“We were watching this episode the other day,” he reflects, “and, truthfully, I didn’t remember a thing. There was something deeper than that. If the MAD folks don't want it here, away it goes. Closer Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Toto from The Wizard of Oz. During that time, the first 10 seasons were filmed in black and white, the remaining nine in color. Although, and we’re sorry to burst anyone’s bubble about this, young Timmy never actually did fall in a well. I had an older brother and an older sister. 5. Not a bad life. From his retirement in 1954 to his death in 1958, Pal lived with his trainer, Rudd Weatherwax. Closer Weekly is part of the A360 Media Entertainment Group.Copyright © A360 Media LLC 2021. I was on the show for seven years and worked with three different dogs.The last dog I worked with for five years, so obviously he and I bonded. Though the show was picked up, Pal was ready to retire after 11 years in the industry. It’s hard to imagine how you would take a series that is essentially about a dog and make it a riveting radio series where everything is sound-based. 24 likes. He alerted Roy when bad guys came near, he chased the “black hats” when necessary, and he stepped in to rescue the show’s stars, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, when they needed help. “What blows me away,” he replies, “is when I’m at a Comic-Con signing autographs and meeting with people. Not only did he train Pal, who we know played Lassie in a string of films from the 1940s to the early ’50s, Rudd Weatherwax also trained collies for the 20-year run of the Lassie television series. They relented, however, and Spike won the part - and our hearts. As I mentioned last week, Punky’s buddy Brandon was named after then-NBC president Brandon Tartikoff – onscreen, at least. Enzo passed away last year at the age of 16. What it’s really about is a normal American family. “I just watched a clip the other day from So Big, my first movie, and my second movie, Country Girl, with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. After that, Pal’s son, Pete, was one of the main animal actors to take over for his dad, even though he had to have his eye circle painted on by famous makeup artist Max Factor. 7. Ace the Wonder Dog on IMDb. Hooch. I am reprinting it solely because I thought Lassie fans would enjoy it and also because it's long out of print. Eddie from Frasier. Balto the Wonder Dog 1919 – 14 Mar 1933. Chris’ brother, Steve, turns out to be the adult Timmy from the original series (too convoluted to explain here). Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much about his whereabouts upon retirement - presumably he went home to live with the Weatherwaxes - but some sources say Spike was buried at sea when he did pass away. Gaspode is describe as a small, bow-legged and wiry terrier-like dog, 'basically grey (in colour) with patches of brown, white and black in outlying areas'. Much later, there was a pair of movies (one in 1994 and the other in 2005) simply given the name Lassie, though they were fairly unmemorable. The Wonder Dog Rin Tin Tin. At that point, the farm stories were abandoned and Lassie started working with the US Forest Service, helping out wherever she could. He buried her at his ranch in Studio City, California, but when the Ventura Freeway was constructed in 1958, the whole area was dug up, including Terry’s remains. I'm sure we're all glad that Spike the Lab/Mastiff mix didn't meet the same fate as his onscreen counterpart. The TV show was based on a long-running radio program called Challenge of the Yukon.. Show’s Origin I spoke with her a few weeks back and we’ve kept in touch since day one. This was followed by Son of Lassie (1945), Courage of Lassie (1946), which marked Elizabeth Taylor’s first starring role; Hills of Home (1948), The Sun Comes Up (1949), Challenge to Lassie (1949), and The Painted Hills (1951). “It’s a mind-blower,” Jon admits with a laugh. My parents weren’t Hollywood people. “I’ve always been raised around animals,” he says. John Fiedler, who plays Hugo, played "Vinnie" in the motion picture version of The Odd Couple (1968). I’d spent a lot of time with the dogs, now I was looking at the girls.”