The Littlest Hobo is a Canadian television series based upon a 1958 American film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, spanning six seasons and was revived for a popular second run on CTV from October 11, 1979 to March 7, 1985. It starred an ownerless dog.
All three productions revolved around a stray German Shepherd, the titular Hobo, who wanders from town to town, helping people in need. Although the concept was perhaps similar to that of Lassie, the Littlest Hobo's destiny was to befriend those who apparently needed help. Despite the attempts of the many people whom he helped to adopt him, he appeared to prefer to be on his own, and would head off by himself at the end of each episode.
Never actually named on-screen, the dog is often referred to by the name Hobo or by the names given by temporary human companions. Hobo's background is also unexplained on-screen. His origins, motivation and ultimate destination are also never explained.
Although some characters appeared in more than one episode, the only constant was the Littlest Hobo himself.
The Littlest Hobo was a dog who showed an uncanny knack for arriving at a time of peril. After performing heroics, the shrewd stray resisted entreaties to stay, preferring instead the open road.
Episode 1. Smoke
1979-10-11 · 30 min
Hobo saves animals from a forest fire and aids a poisoned child.
Episode 2. Manhunt (1)
1979-10-18 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. Manhunt (2)
1979-10-25 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. The Defector
1979-11-01 · 30 min
Hobo rescues a defecting ballerina from kidnappers.
Episode 5. Double Trouble
1979-11-08 · 30 min
Hobo saves two draft horses from the glue factory. Note: This episode was trailed at the end of #1.21 "Guardian Angel")
Episode 6. Silent Witness
1979-11-15 · 30 min
The Hobo witnesses a drunken hit-and-run and haunts the perpetrator, playing his conscience against him. Hobo pursues a hit-and-run driver.
Episode 7. Target For Terror
1979-11-29 · 30 min
Hobo rescues a politician's son from kidnappers.
Episode 8. Heritage
1979-12-06 · 30 min
Hobo protects an elderly prospector from greedy land-grabbers. Jasper: Leon Ames. Laura: Lynn Griffin. Glenn: J.P. Linton. Cal: Shawn Lawrence. Ralph: Ben Gordon.
Episode 9. Little Girl Lost
1979-12-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. Boy On Wheels
1979-12-20 · 30 min
Hobo comes to the aid of a wheelchair-bound boy in rehab.
Episode 11. Stand-in
1979-12-27 · 30 min
A different dog, and then the littlest hobo has to come and stand in for that dog.
Episode 12. Second Chance
1980-01-03 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. Big Al and Sam Strawberry
1980-01-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 14. Give My Regards to Broadway
1980-01-31 · 30 min
A struggling actress resorts to stealing (and writing IOUs) to make ends meet and the Hobo tries to keep her out of trouble.
Episode 15. The Last Job
1980-02-07 · 30 min
An ex-convict has a bright future ahead of him, if he goes straight, but is compelled to perform one last bank robbery.
Episode 16. Snapshot
1980-02-28 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 17. The Million Dollar Fur Heist
1980-03-06 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 18. Diamonds Are a Dog's Best Friend
1980-03-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 19. Romiet and Julio
1980-03-20 · 30 min
The Hobo plays matchmaker to a young couple who, in between being separated by their respective parents, find time to bicker among themselves.
Episode 20. Escape
1980-03-27 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 21. Guardian Angel
1980-04-03 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 22. The Pied Piper
1980-04-10 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 23. Willie and Kate
1980-05-15 · 30 min
The Hobo tries to give support and guidance to a couple of quarrelsome human transients--one old man and one young girl.
Episode 24. The Further Adventures of Willie and Kate
1980-05-22 · 30 min
The Hobo journeys onward, trying to keep his transient companions out of trouble, when Kate is captured by the authorities and placed in an orphanage run like a military academy.
Season 2
18 episodes · 1980
Canadian Family Adventure series 1979-85 114 episodes x 30 min colour Videotape
Episode 1. The Balloonist
1980-09-18 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. Duddleman and the Diamond Ring
1980-09-25 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. Guinea Pig
1980-10-02 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. Trapper
1980-10-09 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 5. The Pearls
1980-10-23 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. Carnival of Fear
1980-10-30 · 30 min
Hobo stalks an ominous carnival patron.
Episode 7. Mystery at the Zoo
1980-11-06 · 30 min
Hobo investigates the disappearance of zoo animals. Carol Lynley.
Episode 8. Sailing Away
1980-11-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 9. The Hunt
1980-11-20 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. Fast Freddie
1980-11-27 · 30 min
A con man tries to cheat wealthy small-town residents.
Episode 11. Licence to Steal
1980-12-04 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. Portrait of Danger
1980-12-11 · 30 min
Hobo protects a photographer who snapped a shot of a bank robbery and decides to sell his picture to the papers. James Stephens.
Episode 13. Ghost Rig
1980-12-18 · 30 min
Hobo and an insurance investigator help recover a missing truckload of diamonds.
Episode 14. Here's Joey Jackson
1981-01-22 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 15. Runaway
1981-02-12 · 30 min
Hobo reunites a runaway boy with a family who wants to adopt him.
Episode 16. East Side Angels
1981-02-26 · 30 min
A teen is dropped from a basketball club for arson.
Episode 17. Mystique
1981-03-05 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 18. The Trail of No Return
1981-04-09 · 30 min
Hobo contracts botulism trying to save two children.
Season 3
18 episodes · 1981
Episode 1. Photo Finish
1981-09-17 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. The Secret of Red Hill
1981-09-24 · 30 min
London hears the screams of a girl named Peggy, who says that she is running from a giant ape loose in a forest. In the neighboring small town of Red Hill, rumors are already spreading about "Bigfoot" being in the vicinity.
