Lassieis a fictional femaleRough Colliedog and is featured in a 1938 short story byEric Knightthat was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel,Lassie Come-Home.Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fictional female collie of the same name, featured in the British writerElizabeth Gaskell's 1859 short story "The Half Brothers". In "The Half Brothers", Lassie is loved only by her young master and guides the adults back to where two boys are lost in a snowstorm.[1]
| Lassie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First appearance | Lassie Come-Home |
| Created by | Eric Knight |
| Portrayed by | Pal |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Dog (Rough Collie) |
| Gender | Female |
Knight's novel was filmed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayerin 1943 asLassie Come Home,with a dog namedPalplaying Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six other MGM feature films through 1951. Pal's owner and trainer,Rudd Weatherwax,then acquired the Lassie name and trademark from MGM and appeared with Pal (as "Lassie" ) at rodeos, fairs, and similar events across America in the early 1950s. In 1954, the television seriesLassiedebuted and, over the next 19 years, a succession of Pal's descendants appeared on the series. The "Lassie" character has appeared in radio, television, film, toys, comic books, animated series, juvenile novels, and other media. Pal's descendants continue to play Lassie today.[2]
History
editElizabeth Gaskell short story
editAn early depiction of Lassie is found in British writerElizabeth Gaskell's 1859 short story "The Half-brothers". In the story, Lassie is described as a femalecolliewith "intelligent, apprehensive eyes" who rescues two half-brothers who are lost and dying in the snow. When the younger brother can no longer carry on, elder brother Gregory, Lassie's master, ties a handkerchief around Lassie's neck and sends her home. Lassie arrives home, and leads the search party to the boys. When they arrive Gregory is dead, but his younger half-brother is saved. Thus, Gaskell apparently originated the character Lassie and, at the same time, defined the "Lassie saves the day"storylinethat is the essence of subsequent Lassie tales.
World War I incident
editAccording to writer Nigel Clarke in the "Shipwreck Guide to Dorset and South Devon", the original Lassie that inspired so many films and television episodes was a rough-haired crossbreed who saved the life of a sailor duringWorld War I.
Half collie, Lassie was owned by the landlord of the Pilot Boat, a pub in the port ofLyme Regis.On New Year's Day in 1915 theRoyal NavybattleshipFormidablewas torpedoed by a German submarine offStart Pointin South Devon, with the loss of more than 500 men. In a storm that followed the accident, a life raft containing bodies was blown along the coast to Lyme Regis. In helping to deal with the crisis, the local pub in Lyme Regis, called the Pilot Boat, offered its cellar as a mortuary.
When the bodies had been laid out on the stone floor, Lassie, a crossbred collie owned by the pub owner, found her way down amongst the bodies, and she began to lick the face of one of the victims, Able Seaman John Cowan. She stayed beside him for more than half an hour, nuzzling him and keeping him warm with her fur. To everyone's astonishment, Cowan eventually stirred. He was taken to hospital and went on to make a full recovery. He visited Lassie again when he returned to thank all who saved his life.
When the officers heard the story of Lassie and what she did to rescue Cowan, they told it again and again to any reporter who would listen as it was inspirational and heart-warming. Hollywood got hold of the story, and so a star was born.
Eric Knight short story and novel
editThe fictional character of Lassie was created by English authorEric KnightinLassie Come-Home,first published as a short story inThe Saturday Evening Postin 1938 and later as a full-length novel in 1940. Set in theDepression-eraEngland,the novel depicts the lengthy journey arough colliemakes to be reunited with her youngYorkshiremaster after her family is forced to sell her for money.
Movies and television
editIn 1943, the novel was adapted into a feature film,Lassie Come Home,byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM) that starredRoddy McDowallandElizabeth Taylor.The movie was a hit and enjoyed favorable critical response.[3]MGM followed this with several additional films, including a sequel entitledSon of Lassie(1945), starringPeter LawfordandJune Lockhart,andCourage of Lassiewith Elizabeth Taylor. Aradio series,Lassie Radio Show,was also created, airing until 1949.
