Son of Lassie (1945)

The first of many sequels to the classic 1943 Lassie movie finds original dog owner Joe Carraclough suffering from accelerated growth; in two years, he has grown about ten years - from boy Roddy McDowall to man Peter Lawford! Little Pricilla has experiences a similar growth spurt - from girl Elizabeth Taylor to woman June Lockhart (who would re-encounter Lassie a decade later, as young Timmy's mother). Donald Crisp as father Sam has holds up well, considering. Meanwhile, in dog years, Lassie has a son, Laddie. Presumably, "Pal" plays Mama "Lassie" and Son "Laddie" - but, it's possible an actual "Son of Lassie" is used in the film."Son of Lassie" is, understandably, not as good as the first Lassie film. The photography is absolutely beautiful, though; and, Pal/Lassie's performance is excellent - in fact, one could argue that the dog creates two separate characterizations (the Son a little less wise). Lawford in endearing as Joe. The World War II storyline is flawed, but inevitable, considering the time of release. The multiplication of Lassies was unnecessary, since it had been less than two years since the first Lassie. Still, it's a very well-photographed Lassie, with a rousing conclusion. ****** Son of Lassie (4/20/45) S. Sylvan Simon ~ Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, June Lockhart

If Laddie really were the Son of Lassie, we'd have to hope that she had a lot of other pups in the litter because the writing of this movie makes Laddie into one dumb dog! (In reality, if you check out the Trivia section, this dog is Pal, the original Lassie from Lassie Come Home movie of two years before and the progenitor of every Lassie thereafter, but we'll forget those confusing realities for the moment and pretend this is really the "Son of Lassie").Right from the outset, Laddie betrays his family lineage. Where Lassie always knew the good guys from the bad guys, Laddie tries to get help from Nazis which results in them trailing him and the Allies for the rest of the movie. You start wishing after a while that someone would shoot the dog so he doesn't give away any more secrets as he reveals Allies and their hiding places wherever he goes.Where Lassie only whined when someone else was in trouble, Laddie spends the whole movie whining (and giving away Allies whenever he does so). When trapped in a cabin, instead of finding the way out (as Lassie would have done), old Laddie gets the guy hiding him shot and the only way Laddie escapes is surviving having the entire cabin blown up around him.I must also take exception to the person who wrote how "realistic" the war/POW scenes are. Through the whole movie the Nazis are obsessed with killing the dog (strangely even though they know he will lead them to an Allied parachuter) so when the dog ends up at the POW camp they just let him in to help a blind prisoner. (In reality, both the blind guy and the dog would have been killed a long time ago.) There are some redeeming qualities about the film, though. Beautiful colors and gorgeous scenery worth watching for that alone. And old friends of Lassie, Donald Crisp and a very young June Lockhart who would one day be TV Lassie's matron (Timmy's Mom). And young Billy Severn as Henrik is really great as the little boy who befriends the wounded Laddie. (You'll cringe as he touches the wounded dog with a bloody paw...Making you want to remind children again not to touch a wounded dog). It's amazing how much violence there is in this a "children's" movie in fact. Explosions and several death scenes and shootings. Maybe the kids of the war era were thought to be of sterner stuff. Anyway, as little Henrik cries in his prayers to God to find the lost "puppy", my eyes actually teared up. "I FOUND him and I LOVE him..." Sniff, sniff...He names the dog "Mr. Simply" and it's no wonder since you wonder if it's because the dog is so simple minded.All's well that ends well in a happy reunion, but you leave the movie thinking that Laddie is one dumb dog!! But, even though he's every bit as big as Mama Lassie, you leave the movie thinking "Maybe it's because he's just a puppy after all", and forgive the dumb but sweet critter in the end.

I was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed this movie. Having traveled in beautiful Norway several years ago -- the land of my ancestors -- and visited the WWII Resistance Museum in Oslo, the movie was of particular interest to me. I suspected the location shots were in Canada, for having traveled across the mountains of Norway, something didn't appear quite right, but very close. Lassie's performance as 'Laddie' is amazing and so many of the cast give fine performances, including a very young (22) Peter Lawford. Watch also for teenage Terry Moore! And sadly, one of the last movie roles by handsome former silent star Nils Asther as he slid into obscurity by the end of the '40s. Ironically, there is also 20-year-old June Lockhart, who later played the mother two decades later in the Lassie series on TV. A nice touch is the music of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg used throughout the score. Fine film for family viewing.

This is a fine movie for animal lovers, for it is far more that the usual canine showcase. It is an exceptionally well made film in terms of technical excellence. The dialogue is always appropriate, the cinematography is very good, and the color is flawless. As the movie progresses the symbiotic relationship between Joe (Peter Lawford) and Laddie (son of a Lassie) enhances both roles. The cultural setting is that of World War Two, and Laddie experiences the full range of wartime threats, from being bombed to being captured, and so on. The supporting actors are good beyond expectation, and the topography of Norway (even though the movie was filmed in Canada) is precise. What is particularly unique about this film is that Laddie is not portrayed as a human in dog's clothing. Laddie is a dog that does what dogs do, both rightly and wrongly. One wonders how many children in the post-war era better understood war and its dangers after seeing this film. There must have been many. Bottom line: Lawford is better as a member of the dog pack that he ever was as one of the rat pack. This movie should not be missed!