Saluting our Animal Actors

Bernadette

2010-04-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Bernadette was a basset hound most famous for her role as Cleo on The People's Choice (1955-1958) starring Jackie Cooper and Patricia Breslin.

Bernadette's trademark were her long beautiful ears, they were so long she often stepped on them.

Bernadette could lie down on her tummy with her hind legs splayed out behind her, balance a ball at the end of her nose, crawl and bark like a seal, she could climb a ladder and walk a tightwire (blindfolded) and could stand on her head in a corner.

Bernadette was trained by the legendary Frank Inn. Frank Inn was contacted by the production team for The People's Choice who wanted Inn to find a sad faced dog for the series. Frank Inn found a basset hound for slae and bought Bernadette for $85.00.

While Bernadette was waiting in the car for Frank Inn to complete the transaction, she pulled the keys out of the ignition, chewed through the leather strap of the key chain and scattered all the keys over the car.

Frank Inn worked with Bernadette day and night until she could master all the tricks required for the show and overcome her nervousness.

Frank Inn later learned Bernadette had been sold three times prior to his acquiring her. She had a habit of chewing up things, couldn't be housebroken, and had other bad habits. But through Frank Inn's careful training and love, Bernadette overcame her difficulties.

Mary Jane Croft provided Bernadette's thoughts and wise cracking comments for The People's Choice.

Bernadette also appeared on Ozzie and Harriet, The Bob Cummings Show, The Perry Como Show, The Beverely Hillbillies, and The Danny Thomas Show.

She also made publicity appearances for the March of Dimes and Easter Seals.

Bernadette received a PATSY award in 1958.

Bernadette also appeared in "Little Golden Book #287 CLEO" written by Irwin Shapiro, photos by Durward B. Graybill that featured all full-color photos from the show.

Bernadette died of a heart attack at the age of 12. Her ashes rest in a tiny bronze urn in the home of her trainer, Frank Inn.

Sea Sovereign

2010-04-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

In honor of Shirley Temple's 82nd birthday on April 23rd, today we are saluting Sea Soverign her co-star in The True Story of Seabiscuit (1949).

In 1949, a romantic fictionalized account of Seabiscuit was made into a motion picture. The Story of Seabiscuit starred Shirley Temple, Barry Fitzgerald, Lon McCallister, Rosemary de Camp, and Donald MacBride.

Seabiscuit was a real racing horse born on May 23, 1933 in Lexington, Kentucky. One true account of Seabiscuit's life depicted in the movie was the race entitled "The Match of the Century." By archive footage, the actual race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral (Seabiscuit's cousin) is shown in the movie.

However, in the movie, Seabiscuit is actually played by Sea Sovereign, the real life son of Seabiscuit and the great grandson of Man O' War (who appeared in Kentucky Pride, 1925, and was a champion racehorse).

Sea Sovereign was foaled in 1942 by Charles Howard (Seabiscuit's owner). Sea Sovereign's mother was Queen Helen by Light Brigade.

Sea Sovereign had a very brief career as a race horse. His career reflected eight starts, three firsts (including the Santa Catalina Handicap in 1945), and $34,070 in earnings.

Ace The Wonder Dog

2010-04-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ace the Wonder Dog was a German Shepherd that appeared in 16 films in the 1930s and 1940s.

He is considered by many critics an attempt by RKO Pictures to cash in on the success of Warner Bros.' canine sensation, Rin Tin Tin.

Ace made his film debut in 1938 in Blind Alibi.

In 1943, he played Devil, the Phantom's sidekick in The Phantom films serial.

In 1948, he appeared as Rusty in The Adventures of Rusty, the first of Columbia's eight "Rusty" films. He did not reprise the role in the subsequent seven films.

He also appeared in Orphans of the Street (1938), Home on the Range (1938),
Almost a Gentleman (1939), The Rookie Cop, (1939) , Girl from God's Country (1940)
The Girl from Alaska (1942), War Dogs (1942), Silent Witness (1943), Headin' for God's Country (1943), The Monster Maker (1944), Danny Boy (1946) and
God's Country (1946).

During his career in Hollywood, Ace worked for Columbia, Republic, Monogram and PRC.

Red

2010-04-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

Red was a large shaggy dog most notable for playing Jasper the Second on Bachelor Father and Fang on Get Smart. Red's breed has been reported to be part briard as well as a Labradoodle (a cross between a Labrador and a poodle).

Red was owned by famed animal trainers Rudd and Frank Weatherwax (of The Studio Dog Training School) but trained by their brother Bill Weatherwax.

In 1960, Red made his debut on the fourth season of the hit television show Bachelor Father entitled Jasper the Second. Red replaced aging animal actor Tramp who played Jasper the First from 1957-1960.

Red would remain with Bachelor Father until 1962 when the show was cancelled.

In 1965, Red was cast to play Fang in Get Smart (1965-1970). Fang worked for the spy organization Control. His code name was K-13 and his under cover name was Morris. Fang frequently helped bumbling secret agent, Maxwell Smart (Don Adams). When Fang retired, the Chief of Control (Ed Platt) assigned him to burying evidence.

Fang was written out of Get Smart in 1966 because of his inability to take commands. Consequently, the dog's undisciplined behavior caused the director to do multiple takes and run up the cost of each production.

Red appeared with Don Adams and Barbara Feldon on the front cover of TV Guide on August 27, 1966.

Red also appeared as Shag in an episode of Lassie.

Syn

2010-03-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Syn, a seal point siamese, starred in two films: The Incredible Journey (1963) and That Darn Cat (1965).

Syn was owned by long time siamese cat breeder Edith Williams. Syn was a traditional or "old style" Siamese, as opposed to the more dainty, long and tubular modern Siamese show cats.

Syn was trained for both movies by Bill Koehler.

In The Incredible Journey (1963) Syn played Tao. Tao and two dogs (Luath and Bodger) travel 300 miles through the Canadian wilderness searching for their beloved masters.

Bill Koehler used a large swinging sheep bell to prompt Syn to perform tricks and stunts in The Incredible Journey.

In 1965, Syn starred as D.C. (Darn Cat) in That Darn Cat (1965). D.C. is an adventurous Siamese tomcat who lives with two young sisters Ingrid (Dorothy Provine) and Patti Randall (Hayley Mills), who becomes involved with a kidnapping and bank robbers.

For That Darn Cat, Bill Koehler used a tape recording of a bell broadcast with meat smeared on the speaker, which was placed through out the set, under clothing, behind and under furniture to cue Syn to perform.

Syn and Haley Mills bonded, during rehearsals, she cradle the cat in her lap, Syn responded by kneading her, licking her wrist and head bonks.

Syn won a PATSY Award in 1966 for his work on That Darn Cat.

Sammy's Shadow

2010-03-20T11:09:00.001-07:00

In 1958, Walt Disney productions was making its first live-action feature comedy based on the novel The Hound of Florence (1930) by Felix Salten (most famous for writing Bambi).

In the novel, a young Austrian, yearning for immortality as an artist, is granted a wish that turns him onto a dog, enabling him to make the journey to Italy in pursuit of his dream.

In the movie, Wilby Daniels, a teenage boy is transformed into a Old English Sheepdog by a spelled ring of the Borgias.

Disney productions needed an english sheep dog to play the old english sheep dog. Sammy's Shadow won the part. Sammy's Shadow was an English Sheep Dog born to Ch Norval Pride King (sire) and Ch Lillibrad Lindy Lou (Dam).

Now that they had their english sheep dog. Disney needed a trainer They turned to William Koehler. This would be the beginning of a long association between Disney and Koehler.

Koehler developed the Koehler Method of Dog Training, a training approach based on the premise that dogs will make their own decisions. This training method is used frequently by law enforcement and the military.

William Koehler had been a dog trainer during World War II. He trained more than 25,000 dogs for the war.

William Koehler trained animals for Disney productions during the 1950s and 1960s. He worked with animals on films such as The Incredible Journey (1963) Big Red (1962), That Darn Cat (1965), and The Ugly Dachshund (1966).

Sammy's Shadow only appeared in one movie but he became an instant star. In 1959, he was voted top movie animal star of the year. He also won the PATSY award for his performance.

Blair, The first Canine Movie Star

2010-03-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

Before there was Lassie, there was Blair, a collie owned by British director Cecil Hepworth.

