Hollywood – Gone To The
Dogs?
by:
Kirsten Hawkins
There is no question that people in America
love dogs. One look at popular culture in our
country will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt
that Americans have a love affair with dogs.
Movies and TV shows about dogs go in and out
of popularity and stories like Old Yeller and
Where the Red Fern Grows are considered
timeless classics. Only in America, however,
do dogs manage to achieve celebrity status.
Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin was Hollywood’s first
recognizable canine star. The German Shepherd
was featured in 26 films for Warner Brothers
Pictures and is generally credited with having
saved the studio from bankruptcy during the
silent film era. The original Rin Tin Tin died
in 1932 at the age of 13, but his bloodline
and his fan club exist to this day.
Lassie
Ask someone to name a famous dog and you
will probably get the name Lassie every time.
The star of several television series, many
movies, and the subject of countless books,
Lassie is probably the most recognizable
canine star in American TV and movie history.
Interestingly, all of the dogs to portray
Lassie over the years have been male. The
original collie to portray Lassie was actually
named Lad and was the star of the memorable
original television series as well as several
movies, most memorably the original version of
Lassie Come Home.
Benji
In the 1970’s a would-be filmmaker named
Joe Camp started pitching a “dog movie” around
Hollywood. He was told repeatedly that the
film would never work, so he decided to
produce the film independently. Once the film
wrapped Camp had new troubles because no
distribution company would release the film.
Again, Camp relied upon himself to distribute
his family movie worldwide. Camp’s gamble paid
off and Benji, starring a lovable mixed breed
dog that was adopted from an animal shelter
(the original Benji was the dog Higgins who
had worked on the TV show Petticoat Junction)
became a huge hit. Over the years there have
been five Benji movies, television programs
and specials, comics, and a ton of Benji
merchandise.
Top Dog
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