Lassie (radio program)

American radio juvenile adventure series (1947–1950)

Radio show

Lassie

Pal as Lassie (1942)

Genre| Juvenile adventure
Running time| 15 minutes
Country of origin| United States
Language(s)| English
Syndicates| ABC
NBC
Starring| Pal
Announcer| Charlie Lyon
Written by| Harry Stewart
Directed by| Hobart Donovan
Produced by| Frank Ferrin
Narrated by| Rudd Weatherwax
Original release| June 8, 1947 (1947-06-08) –
May 27, 1950 (1950-05-27)

Lassie is an American old-time radio juvenile adventure program. It was broadcast on ABC from June 8, 1947 until May 30, 1948, and on NBC from June 5, 1948, until May 27, 1950.[1]

## Format

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Although the program was titled Lassie, the dog's name varied from episode to episode because she wandered from place to place helping both people and animals, and the people the canine encountered used various names.[2] Episodes of the show captured the essence of Eric Knight's book, Lassie Come-Home.[3]

The sponsor was Red Heart Dog Food.[4]

## Personnel

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Lassie was portrayed by Pal, the male dog that played Lassie in early films about the canine character.[3] Trainer Rudd Weatherwax[5] cued him to whine, bark, and pant at appropriate times. Additional sounds for Lassie and other dogs were provided by Earl Keen, an animal imitator.[1]

Weatherwax narrated the program,[4] and Charlie Lyon was the announcer. John Duffy was the organist. Frank Ferrin, Harry Stewart, and Hobart Donovan were producer, director, and writer, respectively.[1]

## Critical response

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A review of the initial NBC episode in the trade publication Variety said that the show was "nicely produced ... and scripted okay".[6] The review said that the show "should interest lovers of dogs if the constant hammering for the product can be toned down."[6]

## References

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1. ^ a b c Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 389\. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 192\. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
3. ^ a b Coren, Stanley (2011). Born to Bark: My Adventures with an Irrepressible and Unforgettable Dog. Simon and Schuster. p. 8\. ISBN 9781439189214. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
4. ^ a b "No Stand-in" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 12, 1947. p. 92. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
5. ^ Paietta, Ann Catherine; Kauppila, Jean L. (1994). Animals on Screen and Radio: An Annotated Sourcebook. Scarecrow Press. p. 323\. ISBN 9780810829398. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
6. ^ a b "The Lassie Show". Variety. June 9, 1948. p. 36. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

## External links

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* Radio portal

### Logs

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* Partial log of episodes of Lassie from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
* Partial log of episodes of Lassie from Old Time Radio Researchers Group
* Partial log of episodes of Lassie from radioGOLDINdex

### Streaming

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* Episodes of Lassie from Dumb.com

* v
* t
* e

Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight

Character|

* Lassie

Films|

* Lassie Come Home (1943)
* Son of Lassie (1945)
* Courage of Lassie (1946)
* Hills of Home (1948)
* The Sun Comes Up (1949)
* Challenge to Lassie (1949)
* The Painted Hills (1951)
* The Magic of Lassie (1978)
* Lassie (1994)
* Lassie (2005)
* Lassie Come Home (2020)

Live-action
television series|

* Lassie (1954–1973)
* episodes
* The New Lassie (1989–1992)
* Lassie (1997–1999)

Animated
television series|

* Lassie's Rescue Rangers (1972–1973)
* Famous Dog Lassie (1996)
* The New Adventures of Lassie (2014-2020)

Related|

* Springhouse Farm
* Pal
* Lassie (radio program)
* Timoleon Vieta Come Home

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