Challenge to Lassie

19491949
GG
1h 16m

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.

Play trailer0:25

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

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Videos1

Teaser Trailer

Donald Crisp and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Geraldine Brooks and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Geraldine Brooks, Ross Ford, and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Edmund Gwenn and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Geraldine Brooks and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Edmund Gwenn and Arthur Shields in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Geraldine Brooks, Alan Webb, and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Edmund Gwenn, Olaf Hytten, and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Donald Crisp, Edmund Gwenn, and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Donald Crisp and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Donald Crisp and Pal in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Donald Crisp and Edmund Gwenn in Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Director
- Richard Thorpe
Writers
- William Ludwig(screenplay)
- Eleanor Atkinson(based on the novel About A Skye Terrier, "Greyfriars Bobby")
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

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In Edinburgh in 1860, 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. —garykmcd

animal character name in title lassie character year 1860 edinburgh scotland puppy 111 more

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

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.

Connections
Featured in Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership (1949)

Top review

An Evil, Evil Film

Long before Mel Gibson and his Braveheart chums erroneously and treacherously painted Robert the Bruce as a traitor to the people he served so heroically, Hollywood was trampling all over the memory of that other great Scottish hero, Greyfriar's Bobby. Challenge to Lassie removes the faithful terrier, replacing him with some big shot American sheepdog, surrounded by 'actors' whose Scottish accents are so bad you wonder if they've given up half way through, tried an Irish one, realised they're not much cop at that either and tried Scottish again to no avail.

Hopefully Braveheart will pay the same price for attempting to alter Scotland's proud history and be as anonymous in forty odd years as Challenge to Lassie is now.

An evil, evil film.

helpful•5

46

markrpoole
Oct 25, 2001

Release date
- October 31, 1949 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Language
- English
Also known as
- Lassie in Not
Filming locations
- Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Production company
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Runtime
1 hour 16 minutes
Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1

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