Man's best friend has been a part of films for over 100 years with Blair's debut in 1905.

According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the very first movie starring a canine was in 1905.

In 1905, Blair became the very first canine to star in a movie. Blair played Rover in Rescued by Rover.

In Rescued by Rover (1905) saves a baby (played by Cecil's daughter Barbara) from thieving gypsies but also brings the wrongdoer to justice.

This movie began the trend toward telling stories of canine heroism. It also began the trend of naming dogs Rover, which until this movie was an uncommon name for a dog.

Blair next appeared in The Dog Outwits the Kidnappers (1908). In this film, the story is essentially the same story as Rescued by Rover but this time, a car is involved and the dog drives it.

Blair paved the way for Jean, the Vitagraph Dog (the United States first canine movie star), Strongheart, Rin Tin Tin and most notably Lassie.

Bruno The Bear

2010-03-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

Bruno was a black bear orphaned as a cub along with his brother Smokey in Lake White, Wisconsin. They were rescued and made there home at Africa, USA, an affection training animal compound in Los Angeles found by animal trainer Ralph Helfer and producer Ivan Tors.

Bruno made his film debut in 1965 in Zebra in the Kitchen.

Bruno's next film was Gentle Giant (1967) starring Clint Howard. Bruno won a PATSY award for his performance.

The success of Gentle Giant and the appeal of Bruno led to a televison series entitled Gentle Benn (1967-1969).

Although bears usually tend to be shy, Bruno was extremely friendly. In fact, Bruno's claim to fame was his gentleness.

Bruno tipped the scales at nearly 650 pounds. Bruno loved bread, carrots, apples and oranges. Bruno was also addicted to sweets especially soft drinks and doughnuts. He also had a passion for lemon drops.

Bruno's best friend was Mitzi (Flipper) and the two enjoyed swimming together.

Bruno was trained by Monty Cox. Cox's only complaint was that Bruno never stayed on his side of the bed.

In 1969, a flood destroyed the ranch. Bruno was found alive and safe two miles down the canyon but covered with mud and weighing a few pounds less. Another time, a runaway locomotive fell off its track and crushed Bruno's cage. Luckily, the bear had vacated the cage to go walking with his trainer.

Bruno was one spoiled bear.

Highland Dale aka Beauty

2010-02-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

Highland Dale was a succesful animal actor who worked with Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Graves, Anthony Quinn, Glenn Ford, Ward Bond and Rock Hudson.

Highland Dale was born on March 4, 1943 in Missouri.

Highland Dale was only 18 months old when he was discovered by Ralph McCutcheon a trainer of animal motion picture stars.

He was 26 months old when he made his film debut in Black Beauty (1946) at which time he was renamed Beauty.

His next film was Black Gold (1947). He went on to star in The Return of Wildfire (1948), Black Eagle (1948), The Return of October (1948), Lone Star (1952), Johnny Guitar (1954), Wild is the Wind (1957), and Giant (1956).

In 1955, he was cast as Fury in the television series of the same name. He appeared in 49 episodes from 1955 to 1961.

Beauty was trained on the reward system, with his favorite treat, carrots. His tricks included limping, kneeling, lying down, playing dead, grinning, fetching, untying knots, and opening doors with her mouth.

One of the top paid animal stars, Beauty earned $5000.00 a week.

Beauty passed away in 1972 of natural causes.

Nipper the RCA Dog

2010-02-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Nipper the Dog was the fox terrier mascot of the RCA Victor company seen in numerous commercials and print ads. Nipper was previously the symbol of the Gramophone Company, and later the Victor Talking Machine Company which became RCA Victor in 1929.

What many people don't know is Nipper was actually a real dog.

Nipper was born in 1884 in Bristol, England. He was found as a stray puppy. Nipper was a mutt, part bull terrier and a trace of fox terrier. He got the name because he like to nip the back of peoples legs, like puppies do.

His first owner, Mark Barraud, died in 1887, Nipper was taken to Liverpool by Mark's younger brother, Francis, who was a struggling painter.

Francis noticed one day that the fox terrier was listening intently, head cocked, to a cylinder phonograph he had playing in his studio, and Francis Barraud "often noticed how puzzled he was to make out where the voice came from."

Barraud commited this scene to memory, because it wasn't until three years after Nipper died, September of 1895, that he painted the scene of Nipper trying to make out where the sounds were originating from.

In 1898 Barraud completed the painting and registered it on 11 February 1899 as 'Dog looking at and listening to a Phonograph.'

Francis Barraud then decided to rename the painting 'His Master's Voice' and tried to exhibit it at the Royal Academy, but was turned down. He renamed the painting because "no one would know what the dog was doing" was given as the reason!"

Next on Francis Barraud's list was The Edison Bell Company, leading manufacturer of the cylinder phonograph, ((after all...it did have their phonograph pictured) but again without success. "Dogs don't listen to phonographs," the company said.

Francis Barraud was given the advise to repaint the horn from black to gold, as this might better his opportunity for a sale. With this in mind, in the summer of 1899 he visited the newly formed Gramophone Company, with a photograph of his painting and a request to borrow a brass horn.

As Francis Barraud later wrote in an article for The Strand magazine: "The manager, Mr Barry Owen asked me if the picture was for sale and if I could introduce a machine of their own make, a Gramophone, instead of the one in the picture. I replied that the picture was for sale and that I could make the alteration if they would let me have an instrument to paint from."

The painting was purchased, and by the time of his death on August 29, 1924, Francis Barraud had been commissioned by the Gramophone and Victor companies to make 24 copies of his painting.

The painting made its first public appearance on The Gramophone Company's advertising literature in January 1900, and later on some novelty promotional items. However, 'His Master's Voice' did not feature on the Company's British letter headings until 1907. The painting and title were finally registered as a trademark in 1910.

Emile Berliner brought the painting to the United States, where it was used as his logo, until it was acquired by his successor in America, Eldridge Johnson, who formed the Victor Talking Machine Company, and became the owner of what would become the most famous trademark in the world, and make Nipper the most famous dog in the world.

In 1929, Radio Corporation of America (RCA) purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company. The company then became RCA-Victor. With Victor, RCA acquired New World rights to the famous Nipper trademark.

In 1991, Chipper who was added to the RCA family to be Nipper. Real dogs continue to play the roles of Nipper but have to be replaced frequently, since his character is a puppy.

Currently, the RCA trademark Nipper is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson. The trademark is used by Sony Music Entertainment and Thomson SA, which licenses the name to other companies like Audiovox and TCL Corporation for products descended from that common ancestor.

Nipper passed away in September of 1895. His burial site, in a garden at Kingston-upon-Thames, in England, is marked with a plaque.

Mitzi aka Flipper

2010-02-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

Mitzi was born in 1958.

Underwater stuntman Ricou Browning was inspired to create the character of Flipper while watching another animal actor, Pal (aka Lassie) performing. Browning thought of doing something similar to Lassie but about a kid and a dolphin. Browning authored a book and then tried to sell the idea as a movie. He was turn down everywhere he went.

Ivan Tors, producer of Sea Hunt, loved the idea and Tors authorized Browning to find a dolphin for the role of Flipper.

Browning visited aquariums throughout Florida and across the United States in search of a dolphin to star in the film. Most of the dolphins Browning encountered swam away in fear when he entered the water with them.

Browning then heard about Milton Santini a dolphin supplier in the Florida Keys. Santini owned a pet dolphin named Mitzi who was more than willing to share her space of the pool with human beings.

Browning and Tors visited Santini. When Browning entered the pool, Mitzi swam right over to him and even allowed Browning to hold her in his arms. Browning had found his Flipper.

Browning moved to the Florida Keys with his nine year old son, Ricky and began training Mitzi for the required stunts.

Other trainers warned Browning it would take six months to a year to properly train Mitzi. However, Mitzi was a fast learning and quickly learned her stunts.

Mitzi could retrieve balls, sticks and just about any objectthat she was able to carry. She could tow a boat with a rope, hit the water with her tail, and shake hands.

Despite Mitzi's fast learning, she still could not do one important stunt, carrying a boy on her back.

