The Dog That Played Lassie

Lassie became a movie star despite starting life as a spirited, lassie-and-timmy-214x300unwanted pup.

In 1940 Rudd Weatherwax and his brother, Frank, had just started their own Studio Dog Training School, opting to run their own business rather than continue to work for others.  A man who was having difficulty with his puppy wanted to bring the dog to the School for training. The dog was from an AKC litter, Glamis Collies, but he had been sold to a family because he was judged only “pet quality.” His current owner wasn’t  even sure he was that.

When the car pulled up, the man opened the back door and the 8-month-old collie scampered out of the backseat: “…he came bounding into my yard, rollicking with all the friskiness—and maybe a little more—to be found in most puppies…” wrote Rudd Weatherwax in his book, The Story of Lassie.

The man explained the problems they were having with the dog they named Pal: “He chases motorcycles, he chews up everything in the house, he barks all the time, and we can’t even housebreak him.”

LassieWeatherwax accepted the job, and the owner agreed to pay $10 for the training and come back in a week.

Lassie’s Training Begins

When the owner returned, Lassie/Pal was a much-better behaved dog. The only remaining problem was that Weatherwax had not yet ended the motorcycle-chasing.  That was still going to require some work.

It turned out it didn’t matter. The fellow explained that he and his wife were so happy with the newly discovered peace and quiet in their household that they didn’t want the dog back.  Would Weatherwax take the dog instead of the ten dollar payment?

Weatherwax had grown up with a collie, so it was easy to say yes. Eventually he was to find that this was the best deal he ever made.

Lassie: Family Pet and Hopeful Actor

The Weatherwaxes now had forty dogs in their kennel, several of which were quite busy with film work.  There were no casting calls for collies, however, so Lassie/Pal was perfectly happy to be a family pet.

One of the skills Rudd taught Lassie for family life was to help with

Lassie
Courage of Lassie; Elizabeth Taylor

the Weatherwax youngster, Bob. Bob loved to roam the property, so Weatherwax trained Lassie to go and find him and bring home when it was time for dinner. When Lassie located the boy, he gently took his arm, and Bob knew it was time to go home.  This training was to come in handy in film work.

Lassie/Pal was over a year and a half old, and his career had yet to get underway. When a neighbor dropped by on his way to his ranch and suggested he take Pal with him, Weatherwax saw no reason to deny the dog a good time.

Finally a Possible Part

Several days after Lassie left, Weatherwax was scanning the ads and noted that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was holding auditions for a dog to appear in a starring role in an upcoming film. The dog they needed? A collie.

Weatherwax jumped in his car to drive to the ranch.

When he arrived and explained to his friend why he needed to take Lassie back, the two men went to the back porch and called Lassie/Pal to come in.  From the answering bark, he was clearly a good distance away. As he came streaking toward Weatherwax, Weatherwax was shocked by the sight.

Lassie
Lassie Come Home with Roddy McDowall

Pal had fully enjoyed his holiday, chasing rabbits, birds, and shadows around the property. His silken ruff was matted and tangled, and his coat was filled with burrs from the underbrush.  Weather put him in the car and took him home where he was bathed and combed. Weatherwax tried to remove the burrs but some had to be cut out. By the day of the audition, Lassie/Pal was far from looking his best.

Pal was one of about three hundred dogs who came to the open casting call. The MGM executives walked through the line of dogs and owners, giving each dog a once-over.  Pal did not even make the first cut.

No other dog was selected that day either. The MGM executives continued a nationwide search, finally selecting a show dog in San Francisco. When he was brought back to Hollywood for a screen test, however, he was petrified by the chaos and lights.  MGM’s sent that dog home, and the search continued.

Weatherwax Tries Again

Six months later, Lassie/Pal was looking handsome again.

Lassie
The Studio Dog Training School kennels. Lassie lived with the family.

Weatherwax decided to take matters into his own hands. He took the collie to the Culver City studio lot and explained to a guard why he was there. He and Pal were soon escorted to the office of Fred M. Wilcox., the movie’s director.

Wilcox was impressed by the look and the training of the dog, so they set up a screen test for the next day.  Lassie/Pal was fine through it all. Within a few days, a contract was offered and for publicity purposes, Pal himself put paw to the contract.

Filming Lassie’s First Movie

When filming began, Lassie was to film a scene where the dog is struggling to make it all the way across the Tweed River that separated England and Scotland. (The San Joaquin River in northern California substituted.) One camera was in a boat, one was onshore, and Weatherwax and Lassie were being rowed out separately.

On Weatherwax’s command, Lassie was to jump in the water and swim to a designated spot on land. Weatherwax was quickly taken back to mark the landing spot. Lassie made the swim and reached the shore looking like an exhausted dog, just as they had rehearsed.

“The dog went into the water as Pal, but he emerged as Lassie!” proclaimed Wilcox. From that time forward, Pal was always known as Lassie.

Lassie’s Bright Future

The success of Lassie Come Home in 1943 led to six more MGM films

Lassie
Hollywood Walk of Fame

with Lassie as the star: Son of Lassie, Courage of Lassie, Hills of Home, The Sun Comes Up, Challenge to Lassie, and The Painted Hills.

