Collie Movie Stars, Entertainers and Mascots

  • Blair with the Hepworths in Rescued by Rover
  • The first canine movie star was a collie named  Blair. Blair was the star of Cecil Hepworth’s six and a half minute film in 1905, Rescued by Rover. In the film, “Rover,” must rescue a baby who has been stolen from her maid by a gypsy. He trails them to an attic hideout, then races home to bring the infant’s father (Hepworth) back to save her. Most of the footage is devoted to the dog’s brave journey, a brand new concept in film at the time. Hepworth cast his own wife, who also wrote Rescued by Rover, and baby daughter for the film, as well as the family dog, Blair.
  • In 1938, Lassie debuted in a short story called “Lassie Come Home” in the Saturday Evening Post. Lassie went on to appear in radio, film and TV shows for over 75 years, and was included on Variety Magazine’s list of Top 100 icons of the century in 2005. In 1960, Lassie was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Click here for a more detailed timeline.
  •  In 1971 a rough collie stared in the John Wayne movie Big Jake. The collies playing a dog named “Dawg” were actually 2 Weatherwax collies named Silver and Laddie. Their coats had been dyed for the part.
  • During the late 1800’s to early 1900’s people in London were often entertained by Professor Duncan’s Marvelous Collie Dogs, also known as Duncan’s Royal Scotch Collies.
  • For 44 years, Florence Martus (1868–1943), aka “the Waving Girl”, took it upon herself to be the unofficial greeter of all ships that entered and left the Port of Savannah, Georgia. From her rustic home on Elba Island, Martus would wave a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night, with a collie by her side.

World War I Collies

  • World War I: Bullets
  • A collie of royal ancestry became the mascot of American soldiers. Before he joined the army this pedigreed collie bore the name of Bum. As the unit mascot he answered to the more appropriate name of Bullets.
  • Messenger dog with its handler, in France, during World War I. This collie worked as a messenger in the front line under constant gunfire. A scrolled up message can be seen attached to his collar.
  • Messenger dog wearing a gas mask during World War I

US Presidents with Collies

  • Jackie and Caroline Kennedy play with the family’s Collie on the Virginia estate of Jacqueline’s mother, Mrs. Hugh D. Auchincloss. Life Magazine, 1959.
  • President Lyndon Johnson with his all white Collie, Blanco. This photo was taken in 1966.
  • President Calvin Coolidge and first lady Grace with their all white Collie, Rob Roy. November 5, 1924.  They actually owned 4 collies total, Rob Roy, Prudence Primm, Ruby Rough and Bessie.

Film Stars With Collies

  • Liz Taylor with her new puppy, 1960
  • Elizabeth Taylor stared in “Lassie Come Home” in 1943 at the age of 11. At the age of 60 she received a collie puppy as a gift. The puppy was a seventh generation grand puppy of Pal, the original Collie she stared with in the 1943 movie.
  • Marilyn Monroe and a collie at a photo shoot in 1953.
  • Kevin Costner with his collie.
  • Jack Pickford, actor and brother to Mary Pickford the motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also known as “America’s Sweetheart, had collies, and starred in films with his collie Prince on several occasions.

Musicians With Collies

  • Elvis, Priscilla and Baba.
  • Elvis and Priscilla Presley and their collie Baba.
  • Country singer Jim Reeves loved his collie Cheyenne so much that the two were buried side by side.
  • Robert Plant and his collie Strider. The song called Bron Y Aur Stomp was about Strider. It pretty much sums up the loving relationship they had!

Literature

  • Albert Payson Terhune at Sunnybank
  • Albert Payson Terhune author of “Lad: A Dog” and many other books. He owned Sunnybank Kennels where he lived with his beloved collies.
  • Edgar Rice Burroughs, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan, with his wife Emma and their all white Collie, Rajah. The year was 1903.
  • Beatrix Potter had a collie named Kep. This is an lllustration of Kep from Beatrix Potter’s Jemima Puddleduck. Kep worked her sheep at Hill Top Farm in the beautiful Lake District. Kep was the first and favorite of many collies on the farm.
  • Katharine Lee Bates, best known for writing the words to “America the Beautiful” in 1893, also wrote several short stories about collies in Sigurd Our Golden Collie and Other Comrades of the Road. She owned a rough blue merle collie named Hamlet.
  • Illustration of Norman Rockwell’s dog Raleigh from The Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell needed to go to Europe on business, so he had to leave Raleigh behind. The dog mourned terribly for Rockwell, and the vet felt the dog would surely die. Upon his return, Rockwell hand-fed Raleigh every two hours for days. The dog perked up, put on weight, and regained his health but his whiskers remained white and sad-looking. The story goes that Norman said to the dog, “Listen, Raleigh, I promise I’ll never leave you alone again if you just let the whiskers get back to their natural color.” In a few short weeks, Raleigh’s whiskers were dark again.