George Newton

George Newton is the main protagonist of Beethoven and Beethoven's 2nd, a mentioned character in the 3rd film, and the deuteragonist in the animated series. He is played by the late Charles Grodin in both films, as he was later voiced by the late Dean Jones, who ironically played Dr. Varnick in the first film, in the short-lived animated series.
== History ==
===Beethoven===
George is reluctant to own the escaped St. Bernard and doesn't want the responsibility of owning a dog, but his wife, Alice, and their children outnumber him. When they are thinking of a name, his daughter ,Emily, plays a portion of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and he barks along; thus they name him "Beethoven".
While George focuses on Beethoven's negative qualities, the rest of the family grows attached to him. However, George becomes increasingly jealous of the affection their dog receives, feeling as though he is being neglected as the family fawns over Beethoven. His frustration comes to a head when Beethoven's antics ruin a barbecue he is hosting for Brad & Brie who are venture capitalists looking to invest in his company, but are trying to secretly swindle him.
The family takes Beethoven to a local veterinarian, Dr. Herman Varnick, for a routine medical examination and immunizations. They are unaware that he is involved in unethical and deadly animal experimentation along with being the employer of the two thieves, Harvey and Vernon. Dr. Varnick urges them to leave him there overnight, but they refuse. He speaks to George alone and gives him false information by claiming St. Bernards are naturally aggressive (in reality, they are the opposite) so that George will have Beethoven removed for his family's safely. Subsequent to the vet visit George tells that "any kinda weirdness and he's gone" but Alice makes light of the by saying "what should I watch for hon’, wearing my clothes around the house?"
Dr. Varnick then visits The Newton home on the premise of a follow-up on Beethoven's rabies shots and tricks them into believing Beethoven had bitten him by using scissors to tear his shirt sleeve and applying fake blood to both him and Beethoven's snout. He then hit Beethoven repeatedly to provoke him into lunging at him. Emily, who saw Dr. Varnick hit him, protests that the attack was fake, but George, fearing for his family's safety, takes him to Dr. Varnick's office to be destroyed. It is on the way there that George discovers his own affections for him; he remembers his father had to take their dog to the vet to be put down and he never forgave him for it. He fears that his own family will hate him now for taking Beethoven to be put down. Sure enough, when he returns home with the empty leash and collar, his family look at him and leave the dinner table rather than eat with him (with Emily calling him a "Dog Killer").
Later, after recognizing the children's sadness and having a conversation with Alice in which she suggests that they believe their own child, George reluctantly agrees to speak to Dr. Varnick again. When they arrive at his office, Dr. Varnick claims that Beethoven has already been put down. The children are distraught, but George is upset and reminds him that he had been told that this would not happen until the next day. When Dr. Varnick attempts to manhandle Ryce, George notices that he has no bite marks on his arm and therefore the attack was fake. Realizing he's being tricked and double-crossed by the vet, George furiously demands Varnick to tell him where Beethoven is, but Dr. Varnick refuses saying that he ordered Beethoven to be destroyed and threatens to have him arrested for assault if he does anything violent. George punches Dr. Varnick in the face before leaving to find Beethoven. George & Alice call the cops but they show no interest in intervening so they proceed to follow Dr. Varnick to his testing area.
When the family arrives at Dr. Varnick's lab, George sneaks up to the roof and sees Dr. Varnick’s cronies having just subdued Beethoven. Dr. Varnick prepares to shoot Beethoven, but is distracted when George smashes through the skylight. He then proceeds to try and shoot George for interfering with a sad look on his face. Before he can, however, Sparky the Jack Russell Terrier bites the evil vet in the crotch, causing him to scream and misfire.
At this point Ted, who heard the gunshot, smashes into the area using the family car and, during the chaos, launches numerous syringes at Dr. Varnick, sedating him. Beethoven and the other dogs are freed and proceed to chase away Vernon & Harvey who try to escape to the junkyard only to find out that they are about to be viciously maimed by a pack of Dobermans guarding the yard.
