Lassie the Dog Movies
Courageous, silken haired, brown-eyed American actor of Scottish heritage with distinctive blaze on face, Lassie remains one of the best known and most beloved figures in cinema. Lassie made her screen debut in 1943 in Lassie Come Home, an adaptation of Eric Knight's novel. There her onscreen heroism, unusual intelligence and selfless devotion to her masters made her an instant star -- an unusual feat for a dog. It is probably one of Hollywood's worst-kept secrets, that Lassie, in her many incarnations, has always been played by a male dog. The first "Lassie" was played by a smart and attractive collie named Pal; he was chosen from 300 candidates. The producers chose a male to play her because traditionally male dogs are more attractive; they are also slightly less intelligent, but the trainer compensated for that on the set. Since then, all subsequent Lassies have been descendants of Pal. And though he and his sons and daughters have whelped many a purebred pup, only very few have been able to play the part as one of the requirements is the white blaze on the face.Following the success of Lassie's screen debut, Pal and four of his descendents played in six more sequels until 1951. In 1947, there was a Lassie radio show on ABC in which the original Pal provided the barking on the air; all of his other doggy vocalizations were performed by a human. In 1954 the first televised version of Lassie appeared. It ran, in different incarnations (including an animated series) until 1975. The courageous canine also appeared briefly in a syndicated TV series in the 1980s. In 1963, four episodes from the current Lassie television series were combined to make the feature film, Lassie's Greatest Adventure. In 1978, yet another Lassie feature appeared, the big-budget The Magic of Lassie, starring James Stewart. While promoting the film in New York, the dog star had a private suite at the posh Plaza Hotel. In 1994, Lassie appeared in another feature film simply titled Lassie. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This family-oriented film is comprised of scenes from some of the courageous collie's best television adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1980
In the conclusion of a two-part story, the cabbies continue to discuss their personal fantasies, inspired by a package of alluring publicity photos left in Tony's cab by Fantasy Island co-star Herve Villechaize. Unfortunately, reality interferes when Alex (Judd Hirsch) fantasizes about taking a beautiful passenger to his own apartment. But Louie (Danny DeVito) doesn't let reality get in his way as he dreams about wedded bliss with his dream girl, Elaine (Marilu Henner) -- whose own fantasy segues into an out-of-left-field musical production number! This was the final episode of Taxi's second season. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Priscilla Barnes, Lassie the Dog, (more)
- 1978
Earl Hamner Jr. of The Waltons fame cowrote the teleplay for Lassie: The New Beginning with Jack Miller. The venerable female collie is now owned by two orphan children (Shane Sinutko and Sally Boyden). She accompanies the kids on a hazardous journey from Arizona to Southern California in search of their only living kin. You won the bet--Lassie does rescue the children in the (ta da!) nick of time. John McIntyre and Jeanette Nolan costar in this 100-minute TV movie. Lassie: The New Beginning was first telecast in two parts on September 17 and 24, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Reilly, Lee Bryant, (more)
- 1976
Great animal performances of film history are the focus of this 1976 documentary. They are often paired with famous human actors. Among the many performances viewed are those of Asta (the dog from The Thin Man series) and Cheetah (the chimpanzee from the Tarzan series). Very short sequences are interspersed with longer segments from the animals' films which briefly tell a story. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rin Tin Tin III, Lassie the Dog, (more)
- 1972
In this comedy, the test shot of a Minuteman missile is delayed by an errant snow goose. The Strategic Air Command also encounters problems with a diabetic poodle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1970
In this touching drama a disparate group of people rally together to save a dog that has fallen into a deep well. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Lassie's Great Adventure is the feature-film version of a three-episode cliffhanger, originally presented on the Lassie television series. It all begins when the faithful collie accompanies his master Timmy (Jon Provost) to the market. While nosing around the vegetables, Lassie wanders into a van, which is promptly locked up. By the time she makes her escape, Lassie is hundreds of miles from home. Meanwhile, Timmy never gives up hope that his beloved Lassie will eventually return. Written by Sumner Long, Lassie's Great Adventure (original title: Lassie's Odyssey) was first telecast February 18, 24, and March 4, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Alexander Hull's novel Shep of the Painted Hills was refashioned into a traditional Lassie vehicle by screenwriter True Boardman. The noble collie turns avenger this time out, hoping to bring the murderer of her master to justice. The perpetrator, played by Bruce Cowling, is hounded (no pun intended) into meeting a fate similar to the one he meted out to the victim. Filmed on a somewhat lower budget than previous Lassie endeavors, The Painted Hills benefits greatly from its all-character-actor cast, headed by Paul Kelly and Ann Doran. The film was lensed in Technicolor, making it a valuable commodity in the formative days of locally-produced color TV in the late 1950s-early 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lassie the Dog, Paul Kelly, (more)
- 1949
In this drama, an embittered widow, a former concert singer, can't help but blame Lassie for her son's death. Needing help with her chores, she hires an orphan from the local home. At first she remains aloof towards the charming lad who quickly bonds with the collie dog, but as time passes she can't help but develop feelings for the boy. Later Lassie redeems herself when she saves the boy from a terrible fire in the orphanage. After that, the widow suddenly realizes that she does indeed love the boy and adopts him and puts Lassie back in her good graces. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanette MacDonald, Lloyd Nolan, (more)
