Son of Lassie (1945)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

S. Sylvan Simon

Writers:

Jeanne Bartlett (screenplay)
Jeanne Bartlett (story)

Release Date:

20 April 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Plot:

Laddie (Son of Lassie !) and his master are trapped in Norway during WW2 - has he inherited his mothers famous courage ? |

Plot Keywords:

Lassie | Dog | Dog Actor | Character Name In Title

Cast

Peter Lawford	...	Joe Carraclough
Donald Crisp	...	Sam Carraclough
June Lockhart	...	Priscilla
Nigel Bruce	...	Duke of Radling
William Severn	...	Henrik (as William 'Billy' Severn)
Leon Ames	...	Anton
Donald Curtis	...	Sergeant Eddie Brown
Nils Asther	...	Olav
Robert Lewis	...	Sergeant Schmidt
Fay Helm	...	Joanna
Peter Helmers	...	Willi
Otto Reichow	...	Karl
Patricia Prest	...	Hedda
Terry Moore	...	Thea (as Helen Koford)
Leon Tyler	...	Arne

Runtime:

USA:102 min | 100 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #10417) | Finland:K-8 (1961) | Finland:S (1948) | Netherlands:6 (2008) | USA:G | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The dog playing Laddie (the son of Lassie) is actually Pal - the dog who played the original Lassie in Lassie Come Home (1943).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Toward the end of the movie, while Joe and Laddie are escaping the work camp, Laddie bites the leg of a Nazi soldier. The "bait" to make Laddie bite can be seen under the pants-leg, in Laddie's mouth.

Quotes:

Village Padre: I don't think you will find a poor dog in this village. He wouldn't stop here. No refuse bins.
German Soldier: Why not?
Village Padre: Because there is no refuse.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Challenge to Lassie (1949)

Kids will like it

Sequel to the first Lassie film. Joe Carraclough (Roddy McDowell in the first film, Peter Lawford here) is home briefly from the war. He loves a dog named Laddie (who may be the son of Lassie--it's never made clear). He still loves Priscilla (Elizabeth Taylor in the first, June Lockhart here). He takes Laddie with him to the Army (!!!) and soon he and Laddie are trapped in occupied Norway.

This is strictly for the kids. The dialogue is on the level of a bad Archie comic book, there's zero characterization and one sequence with four children has some of the worst acting I've ever seen in a movie. Also they're constantly pushing Laddie in your face so you can go "awwwwwwwww". Still this is shot in gorgeous Technicolor, has stunning scenery and Laddie is a good actor (so to speak). More for kids though--as an adult I was getting pretty bored. It was kind of fun to see Lockhart here considering she was in the Lassie TV show about a decade later. Parents should know a man is shot dead (no blood), Laddie is shot also and is constantly being put in danger. That might bother some kids. I give it a 7.