Pal (dog)

Pal
	Pal in 1942
Other name(s)	"Lassie"
Species	Dog
Breed	Rough Collie
Sex	Male
Born	June 4, 1940; Glamis Kennels in ; North Hollywood, California, United States
Died	June 18, 1958 (aged 18); Rudd Weatherwax's home in North Hollywood, California, United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1943–1954
Term	1943–1954
Successor	Lassie Junior
Owner	Rudd Weatherwax
Parent(s)	Red Brucie of Glamis; Bright Bauble of Glamis
Offspring	Lassie Junior

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. In 1992, The Saturday Evening Post said Pal had "the most spectacular canine career in film history".^[1]

MGM films

Pal's big break into the movies came in 1943 during the filing of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Lassie Come Home. The studios had decided to use a show collie trained by Frank Inn in the movie. A decision was made to take advantage of a massive flooding of the San Joaquin River in central California in order to obtain some spectacular footage for the film. Pal performed exceptionally well and the scene was completed in one take. Weatherwax said director Fred M. Wilcox was so impressed with Pal during the sequence that he had "tears in his eyes." In response, producers released the female collie and hired Pal in her stead, reshooting the first six weeks of the filming with Pal now portraying Lassie.^[2] Other sources say that the female collie was replaced because she began to shed excessively during shooting of the film in the summer.^[3]

Legacy

In 2000, the Lassie trademark was sold by the eight remaining members of the Weatherwax family to Classic Media (which in 2012, Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation and renamed into DreamWorks Classics and ultimately became the property of trademarks' current owners, Universal Studios as of 2016). In 2004, Robert Weatherwax's personal contract to supply a dog to play the role of Lassie ended and neither side pursued a renewal. After several years of stand-in collies that were not related to the line, Classic Media contracted with Carol Riggins, who had been co-trainer with Robert Weatherwax, and her 9th generation dog HeyHey, who had played the role of Lassie during the last 13 episodes of the Canada Lassie series under the Weatherwax Trained Dogs banner. Carol Riggins continues today as the official owner and trainer of Lassie with another "Pal", a 10th generation direct descendant of the original Pal.

Pal was portrayed on the Snatch Game Of Love challenge during the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars by contestant Gottmik.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1943	Lassie Come Home	Lassie	Principal role
1945	Son of Lassie	Laddie	Principal role
1946	Courage of Lassie	Bill	Principal role
1948	Hills of Home	Lassie	Principal role
1949	The Sun Comes Up	Lassie	Principal role
1950	Challenge to Lassie	Lassie	Principal role
1951	The Painted Hills	Shep	Principal role

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Lassie: "The Inheritance"	Lassie	Principal role
1955	Lassie: "The Well"	Lassie	Principal role

References

^ The Saturday Evening Post, quoted in "Lassie a 'Lass-he'", Parade magazine, October 18, 1992, p. 22.
^ Miller, Ron (March 21, 1989). "Lassie comes home: A 7th-generation family asset returns to TV". Chicago Tribune. pp. Tempo section, pg. 1.
^ "Lassie a 'Lass-he'", Parade magazine, October 18, 1992, p. 22.