Then Browning had a brilliant idea. What if he used the retrieving behavior to achieve the desired effect? Browning with the assistance of his son, he would pick up Ricky and order Mitzi to fetch. Browning then tossed Ricky into the water, Mitzi swam to grab him holding on to a strap on his clothes. Ricky then grabbed ahold and Mitzi brought him back to the dock.

Once Mitzi had learned all the required tricks and behaviors, filming began. Browning encountered another obstacle. Mitzi was afraid of the buzz made by the underwater cameras. Browning worked with her and Mitzi became acclimated to the sounds within days.

Mitzi appeared in both Flipper (1963) and Flipper's New Adventure (1964). However, when the movie was made into a television series, a different dolphin, Suzy was cast in the role of Flipper.

Mitzi died in 1972 at age fourteen. She is buried at the Dolphin Research Center, where her grave is the first stop on the center's public tours.

Peggy

2010-02-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Peggy was born in Liberia in 1945.

Peggy made her film debut in 1948 in the film Jungle Jim starring Johnny Weissmuller and Virginia Grey playing Jungle Jim's faithful companion Tamba.

In 1951, Peggy was cast opposite Ronald Reagan in Bedtime for Bonzo. Professor Peter Boyd (Ronald Reagan) tries to teach a chimpanzee called Bonzo (played by Peggy) the concepts of right and wrong in an experiment regarding the merits of nature vs. nurture.

Peggy also appeared as herself on an episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour.

Peggy was very intelligent and had learned to obey 502 oral commands. Peggy was also a very talented chimpanzee. She could do flips in a crib, ride a tricycle, open doors, climb out windows, jump into and out of the back seat of an automobile, remove and replace a necktie.

Ronald Reagan once said that Peggy was a scene stealer, a joy to work with but very unpredictable. Peggy once grabbed Ronald Reagan's necktie and kept pulling almost strangling him.

Peggy was one of the highest paid animal actors in Hollywood, earning a weekly salary of $1000.

Peggy and Ronald Reagan were schedule to host the first PATSY awards in 1951, when tragedy struck.

The World Jungle Compound, where Peggy lived, a fire broke out. Peggy escaped the flames but was over come by smoke inhalation.

For 30 minutes, rescuers made a valiant attempt to resuscitate Peggy. Oxygen was administered and adrenaline was injected into her heart, all to no avail, Peggy died at the age of six.

Peggy's owner, Billy Richards, gave her body to chiropractor William H. Straughn of Sherman Oaks, who had trained at Los Angeles Chiropractic College in Glendale.

William Straughn donated the body to college anatomy professor and chiropractor Arthur Nilsson for use in comparative anatomy studies. It is said that Peggy's body “made an invaluable contribution to extensive research and study of comparative anatomy — a chimp with man."

After Nilsson’s research was completed in 1953, Peggy's skeleton was placed in a glass case in the college’s anatomical museum.

King Charles aka The Pie

2010-01-30T11:08:00.001-08:00

King Charles starred as The Pie in the 1944 film National Velvet starring Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney.

King Charles was a seven year old thoroughbred, a red sorrel with a white stripe on his face and white socks in all for feet.

The Rivera Country Club in West Los Angeles, California was where King Charles and Elizabeth Taylor first met. This horse was owned by a society woman and trained as a show hunter and jumper (he could jump over automobiles). The owner offered King Charles for Elizabeth to ride and she grew fond of the horse and eventually became the equine star of the National Velvet movie. King Charles was purchased for $800 for the movie.

Eleven year old Elizabeth Taylor underwent a rigorous training program with horseback riding lessons, riding him 90 mintutes a day, and feeding him at the instruction of Riviera Country Club and Dupee Stables in Hollywood.

A special bond between Elizabeth Taylor and King Charles was evident to everyone on the set. King Charles had a tendency to bite cast and crew. In fact, he once took a hunk of shoulder from the man who tried to train him to play dead for the film.

On the set, Elizabeth Taylor was the only star he cooperated with.

After shooting of the film completed, Elizabeth Taylor learned on her 13th birthday, that King Charles was now her horse.

King Charles was the grandson of the champion racehorse Man o' War who is considered one of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses of all time winning the
Preakness Stakes (1920) and Belmont Stakes (1920).

After National Velvet, King Charles retired and spent the remainder of his life with his new owner, Elizabeth Taylor.

The Godfather Cat

2010-01-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

From Gangster Johnny Vanning and his pet pekingese in Marked Woman (1937) to Dr. No and his beautiful white kitty, evil characters have been shown with a soft side with animals.

In the movie The Godfather (1972), Mafia Boss Don Vito Corleone is seen holding and petting a kitty as he speaks with his staff.

Not much is known about this feline actor. The kitty was actualy a stray Marlon Brando found on the Paramount movie lot during filming.

There was no cat in the actual script, and some theories suggest that, wishing to be famous, the cat manipulated the actor into featuring it in the movie.

It was Brando's idea to hold and pet the cat, to show both his character's violent and kind soft sides.

The cat purred so loudly that it drowned out the lines from the other characters. They ended up having to re-record their voices.

Members of the feline Revolution believe that, like many other cats "owned" by world leaders, the cat in the Godfather represented the real power of the Corleone family.

Etzel von Oeringen aka Strongheart

2010-01-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

Strongheart was born Etzel von Oeringen on October 1, 1917 in Germany and originally trained as a police dog.

He was trained in the style of K9 Police Dogs and assigned to the German military during WWI. A descendant of a very carefully bred line, the 125 pound dog was fearless and powerfully built.

Famous animal trainer and American director, Laurence Trimble and his screenwriter wife, Jane Murfin (who had previously worked successfully with Jean, the Vitagraph Dog), began searching for a dog in Europe that could appear in motion movie pictures. Laurence Trimble came across 3 year old Etzel von Oeringen in 1920, he knew he found what he was looking for.

Trimble had to work very hard to socialize him and de-empahasize the harsh training he had received as an aggressive police dog. For months on end, Trimble kept the dog by his side virtually non-stop, using continuous positive reinforcement for good behavior.

Eventually, he shed his police aggressiveness and became a very well trained animal. A great judge of moral character, he never lost his instincts. He would often pursue passersby that were later found to have been frauds, embezzlers or were abusive to their spouses.

His first movie, "The Silent Call" (1921), and a star was born. He was beloved by movie-goers of all ages.

Strongheart was given the star treatment, traveling by train to make personal appearances, at which he was greeted by crowds of adoring fans. He was written up in newspapers and magazines, and even the radio proclaimed "Strongheart" a star.

A dog food named after him became popular and is still being produced over three-quarters of a century later.

Strongheart also appeared in Brawn of the North (1922), The Love Master (1924)
North Star (1925), White Fang (1925), and The Return of Boston Blackie (1927). The Return of Boston Blackie is thought to be the only Strongheart movie still in existence.

In the movie The Love Master (1924), Strongheart was cast opposite of Lady Jule, a beautiful German Shepherd. The happy canine couple produced many litters, including offspring who would sire pups who grew up to be movie stars themselves. Lady Jule and Strongheart's line survives today.

Strongheart and Lady Jule's grandson Lightning was a canine movie star in the the 1930's, appearing in The Case of the Howling Dog (1934), When Lightning Strikes (1934), Man's Best Friend (1935), Wings in the Dark (1935), A Dog of Flanders (1935), Two in Revolt (1936) and Renfrew of the Royal Mounted (1937).

Their grandson, Silver King, also appeared in the movies: On the Great White Trail (1938)and Rusty Rides Alone (1933). He also made personal appearances as part of a safety program for children.

In 1929, while being filmed for a movie, Strongheart accidentally made contact with a hot studio light and was burned. The burn, which appeared minor, progressed into a tumor within a few short weeks. He died soon afterwards on June 24, 1929.

Strongheart was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures.

Nissa aka Baby

2010-01-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Nissa is the most famous leopard in film history, playing Baby and the escaped leopard she is mistaken for in the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby.

Nissa's home was Los Angeles' non-profit-making Zoopark, owned by the California Zoological Society, whose famous residents also included Jackie, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's trademark lion; Anna May, veteran jungle-film elephant; Lady, the whooping crane which danced with Shirley Temple in Captain January.

Baby was trained by Madame Olga Celeste who was always off camera with a whip in case of problems.

