While he may be best remembered for his tough guy roles in classics like The Godfather and (Best Movie You Never Saw fave) Thief, actor James Caan had a soft side. Back in 1976, he did a cameo (as himself) in the underrated Mel Brooks comedy Silent Movie. The role led to an unlikely friendship with the director, helped by the fact that they only lived about a block away from each other. In his fabulous book, All About Me! (Buy it here), Brooks affectionately remembers how, around the time they were shooting Silent Movie, Caan’s dog gave birth to five puppies, and he offered one to Brooks, and his wife, the legendary actress Anne Bancroft.
“Anne and I took him up on that,” Brooks remembered. “We went to his house, and one of the pups left the pack and made his way over to us. So, instead of picking out a pup, he picked us!” They named him Pongo after the main dog in 101 Dalmatians. In the book, Brooks reveals that he had no idea, at first, that Pongo was a pit bull terrier and that for a while, he and Bancroft were worried due to stereotypes about the breed, but all for nought. “He never ever bit anyone and was a sweetheart of a dog,” says Brooks. Brooks remembers that his son Max (who would later go on to write World War Z) was particularly fond of Pongo (and vice versa), and when Caan died, Max put a tribute to both the actor and his former dog on Twitter:
When I was a little boy, our neighbor invited us over to see his new litter of pit bull puppies. We came home with Pongo, who filled our home with love. I will always be great full to our neighbor, James Caan. Rest In Peace.#JamesCaanpic.twitter.com/UQnrILO80L
— Max Brooks (@maxbrooksauthor) July 8, 2022
Brooks says the only thing the dog ever did that bothered him was that, as they lived close to a hill, Pongo often used it to jump onto the roof of their living room, and would only come down when bribed with his favorite snack, Cheerios. “Pongo lived with us for a long, long time – almost fifteen years. And I still miss him.”
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