- 1949
A "new" Lassie (once again, a male collie in drag) starred in A Challenge to Lassie, MGM's fourth entry in their series based on characters created by Eric Knight. This time, Lassie is plunked into the plotline of William Ludwig's novel Greyfriars Bobby (remade by Disney under its original title in 1963). In 19th-century Edinburgh, crusty sheepherder Jock Gray (Donald Crisp) rescues a puppy and raises it into a champion sheep dog. When Gray is murdered by rustlers, his faithful collie keeps a night-and-day watch over his late master's grave, despite local laws banning the presence of unleashed canines. The rest of the film is a battle of wills between kindly innkeeper John Traill (Edmund Gwenn) and by-the-book constable Davie (Reginald Owen) over the dog's well-being. A romantic subplot is capably handled by Geraldine Brooks and Ross Ford, both of whom went on to healthy character-actor careers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Gwenn, Donald Crisp, (more)
- 1948
MGM's Lassie series was declining in popularity by 1948, so the studio decided to release its latest adventure of the famous collie as Hills of Home, so that non-Lassie fans might be inveigled into entering the theatre. Actually, Hills is one of the best entries in the series, due in no small part to the engaging performance by Edmund Gwenn. Playing a Scottish doctor, Gwenn adopts Lassie, who in this film has an unnatural aversion to water; she'll drink it, but won't swim in it. Gwenn spends most of the film trying to cure Lassie of her fears, but she remains water-shy until Gwenn's life is put in danger and the dog is forced to dive into a raving river. The doctor dies as the result of the ordeal, but not before beneficently passing on Lassie's ownership to romantic leads Janet Leigh and Tom Drake. Lensed in restful Technicolor, Hills of Home was based on Ian McClaren's Doctor of the Old School, which had previously been filmed without Lassie in 1923. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Gwenn, Donald Crisp, (more)
- 1946
This is the one where Lassie plays a war veteran with amnesia. Actually Lassie isn't even Lassie, but a male collie named Bill (at least he isn't asked to appear "in drag" like all the other cinematic Lassies). Raised from a pup by adolescent Elizabeth Taylor, the doggy hero becomes a sheep collie on rancher Frank Morgan's spread. Lassie--er, Bill--loses his memory when hit by a car. Later on, the dog finds himself in the K-9 corps, where he is trained to kill Japs (Lassie a racist? No, no, not that!) The dog returns home shell-shocked and ready to tear apart anyone who crosses his path. But the love of Elizabeth Taylor conquers all in the lachrymose Technicolor finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Morgan, (more)
Son of Lassie is about a courageous collie named Laddie, played by a dog named "Pal". A sequel to Lassie Come Home, the film stars Peter Lawford and June Lockhart as the grown-up counterparts of the characters played in the earlier film by Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor. When WW2 breaks out, young Yorkshireman Joe Carraclough (Lawford) signs up with the British air force, bringing Laddie along. The inquisitive canine sneaks aboard the plane which takes Joe on his first mission. Their aircraft hit by enemy fire, Joe and Laddie are forced to parachute into Nazi-occupied Norway. Injured in the landing, Joe lies in a daze while the dog seeks help for his master. Once Laddie ascertains that the Nazis aren't his friends, the film evolves into one long chase, as dog and master try to make their way back to their own lines?while back at home, Joe's sweetheart Priscilla (June Lockhart, who of course would later costar in the Lassie TV series) bites her nails in anticipation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, (more)
Richard Barthelmess stars in this classic silent melodrama as David Kinemon, the youngest son of a family living in a small West Virginia town. While sweet and good-natured, David is not noted for his mature behavior, and his youthful overenthusiasm causes his mother to tell him, "You're not quite a man yet -- you're only tol'able." But David is forced to grow up and face responsibilities when a family of outlaws -- Iscah Hatburn (Walter P. Lewis) and his sons Luke (Ernest Torrence) and Little Buzzard (Ralph Yearsley) -- move into town and begin terrorizing the community. The Hatburns' reckless violence causes the death of David's father Hunter (Edmund Gurney) and cripples his brother Alex (Warner Richmond); David is suddenly the head of the family, and he's forced to support his mother and his siblings, take over Alex's mail route, and protect the town from the wrath of the Hatburn Family. Tol'able David was remade as a talkie in 1930 (with Richard Cromwell in the title role), and a clip from the original movie appeared in the classic horror film The Tingler (which is set in part in a theater specializing in silent movies). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Barthelmess, Gladys Hulette, (more)
The story of an intelligent, heroic collie and his young owner, previously featured in numerous films and a successful 1950s television series, was updated for the 1990s in this family feature. This time, Lassie is determined to help a cynical city boy named Matt (Thomas Guiry), who turns even more resentful when his family relocates to a small town in rural Virginia. Soon after this move, a bright collie enters the family's life and winds up with the name Lassie because of the television show, which Matt's younger sister (Brittany Boyd) watches passionately. Lassie sets out to cheer Matt up and introduce him to the wonders of nature, while also helping the family stand its ground against rich, unpleasant neighbors. There are also run-ins with vicious wild animals and a daring rescue over river rapids, but the main focus remains on the emotional relationship between Matt and the dog, a story that will seem old-fashioned and charming to some viewers while familiar and sentimental to others. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Guiry, Helen Slater, (more)