Katharine Hepburn was generally fearless around Nissa and even enjoyed petting Nissa. Nissa's trainer praised Katharine Hepburn, stating that Kate was fearless and could become an animal trainer if she so desired.

Nissa got on splendidly with Katharine Hepburn, but less well with other cast members. Kate Hepburn wore a perfume Nissa found attractive.

Katharine Hepburn had one very close call with Nissa. She was wearing a skirt that was lined with little metal pieces to make the skirt swing prettily. When Hepburn turned around abruptly, Nissa made a lunge for her back. Only the intervention of the trainer's whip saved Hepburn. Nissa was not allowed to roam around freely after that, and Hepburn was more careful around her from then on.

Cary Grant, on the other hand, was afraid of Nissa and a double was used in the scenes where his character and the leopard had to make contact.

Cary Grant was not fond of the leopard that was used in the film. Once, to torture him, Katharine Hepburn put a stuffed leopard through a vent in the top of his dressing room. "He was out of there like lightning," wrote Hepburn in her autobiography Me: Stories of My Life.

Blending shots of Nissa with those of the other cast members, who were filmed separately, called for trick photography that was groundbreaking in the 1930s. Bringing Up Baby employed a great deal of split screen and optical tricks, such as rear screen projection, so that having the big cat in close proximity to the actors could be kept to a minimum. Most of the split screens had a lot of movement in them, which meant the dividing line had to be moved around as well. Even the scenes of Susan (Katharine Hepburn) dragging the mean Leopard on a leash are split screened. A puppet Leopard was also used in some shots.

The puppet is most clearly seen in the shot after Susan gets the Leopard dragged into the jail. The reaction shot immediately afterwards, shows David (Cary Grant) and Aunt Elizabeth (May Robson) with "Baby" the Leopard on the table. The Leopard is a puppet.

The sound engineers also had their work cut out for them because Nissa's purr was far too loud for the microphones. They amplified the voice of the studio cat fourteen times, and used that as the tiger's pur instead.

After her one and only film, Nissa retired and kept a low profile after her film debut.

Spike (Old Yeller)

2010-01-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

Spike was a Black Mouth Cur and a dog actor best known for his performance as Old Yeller in the 1957 Disney film of the same name.

Spike was a large, yellow, flop eared pup, with extra large feet living at the Van Nuys Animal Shelter. Bill McNally saw him and told Frank Weathermax about the dog. Frank Weathermax was an animal trainer who had trained Pal (aka Lassie), Terry (Toto) and Skippy (aka Asta).

Frank Weathermax felt the dog looked intelligent so Frank rescued him for three dollars.

At first, Spike didn't show signs of greatness. He appeared clumsy and ungainly. His bark was more of a yelp. But Spike readily to training and was always ready to please his master. Overnight he seemed to grow into his feet and develop a mature bark.

Frank Weatherwax' wife, Connie, a regular reader of the Saturday Evening Post, read a three part story called "Old Yeller" by Fred Gibson. After reading the description of the dog and seeing the illustrations, she thought of Spike. The next day when Frank Weatherwax picked up the mail he opened the Hollywood Reporter and read that Walt Disney had bought the movie rights to Old Yeller. At Connie's urging Frank called the Disney Studios and arranged to show Spike.

At first, Disney did not like Spike. Spike had been raised around children and was used to playing and having fun. He did not know how to act vicious. Frank saw potential in this big, goofy yellow dog. After a little extra training, Spike nailed the part, becoming one of the most memorable dogs in screen history.

"Old Yeller" is not the only movie Spike has done. He was also in A Dog of Flanders (1959) and in several episodes of the television series The Westerner.

Spikes son played "Rontu" in Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964), and his grandson appeared with Steve McQueen and Robert Preston in Junior Bonner (1972).

Solomon

2009-12-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Solomon played the beautiful White Turkish Angora feline of evil Ernst Stavro Blofeld in several James Bond films.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld, an evil genius, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and head of the global criminal organization SPECTRE with aspirations of world domination.

In the films, Blofeld almost always appears with a white Turkish Angora cat.

Blofeld's habit of cuddling a fluffy white cat while plotting his evil deeds has been much parodied, particularly by Mike Myers with the cat Mr. Bigglesworth in the Austin Powers movie series.

Solomon appared in From Russia With Love (1963), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds are Forever (1971).

Solomon also appeared in Clockwork Orange (1971), his final film appearance.

Turkish Angoras are friendly, intelligent, active cats who enjoy interacting with their human family as well as with other cats. Unlike most cats, many members of this breed love to swim and are drawn to water. Which is probably why a Turkish Angora was chosen for the role of Blofeld's cat.

Jean, The Vitagraph Dog

2009-12-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

Jean, the Vitagraph Dog was a dog actor that performed title roles in early silent films.

Around 1907, Maine resident and aspiring writer Laurence Trimble moved to New York City with his dog, Jean.

Laurence Trimble sold an article to a local magazine which paved the way for the two of them to visit Vitagraph Studios to do a story on film making.

Laurence Trimble and his dog Jean just happened to be on the set at a time when the company needed a dog to play opposite Florence Turner ("the Vitagraph Girl").

A star was born, Jean and her owner were asked to stay and both became members of the Vitagraph stock company.

Jean became quite popular and was soon known as "the Vitagraph Dog", starring in her own films along with "the Vitagraph Girl" all directed by Larry Trimble.

By 1910, Laurence Trimble became Florence Turner's exclusive director and continued to make films with his lucky dog, Jean, until 1913, when Trimble, Turner, and Jean left Vitagraph and started up Turner Films, Ltd. in England.

World War I interrupted most of their work and, in 1916, Trimble returned to the states. Jean died later that year.

Jean made her movie debut in Jean and the Calico Doll (1910).

Between 1910 and 1912, she starred in sixteen more films. Her films were Jean, the Matchmaker (1910), Jean Goes Foraging (1910), Jean Goes Fishing (1910), A Tin-Type Romance (1910), Jean and the Waif (1910), Where the Winds Blow (1910), Jean Rescues (1911), When the Light Waned (1911), The Stumbling Block (1911), Tested by the Flag (1911), Auld Lang Syne (1911), Jean Intervenes (1912), Playmates (1912), The Church Across the Way (1912), Bachelor Buttons (1912), and The Signal of Distress (1912).

Higgins

2009-12-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

Higgins was born on December 12, 1957 in Los Angeles, California.

Higgins was one of the best-known dog actors of the 1960s – 1970s. He won a Patsy Award in 1967 and he was cover-featured on an issue of TV Guide magazine.

The animal trainer Frank Inn found the famous canine at the Burbank Animal Shelter as a puppy. A fluffy black-and-tan mixed breed dog, he was marked like a Border Terrier but Frank Inn believed him to be a mix of Miniature Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, and Schnauzer.

Higgins first came to national attention as the pet who played "Dog" in the television sitcom Petticoat Junction for six of the show's seven seasons, from 1964 to 1970, appearing in 163 episodes.

Higgins also made a guest-appeared on the television sitcom Green Acres with Eva Gabor in 1965 and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Higgins starred in the film Mooch Goes to Hollywood with with Zsa Zsa Gabor and Vincent Price.

In 1974, at the age of 14, Higgins came out of retirement to star in Benji.

Higgins had an extraordinary ability to convey a broad range of emotions through his facial expressions. Frank Inn, who trained thousands of animals of all species during his lifetime, told reporters that Higgins was the smartest dog he had ever worked with.

Higgins had a close rapport with the actor Edgar Buchanan, who played Uncle Joe Carson on Petticoat Junction. Buchanan's last film was Benji, which was also the last film that Higgins made. The two actors had an obvious fondness for one another, which is especially clear in Benji.

Frank Inn and Higgins were very close in real life as well as on the job. Frank Inn wrote two poems about Higgins: My Little Brown Dog and My Gift to Jesus.

Higgins died at the age of 17 on November 11, 1975. Higgins was cremated and his ashes were in an urn on the mantel piece in Frank Inn's home.

At Frank Inn's request, Higgin's ashes were buried with him in his coffin when Frank Inn died in 2002.

Higgins's progeny carried on his work in a continuing series of movies and television series featuring the Benji character, beginning with For the Love of Benji in 1977, which starred his daughter Benjean.

