*Photograph © Kanashi
Her fictional self was born in Yorkshire, England, but her worldwide fame began in the United States.
When Eric Knight visited Yorkshire, England, in the late 1930’s, he witnessed the region’s poverty. Many Yorkshire families, devoted to their Collies, were forced to sell them because feeding them was too expensive. The story came to him: a Yorkshire Collie sold to a Scottish family makes her way back home, suffering many difficulties and crises along the way. “Lassie Come Home” was published by The Saturday Evening Post in December 1938. A small publisher in Philadelphia asked Knight to expand the story into a book, which was published in May 1940. It sold so well that MGM bought the movie rights.
The Collie chosen to play the role was selected by a lucky break, because the original dog chosen didn’t work out and the production schedule had to be met. The new dog, Pal—a male—was an unwanted, unregistered orphan. He performed brilliantly.
Lassie, originally and always a female character, is always played by a larger, more muscular, more photogenic male like Pal. Also, female Collies shed their coat twice a year (during heat); males shed only once. Thus, with male dogs, the shooting schedules for Lassie films and television shows suffered minimal disruption. Pal—or his male descendants—starred in top-rated Lassie television shows for 20 years.
The first Lassie film, Lassie Come Home, was released in 1943. It was a huge hit, the first of many. Lassie appeared onscreen at the right time, in the right place. In the midst of World War II, Lassie entered a stardom that lasted for decades. With Strongheart and Rin-Tin-Tin, she has her own star on the Hollywood “Walk of Fame”—one of just those three dogs to be so honored. She is arguably the most loved.
In the words of one critic, “Lassie’s home has always been in our hearts.”