Between 1954–1973, the television seriesLassiewas broadcast, with Lassie initially residing on a farm with a young male master. In the eleventh season, it changed toU.S. Forest Servicerangers as her companions, then the collie was on her own for a season before ending the series with Lassie residing at a ranch for orphaned children. The series was the recipient of two Emmy Awards before it was canceled in 1973. Lassie won severalPATSY Awards(an award for animal actors).[4]Asecond seriesfollowed in the 1980s. In 1997,Canadianproduction companyCinar Inc.produced a newLassietelevision series for theAnimal Planetnetwork in theU.S.andYTVin Canada. It ran until 1999.
In 2005, a remake of the originalLassie Come Homemovie was produced in theUnited Kingdom.StarringPeter O'TooleandSamantha Morton,Lassiewas released in 2006.[5]
Additionally, two animated TV series featuring the canine were produced. The first wasLassie's Rescue Rangers,created byFilmation Associates,which aired onABCfrom 1973 to 1975.[6]Nearly four decades later, a new animated series titledThe New Adventures of Lassiewas co-produced by Superprod andClassic Media,in which Lassie was owned by the Parker family and lived in a national park. The series was primarily a traditionally animated (2D hand-drawn animated) TV series, though it also used some CGI animation. It was first seen in the United States starting in 2020 via theCBS All Accessstreaming service, then carried over to successor serviceParamount+.
Lassie continues to make personal and TV show appearances as well as marketing a line of pet food and a current pet care TV show,Lassie's Pet VetonPBSstations in the United States. Lassie is one of only four animals (and one of very few fictional characters, such asMickey Mouse,Kermit the Frog,andBugs Bunny) to be awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame—the others being silent-film starsRin Tin Tin,UggieandStrongheart.In 2005, the show business journalVarietynamed Lassie one of the "100 Icons of the Century" —the only animal star on the list.[7]
Media
editArt
editLassie is featured inOur Nation's 200th Birthday,The Telephone's 100th Birthday(1976) byStanley MeltzoffforBell System.[8]
Films
editList of films
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Lassie Come Home | Lassie | Principal role played by Pal |
| 1945 | Son of Lassie | ||
| 1946 | Courage of Lassie | Bill (as credited; also called "Duke" ) | |
| 1948 | Hills of Home | Lassie | |
| 1949 | The Sun Comes Up | ||
| 1949 | Challenge to Lassie | ||
| 1951 | The Painted Hills | Shep | |
| 1963 | Lassie's Great Adventure(TV film) | Lassie | Principal role; compilation of television episodes |
| 1978 | The Magic of Lassie | Principal role played by Boy | |
| 1994 | Lassie | Principal role played by Howard | |
| 2005 | Lassie | Principal role played by Mason
Action scenes played by DR Dakota | |
| 2020 | Lassie Come Home[9] | Principal role played by Lukas |
Box office performance
edit| Title | Year | Worldwide Gross | Rotten Tomatoes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lassie Come Home | 1943 | $4,517,000 | 94% |
| Son of Lassie | 1945 | TBA | TBA |
| Courage of Lassie | 1946 | $4,100,000 | |
| Hills of Home | 1948 | $2,312,000 | |
| The Sun Comes Up | 1949 | $2,044,000 | |
| Challenge to Lassie | 1949 | $1,155,000 | |
| The Magic of Lassie | 1978 | TBA | |
| Lassie (1994) | 1994 | $9,979,683 | 87% |
| Lassie (2005) | 2005 | $6,442,854 | 93% |
| Lassie Come Home(2020) | 2020 | $3,683,655 | N/A |
| Total gross/average rating | $34,234,192 | 91.3% |
Radio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–1948 | Lassie Show | Lassie | Principal role; ABC series |
| 1948–1950 | Lassie Show | Lassie | Principal role; NBC series |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–1973 | Lassie | Lassie | Principal role |
| 1968 | The Adventures of Neeka | Principal role; compilation of television episodes | |
| 1970 | Peace is Our Profession | Principal role; compilation of TV episodes | |
| 1970 | Well of Love | Principal role; compilation of TV episodes | |
