people with their problems. Granted, looking back at this program, the production values look really cheap, and the acting is quite stilted in places. However, it just has this kind of sentimental charm you can't help but ignore, and the theme music was quite good as well (the "On The Road Again" song). I still try to figure out why the dog doesn't just settle down with one person. People offer up numerous things to this dog, and they seem to be well-off, so why doesn't London just stay with them? Oh, that's right. So he can wander the back roads of Ontario while the "On The Road Again" song plays loudly in the background.

Bottom Line: Despite it's age, The Littlest Hobo has some good episodes, and won't bore you to sleep. Watch it if you have a chance.

Awesome!!!

[dbsalmon · 29 July 2001]

When I was living in England, my Mom and I used to watch this series every week. For the people who haven't heard of this series, think of LASSIE. It's about a dog who doesn't have a home and along the way he runs into things. I give this series three stars and if it comes on TV in your neighborhood, check this out.

Request for Help regarding The Littlest Hobo

[djeagle94 · 28 January 2001]

I enjoyed reading all the comments about London and this wonderful show. I miss it alot and haven't seen it in many years. I am asking for any fans of the Littlest Hobo, especially my Litttlest Hobo friends in Canada if they can help me locate (if it is print) a copy of the soundtrack or theme to the show. I watched the show years ago growing up in Boston and for awhile it was in syndication there in Boston on an independent station. I hum that tune all the time, and I seem to recall one of the lines...I'm drifting the world is my friend, I'm travelling along the road...again. I know the show was produced in Canada so I thought my best guess would be to ask my friends to the North if they know where I met find that song, and...is the show in syndication still, or available on Video? Many thanks in advance to any responders. Kevin, a London fan in Maine

The littlest Hobo

[me1737 · 19 January 2012]

Was there not two dogs when littlest hobo started.

I know that when I stared watching this years ago.

Both my wife and I were sure there was two different dogs.

One was London and the other Exceveria not spelled right.

If anyone remembers this please let me know.

Both My wife and I enjoy this show and I'm still watching it today.

My daughter of 12 has been watching the littlest Hobo for years now.

My daughter loves dogs and this is one of the best shows for her to watch.

Thanks for having A family show that goes on and on in time.

I hope someone can answer my question about the dogs in these shows.

If John J. Rambo were a dog...

[Grrrim · 16 March 2003]

Although we were all to young to have realised it in the original screenings back in the late seventies and early eighties, it's quite obvious now in the cold light of the 21st century that this series has deeper and more meaningful layers than we able to appreciate. We have to look back on this series in the atmosphere of the time. This was a time of post vietnam depression.

Looking at this series without thinking of the book by David Morrell and the John J. Rambo character he created is something of a challenge. Although the human version went on to become far more famous in the 80s than our canine 'nam vet introduced here, the key aspect of the taciturn traveling outcast are plain to see. However as the passionate theme song of the series suggests 'There's a voice that keeps on calling me' the title character is suffering from schizophrenia, which dares to take the character and the trauma of the war's effects to greater levels than the creative team behind First Blood.

Although the Hobo here us not directly and violently tested by the brutality of a Brian Dennehy character in this series he is instead tormented by more personal internal forces. This I believe more literally relates the the suffering of vietnam veterans. After all the veterans themselves do not face armed conflict as in the book and film of the Rambo character, instead they face the stigma of the public as well as the mental torment of the horrors of the war. This I feel puts this series far above the later work from which this series later inspired.

The internal conflict within Hobo although hard to project within the space of short episodes of a series is however best felt when it is conveyed over the expanse of the entire work. Just watching one episode will simply hide the mental problems Hobo has to face. You need to see that the internal 'voices' are pushing him ever on, from people to people and place to place, never actually fitting in anywhere and never feeling like he belongs. This feeling is expressed over the series as a whole.

When you have enjoyed many many episodes of this series and witnessed the kind and gentle ways of the Hobo the tragedy of situation becomes for more heartfelt. You begin to wish that he could find some cure for his schitzophrenia, find peace and a place to settle and people who would care about him. But as you watch you know this will never happen. His torment will never end. This sadly is the true tragedy of the character and the series.

Like the John J. Rambo films this series faces many varied issues however by being more personal, Morrell's character tried to cure such worldwide problems as the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and the forgotten POWs of Vietnam, Hobo instead deals more subtly with issues about people. From day to day, from person to person. Although this approach is less 'slam-bang' than the more popular films I believe that it becomes for more poignant in it's subtlety and by doing that it deals far more skillfully and intelligently with the real issue of Vietnam veterans be they man or canine.

Ben Brooks