Turner & Hooch

Turner & Hooch is a 1989 comedy film starring Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, and Reginald VelJohnson. It was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Although the film received mixed reviews , it was a box office success.

Hanks plays Scott Turner, a fastidious detective, who acquires Hooch (Beasley the Dog), a large Dogue de Bordeaux, after the murder of the dog's previous owner. The energetic dog promptly sets about destroying the detective's house and turning his life upside-down. With no way to care for him, Turner brings Hooch to his police station to make him into the precinct's watch dog. Hilarity ensues.

Beasley, who appears to be kin to a Rottweiler, plays Hooch, a fierce yard dog whose elderly human companion is found murdered. Hanks is Scott Turner a police inspector who is such a fussbudget that he makes The Odd Couple’s Felix look relaxed in comparison. Turner is the kind of man who carries a dust buster in his car just in case an errant crumb should ever make it to the floor.

Turner & Hooch are forced to co-habit by circumstance and by Turner’s strong desire to solve the mysterious crime. As you can imagine, it is not a living arrangement that starts off with either party appearing happy with the arrangement. Hooch does a masterful job of portraying a tough, crotchety dog who may have a soft spot for Turner, but is in no hurry to show it. If your own pets are prone to moods or slightly irrational behavior you won’t be able to help but relate to Hooch’s fine performance of a dog still angry and confused after experiencing a terrible loss.

Beasley the Dog, born in 1978 (d. 1992), was an acting animal and starred in the Tom Hanks movie Turner & Hooch as the dog Hooch. He was a Dogue de Bordeaux (French Mastiff), and this was his first and only movie. He played the house-wrecking police dog who drank beer.

Beasley was owned and trained by Clint Rowe who makes a brief appearance in the film as an ASPCA officer. In 1990, Movie Critic Gene Siskel joked that Beasley the Dog would probably take the Oscar due to Hanks "wooden" appearance in "Turner & Hooch".

This is an excellent movie for pet lovers – funny, suspenseful and at the end unexpectedly touching. This reviewer hopes you’ll give it a rent – and don’t be surprised if you find you want it in your permanent collection.

“Hooch” is played by Beasley the dog. All other animals are unaccredited.

Beasley Owned and Trained By: Clint Rowe

Animal Trainer: Scott Rowe

Assistant Animal Trainer: Madeleine Klein.

According to the September 1992 issue of DOGworld magazine (classified section p.142), there were three Dogue De Bordeaux in this movie [its unclear if all three dogs played hooch in different scenes]. Their names are Beasly, Barry, and Vigor. It's really a shame that the dog wasn't listed in the movie credits. Their lineage, I believe, is from Ch. TNT's Sphinky De Merrimac (later became 1991 world champion). The breeder was Peter Curley from Merrimac, WI. 

Peter Curley - TNT Kennels. 

Around the 1981, he purchased his first Dogue de Bordeaux in France. Peter Curley took some dogs back to France to compete in the French Club Nationals, but they were not American bred dogs, and also has the first Dogue de Bordeaux to have gained OFA certification on hips, Vigor du Bois Trousse Chemise. Peter Curley is most noted as being the person to import the Dogues used in the 1989 Touchstone film, "Turner and Hooch." Here, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. America saw the Dogue de Bordeaux. Even today, a majority of the people do not know exactly what breed Hooch was. Many believe it was a Bullmastiff or big Bulldog. Mr. Curley imported and sold the Dogues Barry, Beasly, Vigor, and Cristo to Disney.31 

One of the pups used at the end of the movie was JoJo, owned by John and Ricki Toole of Martel Dogue de Bordeaux, California. The Tooles also own Leigh, who was also used to film the end scenes also, but did not make the final cut. Originally, the end scene was filmed with Bullmastiff pups, but the new director, Roger Spottiswoode made sure that Dogue de Bordeaux pups were used for accuracy. Beasly went on to do a brief series called "Turner and Hooch" which went off the air soon after it went on, and later the Dogues were performing in Disneyland, California. Today, Beasley is the one of the last survivors and lives with his owner/trainer Clint Roe in California. JoJo was still alive in 1997 when it was visited at Tooles in CA, but Leigh had passed away in 1996. 

In 1997 a red mask Dogue, Foster, has been seen on the daytime soap, General Hospital on ABC. Dice, owned by the Tooles (Martel Dogue de Bordeaux, CA) was Foster's stunt double. This character is no longer on General Hospital, but was the inspiration for new Dogue de Bordeaux owners and breeders. In 1999, a film titled "Payback" staring Mel Gibson was released with a Dogue de Bordeaux in the movie. Breeders of the Dogue worry about the impact this will have on the breed because the dog is portrayed as a guard dog for a prostitute. The effects of this film are yet to be seen on the breed.