My Little Brown Dog by Frank Inn

I have a little brown dog that all my friends dearly love.
It is Benji, "God's Gift", to my family from heaven above.

A dog is one of God's created creatures that is faithful to men.
Because he is so faithful, he is called, "man's best friend."

He is a companion to people, he is a shepherd to sheep.
He guides the blind and he guards your home when you sleep.

Sometime you may betray your dog, but as long as he should live
He will follow his master faithfully and he will always forgive.

I wonder if Christ had a little brown dog that trusted and followed like mine
With two silky ears and a nose round and wet and two eyes round and tender that shine.

I am sure that if Christ had a little brown dog, it would feel like His master was God.
And would need no other proof that Christ was divine, and would worship the ground that He trod.

Now I don't believe that our Lord had a dog, because in the Bible I read
How He prayed in the garden alone, while His friends and disciples had fled.

I am sure that if Christ had a little brown dog, with a heart so tender and warm,
That dog would never have left Him to suffer alone, but he would have snuggled close under His arm.

Licking the fingers on His hands in agony clasped,
Still trying to comfort his boss.
And when they took Jesus away, he would have trotted behind.
He would have followed Him all the way to the cross.

Young children should learn to be faithful at home
Like my little brown dog I described in this poem.

Take them to Church and don't let them get bored,
So they can learn to be faithful and follow the Lord.

They should hear about Jesus, how he was born here on earth,
Remembering what He did for them when we celebrate His birth.

Be filled with the Spirit and you can live without fear,
You will have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My Gift To Jesus by Frank Inn

If someone had given baby JESUS a dog that was as loyal as mine,
To sleep by His side and follow Him and feel like He was Divine.

As He grew into manhood He'd have a dog following Him every day,
As He preached to crowds, or if He went into the Garden to pray.

It's so sad that CHRIST went away to face death alone and apart,
With no dog close beside Him to help comfort His MASTER's heart.

When JESUS arose that Easter morn, how happy He would have been,
If a little dog licked the hand of the Man who died for all men.

Our LORD has one now as He just called for my popular dog Benji,
Later, God called for my Wife and now they are both in Eternity.

Bamboo Harvester

2009-12-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

"Hello, I'm Mister Ed

A horse is a horse, of course of course,
and no one can talk to a horse of course,
that is of course, unless the horse,
Is the famous Mister Ed!

Go right to the source and ask the horse.
He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.
He's always on a steady course.
Talk to Mister Ed.

People yak-it-ti-yak a streak
and waste your time of day,
but Mister Ed will never speak,
unless he has something to say...

A horse is a horse, of course of course,
And this one will talk 'til his voice is hoarse.
You never heard of a talking horse?
Well, listen to this...

I am Mister Ed"

Bamboo Harvester (Mister Ed) was a Palomino horse was born in 1949 in El Monte, California. His parents were The Harvester (Sire), a Saddlebred owned by Edna and Jim Fagan; and Zetna, (Dam) who was sired by Antez, an Arabian imported from Poland.

Bamboo Harvester was trained by Lester Hilton. Lester "Les" Hilton had been apprenticed under Will Rogers, and also worked with the mules in the "Francis the Talking Mule" movies.

Prior to landing the title role of Mister Ed, he became trained as a show and parade horse by Lester Hilton, a Will Rogers protege.

He was only 12 years old when he became known to the world as Mister Ed, a role for which he was clearly typecast. He neither played, nor did he audition for any other role during his 19-year life. He never appeared on any commercials. He was introduced to the world in his peak role of Mister Ed.

Mister Ed (1949-1970) was voiced by ex-B-movie cowboy star Allan "Rocky" Lane (speaking) and Sheldon Allman (singing).

There are conflicting stories involving of the death of Bamboo Harvester, the horse that played Mr. Ed.

One version is by 1968 the horse was suffering from a variety of health problems. In 1970 he was euthanized with no publicity, and buried at Snodgrass Farm in Oklahoma.

Another version is quoted by Alan Young in his book "Mr. Ed and Me." Young wrote in his book that he'd frequently visit his former "co-star" in retirement. He states that Mr. Ed died from an inadvertent tranquilizer administered while he was "in retirement" in a stable in Burbank, California where he lived with his trainer Lester Hilton.

Cheeta

2009-11-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

Cheeta's role was to provide comic relief, convey messages between Tarzan and his allies, and occasionally lead Tarzan's other animal friends to the ape-man's rescue.

There are actually three main animal actors to portray Tarzan's Cheeta: Jiggs, Jiggs Jr. and Cheeta.

Jiggs was born in 1929. He originated the character of Cheeta in the 1930s Hollywood Tarzan movies. He was owned and trained by Tony and Jacqueline Gentry.

Jiggs appeared as Cheeta in the first two Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films, Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) and Tarzan and His Mate (1934).

He also appeared in the Buster Crabbe serial Tarzan the Fearless (1933) and the Herman Brix serial The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935). Jiggs was cast in at least one additional film, Her Jungle Love (1938), starring Dorothy Lamour, which was his last picture.

Jiggs died on February 28, 1938 at age 9, of pneumonia, and was buried March 2, 1938 in the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery.

Jiggs, Jr. (also known as Jiggs II), was a male chimpanzee born about 1935, also owned and trained by Tony and Jacqueline Gentry. He also appeared in a number of Tarzan films, including Tarazan Has Son (1938). It is rumored that Jiggs Jr. went to the Baltimore Zoo when Tony Gentry went into the service in World War II, his ultimate fate is unknown.

The most famous is Cheeta, the animal star of at least 12 Tarzan films as well as the television series in the 1960s. Cheeta was born in Africa in 1932. He made his last film, Doctor Doolittle in 1967.

Cheeta holds the Guinness World Record as the world's oldest chimpanzee. Cheeta is now 77 years old and resides in Palm Springs, California.

Since 2004 there have been several unsuccessful campaigns to secure a star for Cheeta on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and as of 2009 filmmaker Matt Devlen is continuing the effort.

Leo the Lion

2009-11-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

In 1916, Goldwyn Pictures first introduced Leo the Lion.

The original logo was designed by Howard Dietz and used by the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation studio from 1916 to 1924. Howard Dietz used a lion as the studio's mascot as a tribute to his alma mater Columbia University, whose althletic teams' nickname is the Lions. He added the lion roar for Columbia's fight song "Roar, Lion, Roar".

The first film to feature the famous Lion was Polly of the Circus (1917).

In 1924, movie theater magnate Marcus Loew bought Metro Pictures Corporation and Goldwyn Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was born.

Since 1924, Leo the Lion has been the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

There have actually been five different lions: Slats, Jackie, Tanner, George and Leo.

Slats was the first lion featured for MGM. He was born at Dublin Zoo, Ireland on March 20, 1919. The first MGM film Slats was He Who Gets Slapped (1924). Slats was used on all black and white films between 1924 and 1928 (with three exceptions). Slats died in 1936.

Jackie made her "official" debut in 1928. However, she did appear in the opening credits of Greed (1924), Ben-Hur (1925), and Flesh and the Devil (1926). She is also the first lion's rorar heard by audiences of the silent film era. She appeared in all black and white MGM films from 1928 to 1956. She also appeared in the opening credits of the Wizard of Oz (1939).

Tanner was used on all Technicolor MGM films (1934—1956) and cartoons (late 1935—1958, 1963—1967), except for The Wizard of Oz (1939). Tanner, whose first appearance was before the short subject Star Night at the Coconut Grove (1934) and his first feature film appearance was before Sweethearts (1938). Tanner was Leo the Lion for 22 years, second only to the current Lion. It is Tannerthat was the most frequently used version throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood as color became the norm.

The fourth lion, George, was introduced in mid-1956 and seved only two years. Two of George's appearances include The Opposite Sex (1956) and The Wings of Eagles (1957). From 1957 to 1958, George was used in tandem with the current lion.

Leo, the fifth lion, was purchased from a famous animal dealer named Henry Trefflich and trained by Ralph Helfer. Leo made his debut in 1957 and has been the mascot for 52 years.

After 93 years, the future of Leo the Lion is uncertain. MGM is crumbling under the weight of almost $4 billion in debt, and is up for sale.

