(S. Sylvan Simon, US 1945, 102 min., 35mm)
Gorgeously shot in Technicolor, the second in MGM’s massively successful seven-film series follows the adventures of grown-up Joe Carraclough (Peter Lawford), now an RAF pilot who is shot down over Nazi-occupied Norway along with a stowaway: Laddie, the son of Joe’s beloved Rough Collie Lassie (in a remarkable dual performance, the great canine star Pal plays both mother and son). Quite a bit darker in tone than Lassie Come Home—only fitting, given the war-time setting—but still great for kids, this is one sequel that delivers all the thrills and, yes, tears of its celebrated predecessor.
Upcoming Events in this Series
Film Screenings | Lassie Come Home (35mm)
Adventures of Lassie The ultimate boy-and-his-dog movie—and the first in the warmest, fuzziest film franchise of all time—stars young Roddy McDowall as Joe Carraclough, an impoverished Yorkshire lad who must sell off his best friend, a Rough Collie named Lassie (beautifully played by legendary canine star Pal), when his family falls upon hard times.