From that first film on, Lassie was never a bit player—always the star. One critic called him “Greer Garson with fur.” Lassie led the way for a new form of dog picture.

For every film Lassie was in, the SPCA was always on set.  Lassie was well cared for so there was never any complaint from the SPCA representative, but Weatherwax found it enormously helpful with audiences. If Lassie played hurt, or it was made to look like his paws were bleeding, concerned audience members wrote in.  The SPCA could defend and explain how certain scenes were filmed and could verify that Lassie was just fine.

Lassie: Radio Star

After Lassie’s fourth film, Weatherwax was offered a network radio program starring Lassie. “The Lassie Show” was the first radio program to feature an animal as the star. Each week a dramatic story would unfold, and Lassie supplied the barks, whines, and growls called for in the script.

Once the radio program began, Weatherwax and Lassie had to be flown back to Hollywood each week as Lassie had to in the studio for the show to be recorded. Weatherwax could now afford a private plane to simplify shuttling between Hollywood and their movie locations.

Lassie’s Popularity

One day they were making a personal appearance at Hollywood Park. Lassie was surrounded by young children and Rudd stepped out of the circle for a moment… one of the kids immediately pulled out scissors and began to clip some hair. When confronted, the kid said: “ Shucks, Mr. Weathrwax, I know where I can trade one lock of Lassie’s for three autographed pictures of Lana Turner!”

New Direction for Career

By 1951, ticket sales were sliding a bit, and MGM decided to move on to other types of films.  However, Lassie and Weatherwax were still under contract. To buy them out would have cost the studio $40,000 and they were reluctant to pay. Instead of pay, Weatherwax asked for and received the Lassie name and

Lassie and Rudd Weatherwax, 1955
Lassie and Rudd Weatherwax, 1955

trademark.

After the MGM contract was concluded, Lassie and Weatherwax began touring with a road show. They would do an 18-minute sequences at dog shows and department stores. They were paid well for these appearances.

Television producer Robert Maxwell had other ideas. He wanted Lassie on TV.

Maxwell and Weatherwax came up with a boy-and-dog plot that was right for Lassie. Because Lassie was truly the star, Maxwell offered an unusual option. Lassie was given the choice as to which of three young actors he preferred.

Each boy spent a week at the Weatherwax home in North Hollywood. At the end of the three weeks, Lassie seemed to respond best to 11-year-old Tommy Rettig. Tommy became the first star of the Lassie television show.

Pilots Filmed

In the summer of 1954 two pilots were filmed with the original Lassie.  When CBS executives saw the shows, they ordered the show for their fall schedule.

But the original Lassie was getting older. Lassie Junior, his stand-in, soon absorbed the lead for the television program. Lassie still came to the set with Weatherwax where he had his own dog bed, and everyone doted on him.

The Death of the Original Lassie

In June 1958, Lassie died at the age of 18.

Lassie and Rudd Weatherwax, 1955
Lassie and Rudd Weatherwax, 1955

Rudd Weatherwax slipped in and out of depression for quite some time after Pal’s death.  Rudd’s son noted, “Dad would never again watch an MGM Lassie movie. He just couldn’t bear to see Pal. He didn’t want to have to be reminded just how much he loved that dog.”

Pal was buried in a place of honor on the Weatherwax ranch and Rudd visited the gravesite regularly.

The Future of Lassie

Lassie has always been played by a male dog though the character is female. Females periodically lose their coats which changes their Lassielook. Male collies are larger which means a youngster can look “small” next to Lassie for a longer period of time.

The Weatherwaxes continued supplying Lassies for the television show and for whatever else was needed.  Then in 2000, they decided to sell the Lassie trademark. Unfortunately the first buyers did not handle the franchise well, but today the the ownership is in good hands: Dreamworks Classics.

The current Lassie is the tenth generation direct descendant of the original line and is a fully registered AKC dog. He is owned and trained by Carol Riggins who had worked with the Weatherwaxes in a multitude of capacities through the years. She now has her own company.

To read about the story on which Lassie Come Home was based, click here.

Share with Others!

View sources >>

34 thoughts on “The Dog That Played Lassie”

  1. I grew up watching Lassie.I was born in 54 so yes I grew up with Lassie.I’m 62 years old and still love watching Lassie’s movie’s and TV shows too.I loved Timmy and Lassie.

  2. Thank you for writing… yes I share with you the fact that Lassie was an important part of my childhood. They really were enjoyable shows.

  3. In an article mainly about Pal, why weren’t any photos of Pal used? The Collie in the photo with Rudd might be Pal. It’s hard to tell at that angle. But I think it’s Lassie Jr. Two of the dogs pictured in the article are completely unrelated to Lassie. One of the two looks more like a Sheltie than a Collie.

    As for the trademark being in good hands – it would be in better hands if it were in the hands of a company that would release the entire original series on DVD.

  4. Kevin,
    Thank you for your comments. At the time I wrote the article, I selected photos that were available. I have re-examined the article and the dates when Pal would have been playing Lassie. The photos should now better reflect Pal as Lassie.
    Kate

  5. Thank you. I’ve actually removed that information because today with so much being digitized, few books go out of print!