| 1972 | Sound of Joy | Principal role; compilation of TV episodes | |
| 1972 | Lassie and the Spirit of Thunder Mountain | Principal role | |
| 1972 | Lassie's Rescue Rangers | Principal role | |
| 1980 | Taxi | Guest appearance (1 episode) | |
| 1989–1991 | The New Lassie | Principal role | |
| 1995 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Guest appearance (1 episode) | |
| 1996 | Famous Dog Lassie | Principal role | |
| 1997–1999 | Lassie | Principal role | |
| 2001 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Cameo appearance | |
| 2007 | Lassie's Pet Vet | Principal role | |
| 2014–2019 | The New Adventures of Lassie | Principal role |
Video games
edit| Game | Title | Console | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Lassie | PlayStation 2 | 2005 | [10] |
Books
edit- Lassie Come-Home
- Lassie: The Prize
- Forest Ranger Handbook
- Lassie: A Boy's Best Friend & Buried Treasure
- Lassie: Party Nightmare & Water Watchdog
- Lassie: Skateboard Stunt & Danger Zone
Seafarer Books
edit- Lassie and the Lost Little Sheep
- Lassie's Forest Adventure
Whitman Cozy-Corner
edit- Lassie: Rescue in the Storm
Whitman Novels
edit- Lassie and the Mystery of Blackberry Bog
- Lassie and the Secret of the Summer
- Lassie: Forbidden Valley
- Lassie: Treasure HunterbyCharles S. Strong
- Lassie: the Wild Mountain Trail
- Lassie and the Mystery of Bristlecone Pine
- Lassie and the Secret of the Smelter's Cave
- Lassie: Lost in the Snow
- Lassie: Trouble at Panter's Lake
Big Little Books
edit- Lassie: Adventure in Alaska
- Lassie and the Shabby Sheik
- Lassie: Old One Eye
Golden Books
edit- The Adventures of Lassie
- Lassie and Her Day in the Sun
- Lassie and Her Friends
- Lassie and the Big Clean-Up Day
- Lassie and the Daring Rescue
- Lassie and the Lost Explorer
- Lassie Shows the Way
- Lassie: The Great Escape
Tell-a-Tale Books
edit- Hooray for Lassie!
- Lassie and the Cub Scout
- Lassie and the Deer Mystery
- Lassie and the Firefighters
- Lassie and the Kittens
- Lassie Finds a Friend
- Lassie's Brave Adventure
- Lassie: The Busy Morning
Tip-Top Books
edit- Lassie: The Sandbar Rescue
Wonder Books
edit- Lassie's Long Trip
Marian Bray
edit- Lassie to the Rescue
- Lassie: Hayloft Hideout
- Lassie Under the Big Top
- Lassie: Treasure at Eagle Mountain
- Lassie: Danger at Echo Cliffs
The New Lassie
edit- The Puppy Problem
- Digging Up Danger
- The Big Blowup
- Water Watchdog
- Skateboard Dare
- Dangerous Party
See also
edit- Rough Collie
- Bessy,a Belgian comic strip inspired by the success of "Lassie" and which also featured a collie.
- John English
- Rin Tin Tin
- List of fictional dogs
- List of individual dogs
References
edit- ^Gaskell, Elizabeth (1889). "The Half Brothers".Lizzie Leigh and Other Tales.London:Smith, Elder & Co.:482–492.
- ^"Lassie: The Perfect Dog Sets High Bar for Real Pups".NPR.7 January 2008.Retrieved26 September2010.
- ^"Lassie Come Home".Variety.Reed Elsevier Inc.January 1, 1943. Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2010.Retrieved13 March2019.
- ^Harris, Norene (September–October 1973)."1973 PATSY Awards"(PDF).Animal Cavalcade.pp. 24–25.Archived(PDF)from the original on March 5, 2016.RetrievedDecember 14,2019.
- ^Potempa, Philip (August 11, 2006)."Latest Lassie busy promoting new film".Northwest Indiana Times.TownNews.Archived fromthe originalon 6 December 2018.Retrieved13 March2019.
- ^"Lassie's Rescue Rangers (TV Series 1973–1975) - IMDb"– via imdb.
- ^"100 Icons of the Century: Lassie".Variety.Reed Elsevier Inc.October 16, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 4 January 2006.Retrieved13 September2011.
- ^"Stanley Meltzoff Archives: The 1976 Bell System Telephone Book Cover"JKL Museum of Telephony(December 19, 2015); retrieved March 16, 2021
- ^"Lassie Come Home - Film Review".weekendnotes.
- ^"Lassie (PS2): Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games".amazon.co.uk.
External links
edit- Official website
- Lassieweb.org,a comprehensive site about every facet of Lassie lore