George is seen at the end watching Dr. Varnick & his cronies getting arrested for animal cruelty and attempted murder, with his family being interviewed. Then he goes to bed with Alice, Beethoven, and all the dogs they rescued.
=== Beethoven's 2nd ===
George Newton and his family are now well adjusted to living together with Beethoven (while the other dogs they rescued are probably returned back to their owners or/and sell them). Before going to work, while talking to Beethoven, a newspaper boy throws a newspaper into his coffee, spilling it on his outfit, causing him to scream in pain and complain to Alice about it. Taylor Devereaux arrives to pick up Ryce to go to school and greets George Newton. After they leave, Beethoven wanders into a park where he meets a female St. Bernand named Missy, owned by Brillo. Regina the ex-wife of Brillo and her new boyfriend Floyd pick up Missy and she informs Brillo to call her lawyer if he wants Missy back. George and Alice are at work showing their boss a bad smell laundry to him.
Later, George discovered that Beethoven now has children and reluctantly agrees to keep them while they’re still puppies. He later decides to take his family to in a lakefront house at the mountains owned by George's business associates and Beethoven and the puppies somehow calm down and are enjoying themselves.
At the fair, George Newton and Beethoven are participating in a burger eating contest, and they won thanks to the two friendly teenagers. While he‘s recovering from the contest, Regina and Floyd arrive at the fair and Regina snatches the puppies from Ted and Emily (unfortunately everyone in the country fair ignored the dognapping incident happening) telling them that she will also take Beethoven too, while Beethoven frees Missy from Regina's car. Ted informs George that Regina stole their puppies and she also wants their dog Beethoven too. George is shocked that Regina took their puppies and at what kind of person she is "taking puppies from kids", so he decides to get those puppies back. During the chase Emily finds puppy poop and Ryce touches it to confirm. George orders Ryce to wash her hands afterwards. 
In the wilderness not far from the fair, George and his family finds Beethoven, Missy, the puppies, Regina and Floyd. Floyd then threatens to drop one of the puppies in the river below. George says the situation doesn’t have to get ugly and orders Floyd to put the puppy on the ground. Floyd does so, but he pokes George in the chest with a stick, and as Regina laughs at George, Beethoven rams the stick into Floyd's crotch in retaliation, causing Floyd to lose his balance. Regina grabs his hand as they fall into a pool of mud and are then swept away in a river. Alice then asks George if he's hungry.
Five months later, Brillo, who overheard what happened at the mountains and what Regina and Floyd had been doing, visits the Newtons with Missy and informs George and his family that the divorce has granted him full custody of her, denying Regina's claim and that she and Floyd had been arrested for their crimes. Seth, who Ryce met at the mountains, visits too and the puppies (now grown up) run downstairs to see Missy. Brillo also apologises to the Newtons for Regina and Floyd's actions.
===Beethoven's 3rd===
George Newton is only mentioned and does not make an appearance in the 3rd film. A few years after the events of the 2nd film, he and his family are in Europe and give their dog, Beethoven, to his brother, Richard Newton, to bring to California. When Richard and his family finally reached California for their family reunion, after dealing with 2 criminals named Tommy and William whom were trying to steal the DVD of The Shakiest Gun in the West, they find their uncle, Morrie Newton, but George and his family are not there due to unexpected important business at Slovakia. The family need to look after Beethoven for a whole year with George promising to pay for everything.
===Animated series===
George Newton is the deuteragonist in the animated series. He is always reluctantly involved in Beethoven’s escapades. 
==Gallery==
George with his family & Beethoven.PNG|George with Beethoven (from clockwise Alice, Ted, Emily, & Ryce)
George Finds Beethoven in his bed.jpg|George screaming after finding Beethoven in his bed
Floyd_poke_George.jpg|George being poked in the chest by Floyd.
Screen_Shot_2015-02-15_at_10.31.03_AM.png|George Newton in the Beethoven Animated Series
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