US Release date: 3 February 1949
First Melbourne Saturday Suburban: 18 February 1950
Genre: Family
Country: USA
Running time: 68 minutes.
Director: Seymour Friedman
Cast: Ted Donaldson, Gloria Henry & Stephen Dunne
Australian Distributor: Columbia
Melbourne Premiere Venue: Hoyts’ Esquire Theatre for two weeks from 18 November 1949 as support to The Lovers.
Suburban Release Type: Union Adelphi EX-2
Rankings
| Rank | ||
| EF Points | 56 | 293 |
| EF PPE | 2.43 | 220 |
| Metres Travelled | 226,682 | 305 |
| Average MT | 9,856 | 260 |
| Engagements | 23 | 301 |
| Slots | 38 | 278 |
| Weeks | 15 | 91 |
| Weeks as % of engagements | 65.22% | 46 |
| Saturdays | 3 | 317 |
| Sats as % of engagements | 13.04% | 329 |
| Tuesdays | 5 | 261 |
| Tues as % of engagements | 21.74% | 226 |
| First billed | 0 | 263* |
| Second billed | 23 | 132 |
| Feature only | 0 | 34* |
Independent Ratios
| Engagements weeks 1-10 | 16 |
| Ratio | 69.57% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -17.10% |
| Eng weeks 11-26 | 5 |
| Ratio | 21.74% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 14.12% |
| Eng weeks 27-52 | 2 |
| Ratio | 8.70% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 2.99% |
| Hoyts eng | 0 |
| Ratio | 0.00% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -0.84% |
| Independent eng | 17 |
| Ratio | 73.91% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -3.20% |
| Suburban eng | 6 |
| Ratio | 26.09% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 4.04% |
Notes: one of a series of family features starring the titular pooch, this nabbed a number of slots supporting The Great Lover and otherwise was dispensed as a second feature on a number of major titles. For that reason it played a decent number of weeks and, although its EF ranking was low, its EF PPE was reasonable.
Rusty Saves a Life engagements
| SUBURB | VENUE | CHAIN | DATE | W | D | B | CO-FEATURE |
| North Carlton | Adelphi | Independent | 18/2/50 | 1 | W | 2 | The Great Lover |
| Moonee Ponds | Moonee | Independent | 25/2/50 | 2 | W | 2 | The Great Lover |
| Balwyn | Balwyn | Suburban | 4/3/50 | 3 | W | 2 | The Great Lover |
| Ormond | Plaza | Suburban | 4/3/50 | 3 | W | 2 | The Great Lover |
| Middle Brighton | Prince George | Independent | 11/3/50 | 4 | S | 2 | Picadilly Incident |
| Burnley | Burnley | Independent | 11/3/50 | 4 | S | 2 | The Great Sinner |
| West Brunswick | Western | Independent | 18/3/50 | 5 | T | 2 | The Wizard of Oz |
| Box Hill | Rialto | Suburban | 18/3/50 | 5 | T | 2 | Come to the Stable |
| North Melbourne | Central | Independent | 25/3/50 | 6 | W | 2 | The Great Lover |
| Port Melbourne | Port | Independent | 25/3/50 | 6 | W | 2 | The Great Lover |
| North Brighton | Gardenvale | Independent | 1/4/50 | 7 | S | 2 | The Great Sinner |
| Heidelberg | Orient | Independent | 8/4/50 | 8 | W | 2 | The Great Sinner |
| Richmond | National | Independent | 8/4/50 | 8 | W | 2 | Neptune’s Daughter |
| Newport | Plaza | Independent | 22/4/50 | 10 | T | 2 | One Against Seven |
| Williamstown | Empress | Independent | 22/4/50 | 10 | T | 2 | One Against Seven |
| Preston | Planet | Suburban | 22/4/50 | 10 | W | 2 | Knock on Any Door |
| Footscray | Grand | Independent | 29/4/50 | 11 | W | 2 | Neptune’s Daughter |
| Yarraville | Sun | Independent | 6/5/50 | 11 | W | 2 | Neptune’s Daughter |
| Preston | St. James | Suburban | 29/4/50 | 11 | W | 2 | Knock on Any Door |
| Glenferrie | Glen | Independent | 13/5/50 | 13 | W | 2 | The Heiress |
| Hawthorn | Vogue | Independent | 13/5/50 | 13 | W | 2 | The Heiress |
| South Melbourne | Empire | Suburban | 30/9/50 | 33 | T | 2 | The Lost Weekend |
| Sandringham | Roxy | Independent | 13/1/50 | 48 | W | 2 | Sunset Boulevard |
The 1950 Project 