Episode 3. Wolf Hunt
1981-10-01 · 30 min
In a forest, London encounters three wolf-hunters: a crotchety man and his two sons, one intent about the hunt, the other squeamish. The Hobo decoys hunters away from a wounded wolf and her cubs.
Episode 4. The Day of the Fugitive
1981-10-08 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 5. Suspect
1981-10-29 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. War Games
1981-11-05 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 7. The Hero
1981-11-12 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 8. Hidden Room
1981-11-19 · 30 min
Hobo discovers a man and his mute daughter are being blackmailed into performing fraudulent séances for bereaved victims.
Episode 9. Fussin' and Fightin'
1981-11-26 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. The Locket
1981-12-03 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 11. Airport
1981-12-10 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. Music Box
1981-12-24 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. Mail Order Bride
1982-01-21 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 14. The Clown
1982-01-28 · 30 min
London finds a wallet dropped by a man leaving a park, picks up the wallet, follows the man to the man's home, and gives the wallet to the man.
Episode 15. Once Upon a Tyme
1982-02-04 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 16. A Special Friend
1982-02-25 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 17. Forget Me Not
1982-03-04 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 18. Rex Badger P.I.
1982-03-11 · 30 min
Hobo helps a bungling investigator.
Season 4
18 episodes · 1982
Episode 1. Napoleon
1982-09-16 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. Home Free
1982-09-23 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. Back to Nature
1982-09-30 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. The Imaginative Invalid
1982-10-07 · 30 min
A wealthy woman announces that she's leaving her money to her dog.
Episode 5. Finders Keepers
1982-10-14 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. Happy Birthday Mom
1982-10-21 · 30 min
Two brothers compete in a bike race to try to earn money for their mother's birthday.
Episode 7. The Spirit of Thunder Rock (1)
1982-10-28 · 30 min
A seismologist takes his family along on a field assignment, where they are threatened by impending earthquakes of which only the Hobo appears to be fully aware.
Episode 8. The Spirit of Thunder Rock (2)
1982-11-04 · 30 min
The quakes continue to imperil the now separated members of the family and an armed poacher who prefers his privacy only adds to the danger.
Episode 9. The Spirit of Thunder Rock (3)
1982-11-11 · 30 min
The biggest quake of them all strikes and causes a cave-in, trapping Marti with the poacher.
Episode 10. Rabies
1982-11-18 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 11. Day For Night
1982-11-25 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. Trooper
1982-12-02 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. The Loneliest Day of the Week
1983-01-27 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 14. Double Vision
1983-02-03 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 15. Winner Take All
1983-02-10 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 16. Small Pleasures
1983-03-03 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 17. The Five Labours of Hercules (1)
1983-03-17 · 30 min
A boy with a leg injury has his heart set on buying a pure-bred dog, but needs to raise the money fast, so the Hobo helps him with a dog-sitting service. This episode was written by Charles Eisenmann, the owner and trainer of London and…
Episode 18. The Five Labours of Hercules (2)
1983-03-24 · 30 min
The Hobo must escape from a dog catcher's van and round up several unruly dogs which quickly bring havoc to wherever they roam. This episode was written by Charles Eisenmann, the owner and trainer of London and the other German Shepherds…
Season 5
18 episodes · 1983
Episode 1. Rookie
1983-09-15 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. Scavenger Hunt (1)
1983-09-22 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. Scavenger Hunt (2)
1983-09-29 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. Second Sight
1983-10-06 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 5. Trucker
1983-10-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. Born To Run
1983-10-20 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 7. Tempest Probe
1983-10-27 · 30 min
A criminal steals a secret laser.
Episode 8. Lumberjacks
1983-11-03 · 30 min
A bookie tries to fix a lumberjack competition using extreme methods.
Episode 9. Passage
1983-11-10 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. Sartech (1)
1983-11-17 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 11. Sartech (2)
1983-12-01 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. Dragonslayer
1984-01-19 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. The Genesis Tapes (1)
1984-01-26 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 14. The Genesis Tapes (2)
1984-02-02 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 15. Ghost Station
1984-02-23 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 16. Indian Summer
1984-03-01 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 17. Applejack
1984-03-08 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 18. Sheep in Wolf's Clothing
1984-03-15 · 30 min
Hobo is mistaken for a sheep-killing wolf.
Season 6
18 episodes · 1984
Episode 1. Second Best
1984-09-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. Three Monkeys of Bah Roghar (1)
1984-09-20 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. Three Monkeys of Bah Roghar (2)
1984-09-27 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. Rodeo
1984-10-04 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 5. One Door Closes
1984-10-11 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. Lucky
1984-10-18 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 7. Arrivederci Roma
1984-10-25 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 8. The Good Shepherd
1984-11-01 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 9. Matchmaker
1984-11-08 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. Firehorse (1)
1984-11-15 · 30 min
A hero firefighter dodges a medical order relieving him of duty, endangering his own life.
Episode 11. Firehorse (2)
1984-11-22 · 30 min
The sick firefighter continues to put himself in harms way, while Hobo tries to call attention to the problem.
Episode 12. Prodigal Son
1984-11-29 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. Torque
1985-01-31 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 14. Small Change
1985-02-07 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 15. Voyageurs (1)
1985-02-14 · 30 min
Hobo joins the Farrells on a luxury yachting expedition, which enters a storm and shipwrecks the crew on an uninhabited island.
Episode 16. Voyageurs (2)
1985-02-21 · 30 min
The elusive stranger turns out to be a Soviet air force pilot who has been stranded on the island for some time.
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