Pal (Lassie)

2009-11-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Pal was born on June 4, 1940 in Cherry Osborne's Glamis Kennels in North Hollywood, California. He was a male Rough Collie and the first in a line of such dogs to portray the fictional female collie Lassie in film and television.

The son of Red Brucie of Glamis and Bright Bauble of Glamis, Pal's ancestry is traced to the nineteenth century and England's first great collie, "Old Cockie".

Howard Peck, an animal trainer, brought the eight-month-old collie to Hollywood animal trainer Rudd Weathermax in order to break the animal of uncontrolled barking and a habit of chasing motorcycles.

After working with the dog, Weatherwax gained control of the barking but was unable to break Pal of his motorcycle-chasing habit. Peck was disappointed with the results and gave the dog to Weatherwax in exchange for the money Peck owed him.

Rudd Weatherwax, in turn, gave the dog to a friend. But when Weathermax heard of the film being made called Lassie Comes Home, he sensed Pal was the dog for the movie and bought Pal back.

Rudd's brother Frank Weatherwax, who trained dogs such as Terry (Toto) assisted in training Pal for the movie.

Pal was among 1,500 dogs who auditioned for the title role, but was rejected because he was male, his eyes were too big, his head too flat, and a white blaze ran down his forehead. A female prize-winning show collie was hired to play the title character. Weatherwax was hired to train the star, and Pal was hired as a stunt dog.

During the course of filming, a decision was made to take advantage of a massive flooding of the San Joaquin River in California in order to obtain some live action footage for the film.

The female collie was still in training and refused to do many of the scenes. Weatherwax was on the site with Pal and offered to have his dog perform in a shot in which Pal would swim the river, haul himself out, lie down without shaking the water off his coat, attempt to crawl while lying on his side and finally lie motionless, completely exhausted. Pal performed the scene beautifully and in only one take.

In response, producers fired the female collie and hired Pal in her place and reshot the first six weeks of filming with Pal, now portraying Lassie.

Originally, Lassie Come Home was to be a low budget, black and white children's film. But Pal was so wonderful, doing many scences in one take and his own stunts, that the movies was upgraded to an A film with full advertising support, top publicity and filming in Technicolor.

Pal's success in Lassie Come Home (1943) led to six more films: Son of Lassie (1945), Courage of Lassie (1946), Hills of Home (1948), The Sun Comes Up (1949), Challenge to Lassie (1950), and The Painted Hills (1951).

After the movie The Painted Hills, MGM felt that Lassie had run its course and planned no more Lassie movies. Rudd Weathermax bought the rights to the Lassie name and trademark.

Television producer Robert Maxwell convinced Weatherwax that Pal's future lay in television. Together, the men created a boy-and-his-dog scenario about a struggling family on a weatherbeaten farm in Middle America.

The title role of the boy in the Lassie television series was narrowed to three young actors. It was decided that Pal would make the final decision.

After spending a week with the boys at Weatherwax's North Hollywood home, Pal seemed to like eleven-year-old Tommy Rettiq more than the other two boys. Rettig won the role based on Pal's response, and filming for the two pilots began in the summer of 1954, with Pal portraying Lassie in both.

Pal retired after filming the two pilots (The Inheritence and The Well), and his son, Lassie Junior (who was three years old and had been in training for a couple of years), stepped into the television role. After viewing the pilots, CBS executives immediately signed the 30-minute show to its fall 1954 schedule.

Pal, a devoted father, would accompy his son to filming. Series star Tommy Rettig later recalled, "When Rudd would ask Lassie, Jr. to do something, if you were behind the set, you could see The Old Man get up from his bed and go through the routine back there."

By 1957, Pal was growing blind, deaf, and stiff, and rarely visited the Lassie set.

Pal died in 1958, and, for months, Weatherwax slipped in and out of deep depression. Robert Weatherwax, Rudd's son, later recalled, "It hit him very hard when Pal died."

All dogs in the subsequent 'Lassie' films, and television series, have been descendants of Pal until 2003.

Pal won the Patsy Award of Excellence in 1951 for Challenge to Lassie.

Lassie has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures.

Rin Tin Tin

2009-11-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Rin Tin Tin was born on September 10, 1918 in Lorraine, France.

On September 15, 1918, during World War I, a shell shocked pup was found by US Air Corporal Lee Duncan and his battalion in a bombed out dog kennel in Lorraine. Duncan found a mother Shepherd Dog and her scrawny litter of five pups. Duncan chose two of the dogs, a male and female, while members of his group took the mother and the others back to camp. The only survivors over the next few months were the two pups Duncan had claimed, naming them 'Rin Tin Tin' and 'Nannette' after tiny French puppets the French children would give to the American soldiers for good luck.

When the war ended, Duncan made special arrangements to take his pups back to his home in Los Angeles, but during the Atlantic crossing, Nannette became ill and died, shortly after arriving in America.

In 1922, Duncan and Rin Tin Tin attended an LA dog show, with 'Rinty' performing for the crowd by jumping 13 ½ feet. Following the show, producer Darryl Zanuck asked Duncan if he could try out his new 'moving pictures' camera on the dog.

Rin Tin Tin's big break came when he stepped in for a recalcitrant wolf in The Man From Hell's River (1922). Rin Tin Tin would be cast as a wolf or wolf-hybrid many times in his career, though he did not look like one.

Rin Tin Tin's first starring role was in Where The North Begins (1922), playing alongside silent screen actress Claire Adams.

Between 1922 and 1931, Rin Tin Tin would make 27 movies. His movies included The Lighthouse by the Sea (1924), Tracked in the Snow Country (1925), Clash of the Wolves (1925), While London Sleeps (1926), A Dog of the Regiment (1927), Land of the Silver Fox (1928), The Man Hunter (1930) and The Lightning Warrior (1931).

Between 1930 and 1932, Rin Tin Tin was in the radio series The Wonder Dog.

On August 10, 1932, Rin Tin Tin was no longer strong enough to go to his master's side. The day he passed away, Jean Harlow, who lived across the street, came over and cradled his head in her lap as he died.

"Rin Tin Tin" was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

After his death, Rin Tin Tin Jr. took over for his father's radio series. He also apperead in several short films in the 1930s, including the 12-part serial, The Adventures of Rex and Rinty.

Rin Tin Tin III starred alongside a young Robert Blake in 1947's The Return of Rin Tin Tin.

During World War II, Rin Tin Tin III served at Camp Hahn training more than 5000 dogs and their handlers for the war effort.

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, an ABC television series, which ran from October 1954 to May 1959., featured Rin Tin Tin IV as the star.

Duncan died on September 20, 1960 and Ms. Propps took over caring for Rin Tin Tin heirs. When Ms. Propps died on December 17, 1988, Daphne Hereford took over.

On July 8, 2009, Rin Tin Tin XI was born.

The Rin Tin Tin Museum honoring the original Rin Tin Tin and his heirs is located in Latexo, Texas.

Pyewacket

2009-10-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

This week's animal tribute in honor of Halloween is to Pyewacket from the film Bell, Book, and Candle (1958).

Pyewacket, cast with Kim Novak and James Stewart, and the first ever Siamese in film, Pyewacket would steal the show in Bell, Book and Candle and earn the animal version of the Oscar, The Patsy (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) in 1959.

Bell, Book, and Candle (1958) stars Kim Novak as Gillian Holroyd, your modern-day witch, living in a New York apartment with her Siamese familiar, Pyewacket. Gillian admires Shep Henderson (James Stewart), a mortal, from a far. To make matters worse, Shep is about to marry Merle (Janice Rule), a old college enemy of Gillian's. So Gillian, with the help of Pyewacket, casts a spell on Shep and wins her man.

Pyewacket, is now one of the most famous cat names espeically among the Siamese Cat lovers of the world.

The name Pyewacket actually appeared in 1647 on an infamous woodcut of the General Matthew Hopkins (a witch hunter) with two accused witches caught naming their familiars. One of the familiars is named on the woodcut as Pyewacket. A familiar for a witch, like Gillian in the film Bell Book and Candle, acts as an extension of power. The witch's power embodied in animal form. The familiar can be assigned tasks to complete for the owner which in the film Pyewacket performs plenty. He is the most magical being in the film.

Pyewacket is credited as being played by "the cat" in the film Bell, Book, and Candle and it is his one and only movie. Sources stated that actually nine different siamese cats played Pyewacket in the movie.

