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Lassie is the most famous dog in Hollywood, thanks to decades of appearances across books, radio, television, and movies. Starting with the 1943 classic, Lassie Come Home, that noble Rough Collie instantly became America’s idea of the perfect canine companion.
It was an idea that might not have worked in front of the camera. But thanks to great training, and a sharp Collie named Pal, Lassie’s first shot at pop culture stardom was a massive success.
The original ‘Lassie’ set the bar high for on-camera performances by dogs
Pal got his start after he was deemed not a good fit as a show dog, notes Ms Mojo. He wasn’t naturally a great pet, either. The Collie was bored and somewhat maladjusted and found himself given away to trainer Rudd Weatherwax. Pal’s behavioral issues were (mostly) solved. But the original owner was displeased by his continued barking habit, and returned him to Weatherwax.
The trainer heard about a movie that was in production and looking for a lively Rough Collie. He brought in Pal to try out for Lassie Come Home, which was initially a lower-budget, black-and-white children’s film. Pre-production — and Pal’s test performances — went so well that the project was bumped up to a color picture with a larger budget. And so the most famous dog in cinematic history made his way to the silver screen in 1943.
Many dogs have played Lassie over the years
The misbehaving Pal became a dignified celebrity thanks to Weatherwax’s training. The Palos Verdes Pulse reports that Pal was initially brought in as a stunt dog, while a female Collie was trained to be the main star. But the original lead dog was unable to perform in many of the required scenes. The braver Pal ended up taking on the whole role.
The steady Collie’s attitude impressed the bosses at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who pushed for the dog to retain the role across six Lassie films. When MGM decided that the Lassie project had run its course, Weatherwax bought the rights to the name and took Pal on the road. Even as new films and TV shows were greenlit, Pal continued to visit the sets to meet and work with his replacements.
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Those replacements were all his descendants. Collies have a range of behaviors, so Lassie producers have preferred to stick to Pal’s lineage. Pal’s son Lassie Junior was the first replacement. Grandsons Spook and Baby held the role in film and television. And Mire and Hey Hey bookended the syndicated run of the Lassie TV series.
Lassie continues to be the most iconic dog in Hollywood history
Lassie Come Home permanently enshrined Lassie — and Pal’s iconic look in particular — in both Hollywood history and pop culture more broadly. NPR reports that many Americans still view Lassie’s behavior as the bar that a good trainer should strive for.
Different TV and movie dogs have inspired the popularity of different breeds. Peanuts specials encouraged young viewers to ask for a pet beagle like Snoopy. Frasier and Wishbone inspired a run on Jack Russell Terriers in the 1990s. 101 Dalmatians had a lot of families opting for at least one of the titular dogs.
But in all that time, with all those Air Bud and Homeward Bound-type films coming and going, Lassie is still the first Hollywood dog that comes to mind for most people. And — for many of the projects — the dog you see on screen is still related to good old Pal to this day.
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