Nothing like a lightning strike to change your life

Being struck by lightning – and surviving – might have a momentous impact on a person’s life.

And one could certainly make the argument that for Mitch Davis, a former Hollywood executive who is now a writer and director. But in Mitch’s version of the tale, it’s not the lightning that saved him, it’s a stray dog.

“The Stray,” a movie premiering Oct. 6, looks at the true-life story of Mitch and his family, and how they cope with the long hours and stress of his life as an executive at a Hollywood studio, reviewing scripts and pitches that might be made into movies.

The last thing his stressed-out family needed was a pet to get underfoot and need to be fed and walked. But Pluto the dog, a stray, picked the Davis’ son, and the family took him into their hearts.

In turn, Pluto saved the family – and Mitch’s life. Mitch now focuses his efforts on movies that lift up people. He wrote and directed “The Other Side of Heaven” and others. But “The Stray” became a family project, with his son, Parker, co-writing the script; music by son, Christian; and other Davises behind the scenes.

Mitch talked with me about the new movie for the “Catholic Baltimore” Radio show, which will air Oct. 1, at 9:30 a.m. on WQLL (1370 AM) and WCBM (680 AM), with a rebroadcast Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. on WCBM.

If you didn’t get a chance to listen to the interview live, listen to it in our archive.