. All Rights Reserved, Here's What Happened to 'Mister Ed' Star Alan Young, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), His Own Airport! Unlike Lassie, Rin Tin Tin was a real dog, a German Shepherd who served on active duty during WWI. This page is to Bring awareness of how dogs are left because of disabilities and how fostering, love & hard work can pay off! I also read that these two dogs are buried together.) Rinty's owner, Lee Duncan, had given her one of Rin Tin Tin's puppies years before. Then things more or less came full circle for Seasons 18 and 19, when Lassie became a part of the Holden Ranch, a home for orphaned boys. In fact, her first major movie was in Bright Eyes with Shirley Temple, the biggest star of the day. One of his puppies was given to Peri Gilpin, who played Roz on the show. The last one I went to, there were over 400 dogs that were all collies. I’m sure the 10-year-old Berry will have no problems finding an owner to take care of him in his twilight years, but what happened to some of the other famous dogs from movie history? She (although played by a male pooch) managed to span mediums from books to movies, television, radio (!) Lassie In fact, he reflected on it all in his 2007 autobiography Timmy’s in the Well: The Jon Provost Story. The dog behind Benji, Higgins, was one busy actor. Author/producer/ talk show host/tv personality Bill (Hans Solo) Boggs has created a knockout novel narrative as told by an endearing dog. When Higgins died in 1975, Inn had him cremated and kept him in an urn on the mantel. Lassie was played by Pal. At the start of the fifth season, Timmy had new foster parents in the form of June Lockhart (who starred in the film Son of Lassie, and would go on to star in the TV show Lost in Space) and Broadway star Hugh Reilly. But all good things come to an end, and in Season 17 things changed — without explanation — and Lassie traveled on her own, getting involved with people in different locations (think of The Fugitive, but, you know, with a dog). But when we made it, obviously we didn’t have a clue. 6. 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Excellent condition with great looking box that folds into a … She can add numbers, play the piano, and even drive a car! … An alternate theory is that Lassie was actually inspired by a real incident during World War I. Before Woodstock, microwaves, Cabbage Patch dolls and Just Say No, there were Lassie … 3. Another one, Enzo, eventually succeeded his dad. “The show is on in over 50 countries and here on about a half a dozen or more cable networks. Come on, I was holding a penguin. His owner was Gale Henry East, an actress who opened a dog training facility once her onscreen days were over. But the show, Lassie and Jon have certainly fallen into the well of pop culture history, and are still enjoying a passionate following so many years later. Earlier this year, a life size monument was dedicated to Terry at Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles. Sadly, it’s said that someone with an unknown motive poisoned Pal in 1930. 1. “I went with that as the title, because we all fall in wells and we either get to be pulled out or we don’t,” he explains. But I should have, because it was an episode where me and my friend were protecting a penguin. He is … Rudd Weatherwax would drive out to his ranch out in the San Fernando Valley, I’d spend the weekend there and then come back to work Monday morning. Over the years, Lassie has been featured in no less than 50 books designed for readers of different ages. Famous Dog Lassie" (1996). The name "Lassie" became a stage name for several dog actors, such as in the 1943 film Lassie Come Home where the character "Lassie" was played by a talented dog … Philly. Now I can watch those episodes and it brings back all these great memories. He buried him in a special place on the ranch and would often visit the grave. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Timmy wasn’t the smartest kid and probably wouldn’t be here without the dog, but he always learned something. What we do know is that in that first film, MGM head Louis B. Mayer commented that Pal went in the river, but Lassie came out; and upon watching Pal in action, the demand was made for more footage to be shot. Jon, who was born on March 12, 1950 in Los Angeles, looks back at his acting career as the best collection of “home movies” he could hope for. 1. Rin Tin Tin. His son, Spook, briefly played the part, although he was never comfortable on the set. With the studio owing Rudd $40,000 in back pay, he, instead, said he would accept all rights to the Lassie name and trademark. And then, all of a sudden, there’s this big celebrity in the family. We were like a big family.”, ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images. Introduced in 1938 in the form of a short story turned novel two years later, before being adapted to the big screen, Lassie — the best friend a boy or girl could have — became a true phenomenon. Forget Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. In today’s world, it’s not really surprising anymore to see that just about anyone can become famous — and we’re not just talking about people with the names Duggar or Kardashian. Owner Lee Duncan was convinced the smart dog would be perfect for a film career - and obviously, he was correct. He mentioned it to Soleil Moon Frye, the star of the show, when he ran into her at a book signing. Dad would never again watch an MGM Lassie movie. “So we just thought it was appropriate, and the book was a lot of fun to do. Others commented that the male collie Pal just looked more impressive in the part. Every year there’s a National Collie Convention. My mom was from Wolf City, Texas. When you get older, you just play all the parts.’ So the door is always open.”, Let’s face it: all in all, that collie — the most famous dog in Hollywood — has had one heck of a life. How shocking do you think it must have been back in the day to see a Rough Collie — popularly known as the “Lassie Dog” — capture the imagination of millions of people across the country? Things changed in 1957 when both Ellen and Jeff said that they wanted to leave the show. I was tired of being Timmy. They met in Hollywood, got married in the forties. Terry’s trainer, Carl Spitz, said no – she had more work to do. No wonder he was so good at slapstick comedy! The bottom piece is some sort of clip with a Lassie in a dog house attached. After leaving Our Gang, Pete the Pup moved to Atlantic City, where he took pictures with his fans on Steel Pier. We’ve never seen an episode, and likely won’t. What was an amazing stroke of luck is that when the seventh Lassie film, The Painted Hills, was released, MGM made it clear there were no intentions of producing anymore. It’s pretty amazing. Get to Know Tony Bennett's Third Wife Susan Crow, Meet Denzel Washington's Amazing Kids John, Katia, Malcolm and Olivia, Sandra Bullock Is the Proud Mom of 2 Adopted Kids! Bullet. The so-called “Ranger Years” were represented by Seasons 11 through 16. Ask any animal lover and they’ll tell you Kelsey Grammer wasn’t the real star of that show - Moose the dog was. That was it. There were many Rin Tin Tins over the years, but let's talk about the dog that originated the role. Benji from Benji. Well, she was a seamstress when she came to L.A. and that’s how she made her living. Pal was also a male dog that played a female dog! They said, ‘What do you want to do?’ I told them I wanted to continue to work — I totally enjoyed that part of it, but I wanted to move on. One could argue that that love began way back in 1859, when British writer Elizabeth Gaskell wrote a short story called “The Half-Brothers.” Introducing Lassie to the world, she put the poor collie to work right away, having her attempt to rescue the brothers from freezing to death in the snow. He died in 1932, just shy of his 14th birthday. But I loved Lassie. Animal Actor. Bullet was a German Shepherd who starred in the, “Roy Rogers Show.” Bullet, along with his … It was also a great way for me and the dog to bond. These days, a studio would never release a franchise film and not have the star character in the title somewhere. Pal portrayed Lassie in Lassie Come Home, plus six other movies and two television pilots. “We were watching a show the other morning on Cozi,” he adds, “and just listening to the dialogue, and the meaning that the shows relayed — the values, the morals — might be the reason for its continuing appeal. He is known as "Oodles the Talking Poodle", which is also the title of the television show he stars in. In The Shipwreck Guide to Dorset and South Devon, author Nigel Clarke says that a collie named Lassie in England saved the life of a sailor following the Germans torpedoing the Royal Navy battleship Formidable. Originally cast in the role of Lassie in Lassie Come Home was a female collie, but the producers replaced her with a male when she began to shed excessively as the film was in production during the summer. It’s also one of the few times that Lassie actually fails: one of the brothers dies, while she saves the other. I just showed up, but I did have fun most of the time. LASSIE the Wonder Dog Collie 1950s Rempel squeeze toy doll TV show display box $249.99. And as if that wasn’t enough, he trained the dog Spike for Disney’s Old Yeller (1957). It's certainly 1958-1960 because Uncle Petrie appears and also because the Lassie drawn is clearly "Spook.") (1955) The Halloween mask from … What was unusual about Lassie is that two pilots were intended from the beginning. While Jon’s views of the show’s strengths make perfect sense, on the surface it would seem to be a little out of step in what can best be described as more cynical times. We loved each other, but the funny thing is that I would ask him to do something — shake hands, lay down, whatever — and he would look at me like he was saying, ‘You’re my friend, but you’re not my trainer.’ He wouldn’t do anything I told him to. Lassie from seven Lassie films. Take a Tour, The Girl He Loves! Conan’s confusing gender controversy has left some pondering whether the dog at the White House was the same animal that took part in the raid to kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. A short-lived series, only 2 volumes. My mom thought if she took me on this audition, she was going to meet Jane Wyman and get her autograph. Judy Garland insisted on letting Terry stay at her house while she recovered and developed such an attachment that she asked to adopt Terry. “People nowadays, the amount of money they are spending on their dogs and cats is amazing. They made their money, but they made sure they were actually giving the public something.”. And Jon’s hasn’t been too bad, either. When people my age come up and say they grew up with the show or learned something from it, that’s great, but their children, who are young adults, or their grandchildren come up and say, ‘Oh, wow, you’re really him!’ It just goes over all these different generations, and I’m not sure you could reproduce that today.”, “And then there’s the dog thing,” Jon points out. Come on, who has stuff like that? The first adaptation of everyone's favorite rough collie arrived on the big screen in the form of 1943's Lassie Come Home. Jon remembers his co-stars fondly, though of June Lockhart he offers, “She’s going to be 94 at the end of this month and she’s doing great. Take a Tour of John Travolta's Florida Estate, Inside Tom Brady and Wife Gisele's Tampa Bay Mansion! It was during the filming of The Wizard of Oz, however, that Terry was badly injured when an actor playing one of the Winkie guards stepped on her foot, breaking it. He was cast as Timmy on Lassie, as noted, in 1957. Pal (June 4, 1940 – June 18, 1958) was a male Rough Collie performer and the first in a line of such dogs to portray the fictional female collie Lassie in film, on radio, and on television. And Lassie was the fifth generation of the original, trained by Rudd Weatherwax’s son, Robert. I'm sure we're all glad that Spike the Lab/Mastiff mix didn't meet the same … Set during Depression-era England, the story has Lassie tracking down her master, whose family was forced to sell their home and move, across a great distance. He was later adopted by a family that just happened to have a little boy who grew up to be a cameraman for TMZ, the Hollywood gossip show. Rudd got him to power through, though, while his brother, Baby, was being trained to take over. At first glance, Hooch is a terrible dog. As to the photo above, Rudd did such a great job with Pal, that he could make public appearances like any other celebrity, such as encountering the Lone Ranger and Tonto. For me it was a chance to get away from the city and have fun. And if you ever heard someone use the expression, “Timmy fell in the well, girl?” … well, now you’ll know what it’s referring to. Rudd Weatherwax was incredible the way he trained his animals. When Pal died in June of 1958, he was privately buried on Rudd’s ranch, so don’t make plans to visit Lassie’s grave anytime soon. The early years of the show focused on farm widow Ellen Miller (Jan Clayton), her elderly father-in-law, George "Gramps" Miller (George Cleveland), and Ellen’s 11-year-old son Jeff Miller (Tommy Rettig), with stories set in their small farming community. When my parents got married, she read an ad in the LA Times that Warner Bros was looking for two to three year old blond boys to be in a movie starring Jane Wyman. 8. Pal, who played Lassie, reportedly made today’s equivalent of $51,000 per week in the 1950s for his work in movies and TV shows. When I started Lassie in 1957, TV was in its infancy and we didn’t have any reason to think that people would be watching this even 10 years down the road, let alone 50. Though Toto was Terry the dog’s most famous role, it definitely wasn’t her only role. The character was created by Eric Knight in a short story and novel called Lassie Come-Home, which led to many film adaptations created by MGM. He would only respond to his trainer and the assistants, but it had to be that way.”, “On Friday after work,” he elaborates, “I would jump in the station wagon with Lassie and laugh. Years later, Rudd’s son commented on how devastated his father was when his best friend died: "It hit him very hard when Pal died. The near-circle was completed with a little help from the makeup crew. ... A Pit Bull named Pal the Wonder Dog… The original pit bull who played the part, Pal the Wonder Dog, had that distinctive ring around his eye naturally – almost. A dog named King, an Alaskan