Rudd Weatherwax facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rudd Weatherwax
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Weatherwax and Lassie, 1955
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| Born |
Ruddell Bird Weatherwax
September 23, 1907 |
| Died | February 25, 1985 (aged 77) |
| Other names | Ruddel Weatherwax |
Ruddell Bird "Rudd" Weatherwax (born September 23, 1907 – died February 25, 1985) was an American actor, animal trainer, and animal breeder. He and his brother Frank were famous for training dogs for movies and TV shows. Their Rough Collie dog, Pal, became the very first Lassie. Rudd trained Pal for the 1943 movie Lassie Come Home.
He also trained the dogs for the Lassie TV series. This show ran for many years, from 1954 to 1974. Another famous dog he trained was Spike, who starred in the 1957 movie Old Yeller. After Rudd passed away, his son, Robert, continued the family business of training animals. Rudd Weatherwax also trained Homer, a beagle dog. Homer was the official mascot for the New York Mets baseball team in the 1960s.
Early Life and Training Career
Rudd Weatherwax was born in Engle, which was then part of the New Mexico Territory. His parents were Anna Elisa and Walter Smiley Weatherwax.
How Pal Became Lassie
Pal became a movie star because of a big flood. The movie studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), wanted to film a scene with a massive flood in the Sacramento River in northern California. They had planned to use a different collie dog for the movie. However, that dog was still being trained.
So, MGM hired Pal to be a stand-in for the difficult river scene. Even though the work was very hard for an animal actor, Pal did an amazing job. The story goes that after seeing the first film, the head of MGM, Louis B. Mayer, said, "Pal had entered the water, but Lassie had come out." This moment made Pal a new star.
Lassie's Legacy
MGM owned the rights to the name "Lassie." But when the series of Lassie movies ended, Rudd Weatherwax made a special deal. He received the rights to the name "Lassie" instead of his last year's salary and some extra money. This was a very smart move! Because of this, he earned money from the "Lassie" name during the TV show's 17-year run on CBS. He also benefited from the show being shown again in syndication.
Legacy and Family
Rudd Weatherwax was honored after his death. In 2012, he was added to the New Mexico Entertainment Hall of Fame. He had two sons, Jackie and Bob. He was also the uncle of Ken Weatherwax. Ken was an actor who played Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family TV series.
