Challenge to Lassie (1949)

When Lassie's master dies, an old friend tries to convince a judge that the dog's life should be spared.

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

William Ludwig (screenplay), Eleanor Atkinson (based on the novel About A Skye Terrier, "Greyfriars Bobby")

Stars:

Edmund Gwenn, Donald Crisp, Geraldine Brooks

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edmund Gwenn	...	John Traill
Donald Crisp	...	'Jock' Gray
Geraldine Brooks	...	Susan Brown
Reginald Owen	...	Sergeant Davie
Alan Webb	...	James Brown
Ross Ford	...	William Traill
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Charles Loring
Alan Napier	...	Lord Provost
Sara Allgood	...	Mrs. MacFarland
Edmund Breon	...	Magistrate
Arthur Shields	...	Dr. Lee
Lumsden Hare	...	MacFarland
Charles Irwin	...	Sergeant Major
Pal	...	Lassie (as Lassie)

Storyline

In 1860 Ediburgh, sheep herder Jock Gray finds a Collie puppy on the loose. When she is unclaimed, he takes her as his own and calls her Lassie. They are soon inseparable but when Jock dies and is buried in an unmarked grave, Lassie takes to sleeping in the churchyard to be near him. Jock's good friend John Traill is prepared to find a good home for Lassie but no matter how hard he tries, she always manages to get away and despite any obstacles put in her way, manages to get back to Jock's grave. It all comes to a head when a local magistrate orders her destroyed for not having a license leading Traill to take his case to a higher court.

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Plot Keywords:

lassie | dog | dog actor | animal | animal name in title | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Desafio de Lassie

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This story is based loosely on that of "Greyfriars Bobby", which has appeared in several film versions.

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Goofs

When Lassie is crawling out of the river, the POV is from the river and the river is running from left to right. When she comes over the bank, the POV is toward the river, the water is running from left to right.

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Connections

Version of Lassie's Great Adventure (1963)

User Reviews

Greyfriars Lassie

Edmund Gwenn and Donald Crisp join Lassie the Collie once more after having been teamed in the otherwise-unrelated "The Hills Of Home" from 1948. This heart-tugging, family-oriented saga, based on the book "Greyfriars Bobby" by Eleanor Atkinson, involves stray, untagged Lassie with a crusty old coot who can't figure out why the dog has a confounding need to get into the Greyfriars Churchyard, where animals are forbidden. Geraldine Brooks is the proverbial pretty girl/Elizabeth Taylor substitute, Kathryn Beaumont has an uncredited bit as a neighborhood child, Gwenn is his usual spunky self, yet the whole show belongs to Lassie. Whether crossing a wide river, digging her way out of a barn, climbing out a window, or outwitting the hysterical humans, the dog is shown to a star's advantage. Story remade by Disney in 1960 (under the original title and with a Skye terrier in the lead). ** from ****