The 1936 film "The Voice of Bugle Ann" is set in rural Missouri in the 1930's. The film is about a hunting dog who wears a collar made from a silver dollar. Farmer Springfield 'Spring' Davis lives with his adult son Benjy. They raise dogs which are used to chase and hunt foxes, however, the foxes are not killed. One of Spring's dogs dies after giving birth to puppies and Spring adopts the smallest dog, and names her "Bugle Ann" due to her unusual bark. Spring wins a dollar bet on Bugle Ann's tracking ability and attaches the silver dollar to Bugle Ann's collar. The coin shown is not a real silver dollar but a prop coin made by combining a Morgan dollar and a 1933 Santa Monica Ocean Park token.

The film begins with a prologue:

Some Missouri hunters gather at a campfire.

Springfield 'Spring' Davis finds that one of his dogs has delivered pups. One is a female and is smaller than the other pups and is known as the "runt of the litter."

She has an unusual bark and Spring names her "Bugle Ann." He and his son train her to hunt and at another gathering Spring takes a bet about her abilities.

Spring wins his bet which is a silver dollar and he attaches it to Bugle Ann's leather collar.

The prop coin does not look exactly like a silver dollar but is close to a Morgan variety. Jacob Terry, a rather unpleasant man, and his daughter Camden move into a house nearby. Jacob intends to raise sheep and puts up a fence to keep the dogs out. Spring and a group of men visit Terry to ask him to tear down the fence as it is a danger to their dogs.

Spring's son Benjy and Camden have meet and have been seeing each other. Terry refuses to fix the fence. Some nights are not good for hunting and Spring stays home.

Bugle Ann disappears near Terry's house and Spring and a group of men visit Terry.

Spring finds Bugle Ann's footprint and accuses Jacob of kidnapping the dog. Spring fires his rifle, Jacob dies, Spring is arrested and tried for murder. Camden testifies for Spring.

Spring is convicted of murder and sent to prison. After four years Spring receives a pardon and heads home. Some men find something while in the woods.

They find Bugle Ann's collar.

The collar coin appears to have the obverse of the Morgan silver dollar but the lettering is different. Most of the inscription is unreadable but some of the text reads "SOUVENIR BREAKWATER." The lettering matches the lettering on the reverse of the 1933 Santa Monica Ocean Park token, a common advertising token.

The dog collar coin looks like it was constructed from the reverses of the dollar and token.

Back home, Benjy helps his father dress.

Spring sees the empty dog collar and asks about it.

Benjy tells Spring where the dog collar was found and Spring realizes that Jacob did not kidnap Bugle Ann. People, including Spring, have been hearing Bugle Ann's call.

They follow the voice and find Camden. She explains that she found Bugle Ann injured with a litter of pups and kept her and the pups. After the pups were weaned Bugle Ann ran away and disappeared. Camden had been raising one of the female pups who had inherited her mother's voice.

Lionel Barrymore as Spring (Springfield) Davis
Eric Linden as Benjy Davis
Dudley Digges as Jacob Terry
Maureen O'Sullivan as Camden Terry
Spring Byington as Ma Davis
Director: Richard Thorpe
Writers: Harvey Gates, Samuel Hoffenstein, MacKinlay Kantor (novel)