“Lassie Come Home” exists entirely within the cozy kennel walls of its own title. With just a dog and a dream, it conjures up a saga of astounding simplicity and beauty. Almost as astounding, as its lead canine actor. Lassie, played by Pal the collie, has an expression of such attentiveness and intelligence, it would be impossible to confuse the dog’s intelligence for a mere taught trick. There’s no injustice that Pal’s paycheck was higher than young Elizabeth Taylor’s. Pal earned every morsel of that puppy paycheck. “Come Home,” as introduced in its title scroll, aims to be the intersection between British and American distinctions. The story’s original author, born in Britain and a naturalized Yank, creates a sort of cultural in betweenland where Lassie lives. All the customs and mannerisms belong to Britain, but the tale itself has a striving optimism of the spirit, which is distinctly American. It’s hard to envision “Come Home” being well received by contemporary children. It’s deliberately slow paced, emphasizing the epic journey of its lead character. There are some cold hearted hunters and conniving dog catchers thrown in for the measure of good peril, but the story dwells more on moments of rest, and understanding. Lassie, caring for an elderly couple as they rather think they are caring for her, Lassie, ritualistically meeting her young master each day after school, Lassie, bonding with a scruffy traveling salesman and his even scruffier little dog. Lassie is a dog of two countries, and of two homes, but who makes a home in the heart of whomever, wherever she meets them. With nothing but a keen eye and an honest hope… for home, she is the adopted dog of all who open their hearts to her. Warm Fuzzies Winter
Cinematic Time Capsule1943 Marathon - Film #26”Lassie won't be waiting for ye at school anymore”In one of the cruelest family-film openings ever, Roddy McDowall’s parents sell his beloved dog, Lassie… and then don’t even bother to tell him!“Shouldn’t we be telling, Joe?”“He’ll find this out for himself” 😯This was the first of seven Lassie films from MGM, and even though no one falls in a well, the rest of the story is pretty much what you would expect. Lassie gets taken away, Lassie has many adventures, Lassie finds her way home… everyone lives happily ever after.BONUS POINTS for the 10-year-old Elizabeth Taylor making a go of it in her second motion picture ever. Eventually, she became the highest paid movie star of the 1960s, but for this film she earned a $100 per week…. The dog that played Lassie was paid $250 per week.”Lassie was a very valuable dog, much too much for us”Cinematic Time Capsule - 1943 Ranked
The Radio City Music Hall should be filled with young folks these next few weeks—young folks and their wistful elders who still pulse to the joys and sorrows of youth. For the picture which opened there yesterday tells the story of a boy and a dog, tells it with such poignance and simple beauty that only the hardest heart can fail to be moved. Lassie Come Home is the title of this new Technicolored film, based upon a novel by the late Eric Knight and produced by Metro in a manner which leaves nothing to be desired.Oftentimes, animal pictures make the unhappy mistake of attributing almost human rationalization to simple four-footed beasts. An outstanding virtue of this picture is that it does nothing of the sort. It treats the dog as an animal whose loyalty is all the more wondrous and appealing because it is simple and free of human wile. The homing instinct of Lassie, her perseverance to get back to the boy she loves, is beautiful because it is indicative of emotion that is primary and pure. (Bosley Crowther, New York Times review, 1943)(Previous review here.)Even sweeter than I remembered from this past July! There's something really lovely about being able to gather the family 'round to enjoy a film they'd never seen, marveling at how effective such a heartwarming tale can be.In the entire history of child stars - and we all know there have been some not-so-great ones - can you honestly name anyone more adorable than tiny Roddy McDowall sitting out on the Yorkshire moors - actually shot somewhere near Sacramento - and telling Lassie that he hopes they can live out there forever and ever, not unlike (in my estimation, given the setting) Heathcliff and Cathy in Wuthering Heights? I tell you, out of all the gifted kid actors who deserved to have enduring careers and were lucky enough to get them, he still might be the very best. ❤️"She's a lady... not like you and me."The Films of Charles Laughton & Elsa Lanchester: Ranked (So Far)The Films of Roddy McDowall: Ranked (So Far)
