Reigning Cats and Dogs….

…a tribute to the four-legged actors among us!

Rin Tin Tin

Rin Tin Tin with movie stunt pilot Ed Ballande

This dark-coated German Shepherd was one of a litter of 5 puppies discovered in a bombed-out dog kennel in France during WWI. USAC Corporal Lee Dawson brought him back to the US with one of his litter-mates, Nannette, but the female puppy didn’t survive that Atlantic crossing. Rinty made his first film “The Man from Hell’s River” when he stepped in for a wolf that wouldn’t listen. The dog literally saved Warner Bros. from bankruptcy during the 1930s and became the most popular star of the era. Rinty had 18 trained stand-ins, a chef to prepare his tenderloin steak lunches and an ensemble to play classical music while he ate. When the dog died in 1932, he was buried in France but his bloodline still goes on at a kennel in Texas.

Asta	with William Powell and Myrna Loy in the "The Thin Man"

Of, course, like most animal stars, more than one dog played “Asta” over the years. The original, “Skippy” became Asta after doing the role in four “Thin Man” movies. A bouncy wire-hair terrier, Skippy created such a huge interest in the breed that it led to over-breeding. The little dog also played Mr. Smith in “The Awful Truth” (1937) with cary Grant and Irene Dunne, George the dog in “Bringing Up Baby” (1938) with Cary and Katharine Hepburn and Mr. Atlas in “Topper Takes a trip” (1938) with Constance Bennett and Roland Young. A distant relative took over the “Thin Man” series on television. P. S. Rudd Weatherwax, the same animal handler that trained the Lassie collies, was Asta’s trainer.

Pyewacket

Pyewacket and Kim Novak

Like witchcraft, this mysterious Siamese simply appeared for one role and then disappeared into the night. It was rumored she took over the role in “ Bell, Book and Candle” (1958) (originally promised to a black cat that was afraid of Jimmy Stewart. As a “familiar” (a witch’s attendant spirit often found in animal form) Pyewacket got to hang out with Jimmy and Kim Novak and look as though she knew all their secrets and where the catnip was buried. But no one ever learned her real name or her age. Just like a female!

Orangey

Cat and Audrey Hepburn

An orange tabby with a definite flair for acting, Orangey won a Patsy (that’s an Oscar for animal actors) for his role as cat in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961. trained by veteran animal handler Frank Inn, Orangey began his screen career with “Rhubarb” in 1951. Three years later, he won the role of Neutron in “This Island Earth” and followed up with Butch the cat (very scary) in “The Incredible Shrinking Man” in 1957. After “Breakfast…” Orangey became a female impersonator as Cleopatra in “The Comedy of Terrors” (1964) and was the Giant Cat in 1965’s “ Village of Giants”.

Terry

Terry/Toto with Judy Garland/Dorothy

This Cairn terrier was the most known dog in movie history. You can even buy her autobiography (she had a ghost writer)! But Terry’s career was almost over before it started when the little dog broke her foot while filming “The Wizard of Oz”. After “The Wizard…” her name became officially “Toto”. Owned and trained by Carl Spitz, Terry/Toto spent two weeks at the home of Judy Garland to rehearse her role for the picture. She had 13 films in her resume with the first credited role as Loop’s dog Rags in “Bright Eyes” with Shirley Temple. The industry took a big blow when the popular little dog died in 1944 at the age of 10.

Pal	Roddy McDowall and Lassie

This sable collie was the first dog to play the heroine Lassie although he was all boy! And every dog to play that in “Lassie” films and television series were also boys and direct descendants of Pal. But Pal almost didn’t get the role. The studio wanted a show dog and Pal didn’t have the right resume. But his trainer Rudd Weatherwax knew the dog had the right talent for the job so he kept bringing Pal around and they let him work as a stunt dog. Finally when the show dog they hired failed to make the grade, Pal got the role. After playing the first Lassie in “Lassie Come Home”, Pal played the title role in “Son of lassie” while another dog played Lassie “herself”. Pal lived to be 17 before he died in 1958.

Sweetie

Sweetie relaxes!

Sweetie was given Bruce Willis as an owner in “ Fifth Avenue” (1997). Bruce played the guy who rescued the world from evil (with Sweetie’s help, of course) and fell in love with Milla Jovovich. The role required Sweetie to play a very impatient cat who would rather watch television, eat Chinese food and wrap around Bruce’s legs. Gary Oldman and Luke Perry were in the picture, too but Sweetie spent most of the time with Bruce.

Thomasina

Thomasina takes a ride!

It was not only “The Three Lives of Thomasina” at Disney in 1964, it was the tale of the 2 cats playing the title role. Both were red tabby cats but there the similarity ended. Apparently the casting was done by a myopic director who couldn’t see the apparent differences between them. One was a “classic” tabby with markings that look like a bullseye on its side and the other a “mackerel” tabby with stripes. Thank heaven, the audience liked both of them and the movie became a classic. But cat lovers were appalled at the obvious mistake.

Spike

Spike as "Old Yeller"

Trainer Frank Weatherwax found Spike at an animal shelter in Van Nuys, California. He was just a big, yellow, floppy-eared puppy who hadn’t yet grown into his feet but he would prove to be well worth the $3 Frank paid to rescue him. When Frank’s wife Connie heard that Walt Disney had bought the movie rights to Fred Gibson’s “Old Yeller”, she knew it was made for Spike. But Disney didn’t like Spike on the grounds he was raised with children and was too docile to play “vicious” for the scenes in the first part of the movie. Frank proved him wrong. Spike went on to play in “The Dog of Flanders” (1959) with David Ladd and Donald Crisp and was in several episodes of “The Westerner” with Brian Keith.

Benji

Benji unleashed !

Director Joe Camp was looking for the new Benji to star in an new picture to be titled “Benji Unleashed”. The original dog actor (Higgins of “Petticoat Junction” fame) and his beloved trainer Frank Inn has long since gone over the “ Rainbow Bridge” and the world was hankering for another story about that lovable pooch. So, just as the search for the original was done at animal shelters, Joe Camp found his latest hopeful at the Humane Society of South Mississippi. Only this time his choice was female! All Joe had to do was look into those big eyes, to know he had another star on his hands.

Tonto

Harry and Tonto

Art Carney won an Oscar for his role as Harry in the 1974 movie “Harry and Tonto” but nowhere in the credits do I find any mention of Tonto! Now that cat traveled with Harry all through the picture and should have gotten at least some mention for this superb supporting role. But I have searched far and wide and found nothing at all. No real name, no gender, no nothing! I wonder if there is an agency out there for cat actors with discrimination complaints. If any one has any information on this cat, please contact me at mamamlion27@aol.com.

Beasley

Turner and Hooch

Beasley is a Dogue De Bordeaux mastiff or, in simple terms, a big, lovable slobbering dog who doesn’t fit in an apartment setting! In the 1989 film “Turner and Hooch”, Beasley (as Hooch) aptly proves that. Tom Hanks plays control freak Turner who eventually learns to love Hooch (who wouldn’t) after a hilarious “getting to know you” experiment. It is Hooch who has the goods on a murderer…..Turner doesn’t have a clue. Beasley takes the whole acting thing in stride, sometimes mowing down cameramen in the process. And he almost steals the picture.