  6. I have asked several TV experts, and no one has come up with a connection between Andy Devine and Lassie or descendants. One person thought perhaps you were thinking of George Cleveland, how played Grandpa on the Lassie TV show in the 1950s. If you can give me a little more guidance of what you were thinking, perhaps I can get you a better answer!
    Kate

  7. Pingback: ¿Vale la pena el seguro de mascotas?

  8. Pingback: The Most Loyal Dog Breeds: Dogs That Will Always Be By Your Side

  9. Pingback: Bonding: Preparation for Partnership – Pups n Pals Training

  10. Pingback: St. Bernard in TV Show Topper - America Comes Alive

  11. Pingback: Animal of the Week: Collies – The Silver Needle

  12. Pingback: the original lassie – DXP

  13. Kathleen Ann Furtado

    I’ve watched “Lassie” my whole life!! I was just a little kid in the 60’s when Lassie and Timmy did the Lassie Show and I’ve continued to watch anything “Lassie” ever since. I loved the show with the forest ranger. I wish there was a program like Lassie for my son to watch. Everything is animated or phony. There is nothing to compare to a real dog. The only thing that upsets me is the theme “a boy and his dog”. What about a girl and her dog like the movie with Elizabeth Taylor? I think a girl and her dog would be just fine. It seems like girls are constantly given the idea that they don’t matter. Girls are second class and that’s a VERY bad stereotype! Some director needs to do a story again of “a girl and her dog”!

  14. Excellent point…I agree re: programming, and yes, the gender equality issue is being addressed too slowly.

  15. Pingback: DiscoverNet | The Most Famous Dogs In History

  16. Pingback: 14 Animal Actors You Might Not Know You've Seen In Multiple Movies – THENEWS.TOP

  17. Pingback: 14 Animals Actors From TV Shows And Movies - Today Topic

  18. Pingback: 14 Animal Actors Who Deserve Credit For Being The Backbone Of Hollywood - Rachidone

  19. Pingback: 14 Animals Actors From TV Shows And Movies - Tips Loves

  20. Pingback: 14 Animals Actors From TV Shows And Movies – Teazilla

  21. Pingback: 14 animaux acteurs d'émissions de télévision et de films - WavePets

  22. What a wonderful surprise to come across the story of Lassie! Always one of my favorite shows and one my family watched with me! I hv such beautiful memories of that time. I had started out a cat person but Lassie opened my eyes to “loving dogs too!” And at my current age of 73, I still have my little dog buddy, my 12 year old Shih Tzu rescue. We play together, walk together, sleep together – just anything he is up for! At one time Ozzy had to share me with my rescued Manx cat, Yogi. (Yogi was here first – rescued at 2 weeks) and I was blessed to have him 20 years before he passed away of organ failure. Ozzy understood that Yogi needed more time with me and he patiently continued to sleep in bed with me at night. The compromise – instead of snuggling with the two of them at night up right by my shoulders, Ozzy deferred to Yogi and slept by my knees. It was beautiful to see how well they got along! I called Ozzy my “DAT”! And Ozzy still gets along with cats to this day. And we added a 2nd dog rescue “Sparky”, another Shih Tzu. And adopted a stray cat that desperately needed to be rescued. And everybody gets along!

  23. Thank you so much for posting. I’m so glad the Lassie story brought up such wonderful memories….and how lucky your animals are to have a loving person like you! We, too, have rescue dogs so I know that love goes both ways.
    Enjoy!
    Kate

  24. I appreciate reading this article even though I have acquired some knowledge on my own before. I was born in 1955 and I loved Lassie the first time I saw the movies and of course the T.V. show. Lassie seemed to me to be a real character and not just a collie who acts and performs tricks and stunts. Even now that I’m older, I’m still amazed when I watch a Lassie production. I get sentimental and I tear up which for some reason I can’t control. Whenever I hear the song Greensleeves, I think of Lassie because that song was the one they used that played at the end of the show. I would love to see as much footage of her training and behind the scenes outakes etc. I have seen an interview with Rudd Wetherwax’s son demonstrating some training. I miss the times when movies and television shows were wholesome with good moral values. If they ever decide to produce any, I hope it would take place in the original era and concept and no wokeness. Also a biography film would be nice too from beginning to present.

  25. Thank you for posting. I know exactly what you mean. When Lassie was filmed, studios were protective of their “secrets,” so it’s very hard to find footage of any form of training. You might check out this article: https://americacomesalive.com/dog-training-for-the-early-movies/ I was fortunate enough to find a relatively rare copy of the Spitz’s book where he talked about dog training and about how the training changed when “talkies” came about. For silent films, dogs could be given commands orally. This changed when movies had sound!
    All best, Kate

  26. Samantha Bourdelier

    I love to watch Jeff episodes of Lassie. When I watched them they were called Jeff’s Collie. He was the first to be Lassie’s owner when he inherited “her’ in the first episode. For some reason people don’t talk about Jeff and his family as much as they do about Timmy. Don’t know why.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Translate »
Scroll to Top