Lassie Come Home (1943)

After her destitute family is forced to sell her, a collie named Lassie escapes from her new owner and begins the long trek from Scotland to her Yorkshire home.

Director:

Fred M. Wilcox

Writers:

Hugo Butler (screenplay), Eric Knight (novel)

Stars:

Roddy McDowall, Donald Crisp, Dame May Whitty

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roddy McDowall	...	Joe Carraclough
Donald Crisp	...	Sam Carraclough
Dame May Whitty	...	Dally
Edmund Gwenn	...	Rowlie
Nigel Bruce	...	Duke of Rudling
Elsa Lanchester	...	Mrs. Carraclough
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Priscilla
Ben Webster	...	Dan'l Fadden
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Hynes (as J. Patrick O'Malley)
Alan Napier	...	Jock
Arthur Shields	...	Andrew
John Rogers	...	Snickers
Alec Craig	...	Buckles
Pal	...	Lassie (as Lassie)

Storyline

Hard times came for Carraclough family and they are forced to sell their dog to the rich Duke of Rudling. However, Lassie, the dog, is unwilling to leave the young Carraclough boy and sets out on the long and dangerous journey in order to rejoin him.

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Plot Keywords:

lassie | dog | scotland | yorkshire | journey | 

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Taglines:

A Thrilling Saga Of Courage And Loyalty !

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

La cadena invisible

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After a nationwide hunt for a suitable dog for this movie failed, MGM called in dog trainer Rudd Weatherwax, who had many purebred collies, but Pal, his one-year old male collie (who had no papers), easily won the role. Pal retired at age 5, after which all subsequent Lassie films used direct descendants of Pal.

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Goofs

While speaking about whether to keep Lassie or not it is obvious that the large hearth behind the elderly couple is a drop screen. Shadows from the lights show behind the couple left to right as you watch, but the shadows on the hearth shine from the opposite direction right to left.

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Quotes

Joe Carraclough: Ye're my Lassie come home.

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Connections

Referenced in Pound Puppies: Tuffy Gets Fluffy/Casey, Come Home (1987)

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Soundtracks

"America the Beautiful"
(1882) (uncredited)
Music by Samuel A. Ward (1882)
Lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates (1895)
In the score during the forward

User Reviews

A Classic Film!

I feel compelled to rebut the curmudgeon who 'couldn't stand this movie'.

First off, what a cast!..... eight of the greatest film stars and character actors who were ever on the screen, including 11 year old Elizabeth Taylor and 15 year old Roddy McDowall. You will never see child actors this talented in any film made today.

Obviously, the writer is no animal lover. The complaint about Lassie continually whining is a whine in itself. Yes, the whining was meant to pull at the heartstrings. This movie was made in 1943, part of the greatest era in motion picture history. They knew how to tell stories back then, and 'this' story is about a dog trying to find its way home. The entire 'premise' of the film is a heart tugger!

And one more point; no animal character dies in this film, unlike in 'Bambi' and some other Walt Disney films that scare very young children to death.

This is one of MGM's best family films, a wonderful, heartwarming adventure story that anyone who loves dogs will enjoy again and again.