Lassie

Biography

Lassie (c. 1917-19??) was a long-haired cross between a bull-terrier and a cocker spaniel trained by Emery B. Bronte, who adopted the dog when she was a puppy. Though little known today, Lassie was a popular animal actor during the silent film era. A 1920 profile in National Humane Review stated, "In filmdom, Lassie is something more than a dog. She is a personage." Reportedly, Lassie made her screen debut at the age of eight months in "Rosie O'Grady" (1917) - also known as "Her Brother's Champion", a John H. Collins-directed Edison film starring Viola Dana. Lassie's big break occurred by chance when a dog was needed for a scene, and Emery Bronte, who was also cast in the film, suggested his puppy. Lassie was featured in two Dell Henderson films starring George Walsh, "The Shark" (1920) and "The Dead Line" (1920), three films starring Richard Barthlemess, "Tol'able David" (1921), "Sonny" (1922), and "The Beautiful City" (1925), and two Percy Marmont vehicles, "Broadway Broke" (1923), and "The Street of Forgotten Men" (1925). Her last known appearances in film include D.W. Griffith's "Sorrows of Satan" (1926), and Malcolm St. Clair's "Knockout Reilly" (1927). According to various articles from the time, some of the other stars in whose films she appeared were Marion Davies, Mabel Normand, Irene Castle, Olive Thomas, Alma Rubens, Elsie Ferguson, June Caprice, and Tom Moore. More often than not, Lassie received no screen credit, but when she did - typically in a review, she was credited as "Lassie" or "Lassie Bronte." Her greatest successes came in "Tol'able David" (1921), and "The Street of Forgotten Men" (1925). Her death scene in the latter was so impressive that some were convinced that she must have been killed, or cruelly beaten. Animal lovers and Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals complained, and newspapers printed a signed affidavit from Emery Bronte stating the dog had not been harmed in any way. Lassie was also starred in her own film, the Bronte-directed scenic "Fish for Two" (1925), a half-reel short which featured the dog, a boy, and a fish. Exhibitor's Trade Review called it an "interesting little picture featuring a very intelligent dog and his boy pal." Film Daily also found it "interesting and pretty." Moving Picture World stated the film received more than 4000 bookings after it debuted at New York's Capitol theater. In 1926, Max Fleischer's Red Seal Pictures announced it would distribute 13 Bronte featurettes featuring Lassie and Jean, Emery Bronte's other dog. In reporting on the deal, Moving Picture World described the two canines as "internationally famous dog actors." Among the 13 shorts are "When Do We Eat?" (1926), "Another Kick Coming" (1926), and "Good Riddance" (1926). The only feature film both dogs were known to have appeared in was "Sonny" (1922), directed by Henry King. According to a 1927 article in New York Times - which described Lassie as a "Clever screen actress" - the then 10 year old animal was earning a remarkable $15,000 a year. After 1927, Lassie seems to have left film.