Most sources state that Kim Novak is an animal lover and a siamese cat lover and had many siamese cats of her own which were used in the movie. One being renamed Pyewacket in honor of the movie's Pyewacket.

Kim Novak once gave Fred Astaire a siamese cat, he named Caryle, named and her character in their movie The Notorious Landlady (1962).

With Hollywood running with the popular Siamese craze at the time of Bell Book and Candle it fueled the breeding of the cats.

Americans had only enjoyed the Siamese Breed in this country since the beginning of the century. Fifty Six years later, this Siamese in the film, Pyewacket, would be one of the audiences favorite characters in the film. He was smart, gorgeous and funny! Siamese cats would become one of the most popular cat breeds in America.

Pyewacket's success in Bell, Book, and Candle led to other famous siamese cats in television and movies.

In the television show Betwiched, Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) has to handle a magical Siamese in an early episode.

In the movie, That Darn Cat (1965), Haley Mills and Dean Jones had their hands full with a siamese.

Trigger

2009-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Trigger, a golden palomino, was born in 1932 and originally named Golden Cloud.

Trigger was foaled at a small ranch in the San Diego area which was partly owned by Bing Crosby. At the age of 3, Trigger was sold to the Hudkins Stables which rented horses to the movie industry.

Trigger made his film debut in 1938 in The Adventures of Robin Hood where he was ridden by Olivia de Havilland.

In 1938, Roy Rogers was cast in the lead role for Under the Western Stars. Before filming, Hudkins Stables brought five horses for Roy to select from, the third horse he got on was a beautiful four year old golden palomino who handled smoothly and reacted quickly to whatever he was asked to do. This horse was Golden Cloud and a star was born.

Roy Rogers changed Golden Cloud's name to Trigger because he was "quick on the trigger."

Trigger knew 60 tricks and could walk 150 steps on his hind legs.

Roy was proud of the fact that throughout his more than 80 films, the 101 episodes of his television series, and countless personal appearances, Trigger never fell.

In 1943, Roy Rogers would officially purchase Trigger for $2500.00.

The two of them appeared in dozens of westerns in the 1930s and 40s, always chasing and thwarting the bad guys, and working to serve peace and justice.

Trigger even shared the movie title with Roy on two occasions: My Pal Trigger (1946) and Trigger Jr. (1950).

Trigger's last film was Alias Jesse James (1959).

Trigger won a Patsy award for the role in Son of Paleface (1952) and the 1958 Craven award.

Trigger was so popular he had his own fan club with members from all over the world.

Trigger even had his own Dell comic book series.

Trigger has more television and movie credits than any other animal actor, just shy of 200 credits.

Trigger also made frequent public appearances. During World War II, he toured with Roy with the USO and they performed for the men and women in uniform. As soon as Roy Rogers completed a movie, he would hit the road with Trigger, traveling all over the country appearing in theaters, stage shows, fairs and rodeos.

Early on, the fans demanded to see Trigger and Roy realized that all the movie making and traveling were too much for one horse, so Roy acquired Little Trigger. Little Trigger looked alot like Trigger except that he had four white stockings at was not quite as tall.

Fans who saw Trigger during the early and mid 1940s saw Trigger (the original). However, fans that saw public appearances in the late 1940s and 1950s most likely saw Little Trigger.

Little Trigger appeared in Don't Fence Me In (1946), Heldorado (1946), and Son of Paleface (1952) as a relief for Trigger. Trigger was also in these movies but when Trigger needed a rest from shooting, Little Trigger was used in some scences.

Trigger died on July 3, 1965 at the age of 33. Originally he was put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California but has since been relocated to Branson, Missouri.

Teddy the Dog

2009-10-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Teddy the Dog appeared in more than 40 silent movies.

Teddy the Dog also known as Teddy the Wonder Dog and Keystone Teddy appeared in move than 40 silent movies from 1913 to 1914.

Teddy was arguably the first canine superstar of the American cinema, he was a fawn or lightly marked brindle Great Dane .

The popularity of Teddy was such that he became one of Mack Sennett's highest paid "actors," commanding the sterling salary of $350 a week.

He performed with some of the top stars at the studio, including Baby Peggy, Slim Summerville, Mary Pickford, and Chester Conklin.

Teddy made his debut in A Little Hero (1913) and was a frequent co-star of Pepper the Cat and Ben Turbin.

Ben Turbin and Teddy appeared in fifteen films together including Are Waitresses Safe (1917), Whose Little Wife Are You (1918), His Smothered Love (1918) and Pitfalls of a Big City (1932).

Pepper and Teddy appeared in seven movies together: The Little Hero (1913), Friend Husband (1928), Rip & Stitch (1919), Reilly's Wash Day (1919), Trying to Get Along (1919), Back to the Kitchen (1919), and On a Summer Day (1921).

Teddy's most famous movies was Teddy at the Throttle (1917) starring Gloria Swanson and Wallace Beery. In this movie Teddy sang with Gloria, danced with her maid, and saved her by stopping a train, thus enabling her to be reunited with her true love.

Teddy's films credits include A Dog Catcher's Love (1917), The Sultan's Wife (1917), The Summer Girls (1918), Uncle Tom Without a Cabin (1919), Teddy's Goat (1921), Get Rich Quick Peggy, (1921) and Bow Wow (1922).

Teddy's final film was The Hollywood Kid (1924).

Pepper the Cat

2009-10-25T11:09:00.001-07:00

Pepper the Cat was the first feline movie star.

Pepper was born under a sound stage in 1912 and as a kitten wondered onto the set of one of Max Sennet's silent Keystone Cop films. Max liked what he saw and a star was born.

She appeared with the Keystone Cops 1912 to 1913 in uncredited roles.

Pepper's first credit role was in 1913 in A Litte Hero.

She could learn to do tricks and was a very smart cat even play checkers. She appears in a scene with Ben Turpin playing checkers. They appeared in six movies together: Whose Little Wife are You (1918), When Love is Blind (1919), Trying to Get Along (1919), The Quack Doctor (1920), The Dentist (1919), and Are Waitresses Safe? (1917).

She frequently appeared with Marie Prevost. They appeared together in His Hidden Purpose (1918), Never Too Old (1919), When Love is Blind (1919), The Dentish (1919).

She also worked with Carole Lombard in The Girl from Everywhere (1927).

Pepper's most famous co-star was Teddy the Dog. They appeared in seven movies together: The Little Hero (1913), Friend Husband (1928), Rip & Stitch (1919), Reilly's Wash Day (1919), Trying to Get Along (1919), Back to the Kitchen (1919), and On a Summer Day (1921).

Pepper's movie career lasted 16 years until her death in 1928. Her total number of movies is unknown as she did not receive credit for several of her early roles. She did earn 17 credited roles to her name. Her final role was Love at First Flight (1928).

Pete the Pup

2009-10-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

This tribute actually salutes two dogs, Pal and his son Lucenay's Peter (aka Petey). Both were American Staffordshire Terrier (Pitbull) and best known for playing Pete the Dog in the Our Gang comedy shorts.

Both dogs were trained and owned by Harry Luecenay and would star in a total of 61 movies.

Pal was born in 1925 and made his first film appearnce was in The Freshman (1925) when he was six months old.

Pal next landed the role in the 1920s Buster Brown series playing the role of Tige.

Pal's next big feature was playing Pete the Dog on the Hal Roach Our Gang comedy series. Pal originated the role in the film Spook Spoofing (1928). Pal's last film was A Tough Winter (1930).

Pal suffered an untimely death in 1930 when he was poisoned by an unknown assailant, probably by someone with a grudge against Harry Lucenay. The Our Gang kids were inconsolable upon learning of Pete's death.

Luecenay Peter (Petey) born September 6, 1929, would carrying on his father's role as Pete the Dog in the Our Gang comedy shorts. His debut being in Pups is Pups (1930). His last Our Gang film being The Pooch (1932).

Petey also was featured in his dad's place in several Buster Brown silent movies.

Harry Luecenay was fired from the Our Gang series and a series of look a like dogs appeared in the Our Gang comedy shorts until 1938.