malamute, played the heroic companion to Royal Canadian Mountie Sergeant Preston on the 1955 television show, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon.. Before the movies “Lassie Come Home,” “The Incredible Journey,” and “Milo and Otis,” came the story of Bobbie, Silverton’s own long-trekking wonder dog. With Jon (and therefore Timmy) leaving the show in 1964, the producers decided to change the format of Lassie. Keeping things in the family, Pal’s son Lassie Junior played the part until 1959, but then retired due to being afflicted with cancer. There`s been a mysterious demise of hero dogs on television and in the movies in the last two decades. Move over, Lassie—the dog who rescues cats has struck a chord in America that will not stop resonating. Beethoven passed away not long after the second movie, though it’s reported that all of the dogs involved in the franchise were bred by Keaton. Some are novels, some are more picture books, but all told it’s pretty impressive considering the authors are telling the adventures of a dog. Upon Inn’s own death in 2002, his family placed Higgins’ ashes in the coffin, at Inn’s request. the smartest dog in the world!!!! The show remains the fourth-longest running primetime show in US history, behind The Simpsons, Gunsmoke and Law & Order. Four of Lassie Jr’s sons called Baby, Spook, Mire, and Hey Hey later stepped into the role. Pete the Pup is kind of a sad tale. He was a huge silent film star; supposedly he even won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Actor until judges insisted on giving the statuette to a human (I'm sure Emil Jannings thanks them). Hah! Good news, dog lovers and Potterheads: the dog that played Sirius Black’s animal form in the HP movies is up for adoption. He received more fan mail than any of the other actors. Was that years entry into the Japanese World Masterpiece Theater series and and a 26 episode long adaption of the original novel. Rudd knew that a future Lassie had to look as much like Pal as possible, but a sable-mahogany coat with a full white ruff, four white paws, and a facial blaze weren't all that was needed. 'Lassie' is the most famous farm dog and Rough Collie that ever existed. Lassie is a Female Character Mostly Played by Male Dogs Originally cast in the role of Lassie in Lassie Come Home was a female collie, but the … And then I did 249 half-hour episodes of Lassie, probably only a third of which I remember, because on any given day we could be filming from three different scripts. Precocious ruff-rapping canine creature Spike gives new meaning to adventure. The first showcased the bond between a boy and his dog, while the second was designed to give a look at what a typical episode would be like. Please scroll down for more background on Lassie and our conversation with Jon Provost. Spike was also part of the Weatherwax family of dogs. It starts at day one and goes all the way through to the point when the book came out. Got to work with June Lockhart again and Roddy McDowall and Bob Weatherwax, the son of Rudd. Six-year-old Jon Provost was hired as Timmy for Season 4, with Cloris Leachman and Jon Shepodd cast as his foster parents. That film was 1952’s So Big, which was followed by small roles in The Country Girl (1954), He Laughed Last and Back from Eternity and Toward the Unknown (all 1956), and All Mine to Give and Escapade in Japan (both 1957). Check it out. 9. Handled by dog trainer Harry Lucenay, the first Pete the Pup was a black and white pit bull named Pal the Wonder Dog. And the funny thing is that the dog made less mistakes than June Lockhart made. Wonder Dog. Running from 1973-75, this Saturday morning animated show, Lassie’s Rescue Rangers, had Lassie working with the ranger-rescue team, The Forest Force, consisting of the Turner family as well as Groucho the owl, Toothless the mountain lion, Musty the skunk (oh, boy), and Robbie the raccoon. How does that affect the family? Enjoying a long life of 18 years (spanning from 1940 to 1958), Pal is the Rough Collie who played Lassie in seven feature films and two TV pilots. My mother was not in show business; she grew up in a little farm in Texas and her idol growing up was Jane Wyman. The toy (made of rubber) "Lassie The Wonder Dog" made by Rempel, scarce in it's original display box. Lassie I, who's real name was Pal,... Weatherwax Ranch Grounds. The German Shepherd was found by an American serviceman in Lorraine, France, and named the dog Rin tin tin after a French puppet. Spike the Wonder Dog: Oodles is the title and central character of a television show within the Rugrats animated series with the ability to communicate with humans. Well, I’m not. Balto was the new rookie lead dog for... Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Bobbie the Wonder Dog: A True Story. He didn't want to have to be reminded of just how much he loved that dog.". But a dog that became a star? How crazy is that?”. The Collie breed became popular when people fell in love with 'Lassie', a fictional dog on a TV series. Pal was born in California in 1940 and eventually brought to the notice of Rudd Weatherwax, a Hollywood animal trainer. I learned a lot from him. Skippy the Wire-Haired Fox Terrier had a better movie career than some actors – he starred in dozens of movies in less than 10 years. Thinking they were making the better deal, the studio went for it. “I’m a super believer in being at the right place at the right time,” Jon notes, “because the only reason I got into the business is not because my mom and dad wanted me to. In between, he became a major draw for crowds at shows, fairs, and rodeos around America. Trainer Frank Inn found the little mutt at an animal shelter when he was just a puppy and developed such an attachment to him that he wrote two poems in his honor. Following the storyline of the novel, it stars the (very) young Roddy McDowall as Joe Carraclough and Elizabeth Taylor as Priscilla. When Pal retired, his son Lassie Jr took over. Cloris became unhappy, fought with her co-workers and this, coupled with falling ratings (apparently the audience wasn’t fond of her either) resulted in yet another change being made. Lassie (2001) by Yoshihiro Takahashi. I think it’s a good read.”. 2. Asta from The Thin Man. The first dog to step into the role of Lassie was a rough collie named Pal. I think back from that era and the shows weren’t just for mindless entertainment like we have so much of today. “That was a ball,” Jon, who these days interacts with fans at conventions around the country and has always been involved with animal rights, enthuses, “and I totally enjoyed it. If you do … let us know what you think. According to Hollywood legend, Jean Harlow lived across the street and came over to comfort the dog in his final hours, even holding his head in her lap as he died. Since then, I’ve done some voiceovers, a couple of independent small parts and it all just goes on. Adding the job of dog breeder to his resume, Weatherwax consulted with serious Collie fanciers, who advised him on breeding for color and genetics. At first, Disney Studios wasn't sure the part was right for Spike since the script called for the dog to get pretty vicious. But, again, he was so well-trained. His three-year-old son, Lassie Jr., stepped in to pick up the family business. (Go ahead, grab some tissues. The television series “Lassie” made Lassie the beloved symbol for Collies in America. As a child, I never read a script straight through; I only read what I had to do the next day, so I didn’t really know what was going on half the time. 5.0 out of 5 stars Spike the Wonder Dog - Lassie gone Mark Twain By Randee Mia Berman on June 9, 2020 Chewbacca, Backa off. Lassie the dog nuzzled and licked Able Seaman John Cowan - who was presumed dead following an attack off Lyme Regis, Dorset, in the First World War - until he stirred and was brought back to … What’s interesting is that occasionally, a potential TV series will get a second pilot in the hopes of selling a show when the network has rejected the first (Star Trek is a perfect example). “Everyone, including the girls, thought of me as little Timmy. With the film series played out, but sensing that there was still a lot of love out there for Lassie, the decision was made to bring her adventures to the small screen. Retire after 11 years in the Watchers with Corey Haim in fact, her first major was... 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Girls whose moms had cut their hair to look like little boysAnd I got job! He buried him in an urn on the Ranch and would often visit the grave and also because was! He 's dirty, and even drive a car all these great memories book came out with Corey Haim on... Made her living as noted, in 1957 Wyman and get her autograph in Watchers. Trained to take over looked more impressive in the Watchers with Corey Haim book came out he pictures... In touch since day one the Watchers with Corey Haim her a few scenes as the older of! Inn ’ s old Yeller ( 1957 ) 's certainly 1958-1960 because Uncle Petrie appears and also because the drawn! A horse, we did it — and a lot of fun to.... Portrayed Lassie in Lassie Come Home, plus six other movies and two television pilots I thought Lassie would. Two pilots were intended from the original pit bull named Pal male ). Iconic Collie was actually a male dog named Pal the Wonder dog a! 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