weezeralfalfa
First, there is no character in this film called Lassie!, although Lassie may have been the mother of Bill, sometimes called Duke, who starts out as a puppy. Like the first 2 of this film series, the collie, whatever its name is, gets lost for part of the film, has a series of adventures, and eventually finds its way home......Apparently most of the shoots were taken around Lake Chelan: a long, narrow former glacial valley, with substantial mountains on either side, located in north central Washington state.......This time, 14y.o. Elizabeth Taylor(as Kathie) serves as Bill's non-military master, while Tom Drake, as Stg. Smitty, renames the dog as Duke and serves as his master while in the army. In training Duke to be a War Dog, the screenplay is repeating the main plot of the previous film; "Son of Lassie". This time, the dog's unit is assigned to the Aleutians, to fight the Japanese......Some reviewers question the wisdom of the long(20min) initial section, in which the future Bill is accidentally separated from his litter mates, and spends months, judging from his size progression, as a wild dog, in the forest, not seeing any humans. We are treated to seeing various wild animals, some of which Bill interacts with. This should be especially interesting to children, but I found parts interesting too. No mention is made of how Bill manages to survive as such. Presumably, he would be poor at chasing and killing substantial prey, although he stole a fish from a bear! Also, he would be subject to predation by carnivores such as cougars coyotes, or wolves and maybe even hawks and large owls. Also, when Kathie finds him wounded from a gunshot, and picks him up, she should have been wary that he might be a wild dog, and bite her. When recovered, she trains him to be a sheepdog. But, one day, he is run over by a truck. The driver takes him to a vet, but makes little effort finding his owner. So, after a couple months of rehabilitation, it's decided to give him to the army and make a war dog out of him, rechristening him as Duke. On duty, one day he is assigned to carry a message from a patrol in trouble to another patrol, traveling under heavy fire. He is hit and the message lost. He grows weaker and his legs are covered with mud making walking more difficult. He collapses as he reaches his goal. Strangely, there seems to be no radio contact between the 2 patrols. Thus, they ask the exhausted dog to guide them to the patrol in need of ammunition and more personnel. Slowly, he makes his way. He is considered a hero for his extreme effort. However, he then turns mean toward his handler and others. He's suffering from PTSD(or shell shock). It's decided to send him back to Washington state for some R&R. Serendipitously, he manages to jump off the train exactly when it passes Lake Chelan! But, he doesn't immediately find anyone who recognizes him. To survive, he steals chickens from various people. When he is finally found by Kathie, initially, he's hostile. But, there is a sudden change in him when she is knocked unconscious from a fall. He is now back to his old self. But, the victims of his raids want him declared a public nuisance and put away. A trial is held and it looks bad for Bill. But, Frank Morgan: a friend of Kathie's, notices a marking on one ear, and someone identifies it as a war dog ID. Morgan calls up the nearby dog training center and asks for Bill's record, finding that he is regarded as a war hero. This told to the judge, he decides to suspend the expected death penalty, and place him under the supervision of Kathie and Morgan. Note that it's not clear whether he still belongs to the army, or whether they want him released. This is not discussed. By the way, it would be nice for the owner, whoever it might be, to pay for the damage, which was not denied.......Now, suppose Bill were a man, a homeless veteran with a good record, who stole some chickens to keep from starving. Would he have received the same leniency? Should the past character of a person who has committed a crime be considered in sentencing? I think so.......This film is currently available in economical 3 and 4 packs of MGM Lassie-like films.
keesha45
Not only did she play two different parts in this film (with three different names) but she had two deathbed scenes and played a war hero who turns into a crazed killer. Any actress in Hollywood would have killed for a chance to play that kind of character, which usually leads to an Oscar nomination. But this was no ordinary actress and she wasn't even a female or even a human. We're talking about Lassie, who was played by the greatest female impersonator in the history of the silver screen, otherwise known as Pal.The star of this vehicle not only got away with playing both a male and a female in this picture (a son and his mother) but he/she was such a mega star that the producers could call the film COURAGE OF LASSIE without the character Lassie even being in it.(You wouldn't find Johnny Weissmuller playing the Thin Man in a Tarzan movie, would you?)Be that as it may, Lassie (or should I say Pal?) plays Bill with such acting skill that there should have been an Oscar awarded for the performance. Of course, the Academy would have had the dilemma of not sure whether to give the statuette for the Best Actor or Best Actress. Toss in some cute animal scenes at the beginning and a tear-jerking ending, with some beautiful location footage at Lake Chelan in north central Washington in the middle, and you've got one of the most heartwarming animal movies of that era. You just wouldn't have wanted to tell the star that he/she was an animal. Thespians can be sensitive about that kind of thing. Dale Roloff
Scoval71
This is a Lassie movie. It stars Lassie. Lassie's name is above the title. It is not an Elizabeth Taylor movie, although her presence is just as lovely, young and innocent. Lassie here is played by the very first and original Lassie collie---who was in most, not all, of the Lassie movies. There were nine Lassies. Today, April, 2005, we have the ninth Lassie, all descendants of this very first Lassie. Courage of Lassie is a sweet and very sad story at times with a plot and storyline particular to WWII and is is not unrealistic or spectacular. It is a family movie and a throwback to a time when Lassie movies were popular. It must be viewed in that light. I recommend it,as I would recommend all Lassie movies and I, personally, am looking forward to seeing the new Lassie movie currently being filmed.