After leaving Our Gang, Luecenay Peter went to New York and appeared in the Fatty Arbuckle short "Buzzin' Around" and in Paramount's "Broadway Highlights" newsreel, in which he is seen drinking a mug of beer as his initiation into The Lambs Club. In 1936, he once again joined Our Gang, but only for a personal appearance tour.

The circle around Pal's and Petey's eye, was not entirely natural. They both were born with a three quarters ring (a natural skin coloration was such an oddity that it became certified by Ripley's Believe It or Not) and the remainder of the ring was completed by make up artist Max Factor.

You may have noticed the circle often migrates between the left and right eye but that is because look a likes were used for stunts and in later films after Petey left the series.

Both Pal and Petey were the second highest paid Our Gang actors, earning $125.00 per week, second only to Farina (Allen Hoskins).

Luecenay Peter died in 1946, when Lucenay was 18 years old.

"He was a gentle, playful and warm dog. He would sleep at the foot of my bed. He was just the regular family dog. I really miss him." Harry Lucenary (About Petey).

Terry aka Toto

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Terry was born in 1933, she was a terrier whose most famous movie role was as Toto in the Wizard of Oz (1939). Although she appeared in thirteen movies, her only official movie credit was in the Wizard of Oz.

Terry's name was officially changed to Toto in 1942.

She was trained and owned by Carl Spitz. Carl Spitz established in the Hollywood Dog Training School in 1927

As part of her training for her role in the Wizard of Oz, she spent two weeks at Judy Garland's residence and Garland became quite attached to Terry and even wanted to adopt her, but Spitz refused.

Her salary for Wizard of Oz was $125 a week, which was more than many human actors in the film.

She attended the premiere of The Wizard of Oz at the Grauman's Chinese Theater.

During the filming of The Wizard of Oz, she suffered a broken foot when on oth the witch's guards accidentally stepped on her.

She was also afraid of the powerful wind machines used on the set of The Wizard of Oz.

Terry's first film appearance was in Ready for Love (1934) starring Ida Lupino.

Terry's next film was with Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes (1934) in which Terry played Rags.

Terry's other film credits are:

The Dark Angel (1935)

Fury (1936) as Rainbow

The Buccaneer (1938) as Landlubber

Stablemates (1938)

The Women (1939) as the fighting dog in the beauty shop.

Bad Little Angel (1939)

Calling Philo Vance (1940) as McTavish

Cinderalla's Feller (1940) as Rex the dog.

Twin Beds (1942)

George Washington Slept Here (1942)

In 2001, her autobiography "I Toto: The Autobiography of Terry, the Dog who was Toto" by Willard Carroll was released. This book is still available in most stores and on amazon. Willard Carroll had unearthed a leather-bound scrapbook containing Spitz's personal archive of Terry's life and work which was used to become the autobiography.

Carl Spitz retired Terry from cinema in 1942, and she became a beloved family pet, making appearances at numerous events, state fairs and animal shows until her death in 1944.

Terry died in 1944 and was buried in a pet burial area behind the Spitz's residence and kennel. However, During the expansion of the Ventura Freeway in Los Angeles, the property was obtained by Caltrans for construction purposes. The facility and the small burial grounds were razed.

Molly, Francis the Talking Mule

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Before there was Mister Ed in the 1960s, there was Francis the Talking Mule.

Francis became a celebrity in the 1950s when the character was the star of seven movies.

Although Francis was a male in the movies, he was actually played by a female named Molly. A female was selected because she was easy to handle.

Francis (Molly) was trained by Les Hilton and Will Rogers. Les Hilton would go on to train Mister Ed.

Francis the talking mule was based on a popular book by David Stern about a military man who meets a mule who can talk.

Universal Studios bought the rights for a film series, with David Stern adapting his own script for the first movie, simply titled Francis (1950). According to author Pauline Bartel, Universal paid $350 for the animal, but made millions from the film series.

The book and series focused on the exploits of Francis, an experienced Army mule, and Peter Stirling, the young soldier whom he befriends and stays with through civilian life and then back into the military. Donald's O'Connor originally played Peter Stirling and would appear in six of the films.

The seven films featuring Molly was Francis the Talking Mule are:

Francis (1950)

Francis Goes to the Races (1951)

Francis Goes to West Point (1952)

Francis Covers the Big Town (1953)

Francis Joins the WACS (1954)

Francis in the Navy (1955)

Francis in the Haunted House (1956)

As the titles indicated, each film had a different setting or gimmick, exposing the wordly-wise mule and the naive GI to race track excitement, the world of journalism, and many branches of the military, from West Point to the Navy. However, only Peter Stirling, could hear Francis talk which would provide for a comedy of errors for Francis' Master.

The distinctive voice of Francis was provided by veteran character actor Chill Wills. Wills lent his deep, rough vocal texture and Western twang to the cynical and sardonic mule. As was customary at the time, Wills never received billing for his vocal work, he provided the voice in six of the films and for the one televison appearnce by Francis (Molly).

Arthur Lubin, the producer of the movies, later went on to create the Mister Ed television series.

The same technical technique of teaching Francis (Molly) to move his mouth was later used on Mister Ed. Mules are very smart animals and will do what they are asked to do as long as you are kind and gentle with them. Les Hilton used a thread fed into the animal's mouth, which when tugged, would cause Francis (Molly) to try to remove it by moving her lips.

Francis the Talking Mule (Molly) also appeared on the television show What's My Line in an episode in 1952.

Francis the Talking Mule also became a popular comic book series.

Francis (Molly) was the very first recipient of the American Humane Association Annual Patsy award in 1950 taking first place in the Motion Pictures category.

In 1952, 1954, 1955, and 1956, Francis (Molly) would take the second place Patsy award in the Motion Pictures category. In 1957, Francis (Molly) would take third place in the Motion Pictures category.

Franics (Molly) received the Patsy Award of Excellence in 1953.

Francis (Molly) won a total of seven Patsy Awards, more than any other animal actor.

Orangey

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Orangey, a red tabby cat, was a talented animal actor owned and trained by the well-known cinematic animal handler Frank Inn.

Orangey had a career in film and television in the 1950s and early 1960s and was the only cat to win two Patsy Awards (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year, an animal actor's version of an Oscar).

Orangey won his first Patsy in his film debut for his title role in Rhubarb (1951), a story about a cat who inherits a fortune and a baseball team.

He won his second Patsy for his portrayal of "Cat", Audrey Hepburn's "poor slob without a name" in Breakfast at TIffany's (1961).

Other films that Orangey the Cat appeared in during his 15 year career, include This Island Earth (1955), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), Gigot (1962), The Comedy of Terrors (1964), and Village of The Giants (1965).

Orangey's longest gig was a recurring role as Minerva the Cat in the TV series "Our Miss Brooks" from 1952 through 1958.

Skippy

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Skippy was born in 1931 or 1932 (sources very). Skippy was a wire fox haired terrier who was trained by by his owners Henry East and Gale Henry East. His assistant trainers were Frank and Rudd Weatherwax and Frank Inn.

Skippy began his training when he was three months old, and he made his first professional appearance at the age of one year.

Skippy's break through role was as Asta in The Thin Man (1934) starring Myrna Loy and William Powell. In The Thin Man, he played the playful pet dog of Nick and Nora Charles, tugging them around town, hiding from danger and sniffing out corpses. Nick Charles said it best "Asta, you're not a terrier, you're a police dog." He also appeared in After the Thin Man (1936). Later Thin Man movies actually featured an Asta look-a-like as Skippy had retired.

Skippy was so popular as Asta, he is sometimes credited as Asta in his later movies.

Skippy's next big appearance was as "Mr. Smith" in the 1937 film The Awful Truth, where his character was the subject of a custody dispute between his owner's Lucy and Jack Warner (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne).

In Bringing Up Baby (1938), Skippy played "George," the bone hiding pup belonging to Susan (Katharine Hepburn) Aunt Elizabeth.

In 1938, Skippy played "Mr. Atlas" in Topper Takes a Trip which would be his last film appearance.

Skippy also was featured in The Lottery Lover (1935) as Pom Pom, It's A Small World (1935), Sea Racketeers (1937), and I Am The Law (1938).

Skippy was one of the highest paid canine actors of his era. At a time when most canine actors in Hollywood films earned $3.50 a day, Skippy's weekly salary was $250.00.

Skippy retired from the silver screen 1n 1939.