Courage of Lassie (1946) User Reviews

Liz is again the overwrought, ecstatic child...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 7/10 · 4 June 2005]

In "Courage of Lassie," the dog gets top billing, but a pretty teenager (Liz Taylor) has plenty of crying and hugging to do as a supremely devoted mistress…

Another heart-warming story, filmed in the wilderness of Washington State, the movie (which begins with a long, curious, wild-life sequence) mixes farm-family folksiness with an unusual dog story: Lassie goes to a training school for war dogs, is shipped to the front and performs heroically… Returned to America, the dog suffers a nervous collapse, becoming a menace to society…

As the willful farm girl who finds a dog, loses a dog, and regains a dog, Liz Taylor is again the overwrought, ecstatic child, lavishing her attention on Lassie…

Because her greatest fame came later, as a young woman, most people forget what a skillful child actress she was… Less burdened than at any later time by her beauty and fame, she is at her least self-conscious in these early performances… Untouched, she reveals in these animal stories her natural flair for tears and hugs—the paraphernalia of an emotional female

Adorable Film from the Past

[whpratt1 · 6/10 · 13 November 2007]

This film starts off with a collie named Bill who breaks away from his family and encounters all kinds of friends in the woods which are bears, ravens, hawks and even travels on a pile of wood through all kinds of rapids that almost drown him. Bill no sooner takes a chance and relaxes in the grass when he is shot by hunters and Katie Merrick, (Elizabeth Taylor) comes to his rescue who had been following Bill because he ran off with her pants as she was swimming in the a lake. Kattie manages to tell the hunters not to kill Bill, because she is going to bring him to get help from a good friend of hers, Harry MacBain, (Frank Morgan) who manages to bring Bill back to health. There are many problems that face Katie with her collie dog and Bill is even recruited in the Army. Very nice film from the past. Enjoy.

many adventures with a young girl

[rebeljenn · 6/10 · 8 November 2005]

'Courage of Lassie' is not really about 'Lassie' but about a Lassie-like collie named Bill. 'Courage of Lassie' is one of the best Lassie films, in my opinion. The storyline is packed full of adventure in which Bill saves the day, but when Bill is hit by a truck and taken away from young Kathy (Elizabeth Taylor), Bill becomes an army dog in the second World War. (I think this is the only Lassie film to have a female girl as the dog's primary master.) There are also some happy parts of the movie, showing the deep friendship that the young girl and collie share. This, intertwined with Lassie saving sheep in a snow storm and becoming a war hero makes this a good film. It's not as good as 'Lassie Come Home', but it is still worth a watch if you enjoy films about dogs.

Dog dodges dozens of deadly darts

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 23 March 2001]

Well, folks, there were no surprises in this one. A young girl adopts a lost puppy and takes it in for her own, turning it into a first class sheep dog. Then the inseparable pair are separated and the dog must face a cruel world without his master. The film has the usual [and some unusual] assortment of adventures from the collie being shot, run over, drafted, shot again, ran to exhaustion, put on trial, exonerated, and then a tearful re-union with the little girl [the dog didn't shed a tear]. Some little girl. Wow! I liked it, but then, I am a hopeless dog lover: it was pretty corny, though. Nice Canadian scenery throughout, should be a winner with the kids.

Lassie, WWII Psycho Vet

[rsbrandt · 23 February 2002]

How can you not like a movie in which Lassie is inducted into the army and comes out warped into a serial killer? Like so many MGM stars during wartime Lassie found himself pressed into morale-building patriotic duty. When Frank Morgan tells Elizabeth Taylor he has a son in the Philippines, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Lassie (who goes by a variety of aliases here) will find his way to some kind of military heroism. The truly bizarre twist is that, pushed past the breaking point by his desperate Army masters to lead them to the rescue of a trapped patrol, he comes out with a grudge against the world, and winds up, essentially, on trial for murder. Ultimately, Morgan's courtroom summation turns this odd story into a surprisingly moving allegory for the situation of returning combat vets. (And I'd leap off a moving train, too, if I had little Liz Taylor waiting for me at home.)

My Dog Bill

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 March 2018]

When you've got a young Elizabeth Taylor and such scene stealing character actors as Frank Morgan and Harry Davenport it's almost an obligation to watch Courage Of Lassie. All of them have their moments not to forget America's favorite collie.

In fact the collie isn't Lassie. When Taylor finds him having gone astray in the woods she names the pup Bill. She trains Bill as a sheepdog and it works out well until he becomes separated from her and drafted into the canine corps of the US Army.

Service in the Aleutians leaves a shellshocked collie and of course eventually he's reunited with Taylor who does her best to rehabilitate him.

Morgan plays a kindly neighbor to widow Selena Royle who is Liz's mother and Davenport is the judge who will decide the fate of the collie. Guess how it goes.

Nice scenic color location cinematography also characterizes Courage Of Lassie, but it doesn't overshadow the human performers who are at their scene stealing best.

Cry "havoc" and unleash the dogs of war..well,Lassie anyway.....

[ianlouisiana · 6/10 · 24 February 2012]

This film does have something important to say about PTSD and the military's gradual recognition of it as a medical condition during the second world war despite ignoring all the evidence from the 1914 - 1918 conflict.Apart from that,"The courage of Lassie" is merely a mildly diverting tale of a lost dog who gets press - ganged into the U.S.Army and ends up in the Aleutian Islands helping to rescue some ambushed soldiers. Miss E.Taylor is delightful as Lassie's erstwhile owner who is horrified to find her pet a changed animal when he makes his way back home after escaping from a railroad carriage carrying him to be p.u.t. d.o.w.n. after displaying aggressive behaviour to his handler. He goes on trial for totally uncharacteristic sheep killing and is condemned to death,only to be reprieved at the last minute when his military number is found tattooed on his skin. A little girl and her dog are reunited and millions of 8 year - olds all over the world weep copiously.Or they did in 1946. Now they'll probably turn on "Tour of Duty" and wipe out half the German Army in revenge. I think Ill stick with the weeping.

Not A "Lassie Come Home" Sequel.

[AaronCapenBanner · 5/10 · 15 November 2013]

Fred M. Wilcox returned to direct Lassie in his third film, but this is not a continuation of "Son Of Lassie", though original costar Elizabeth Taylor does return as a new character called Kathie Merrick, who rescues a collie pup, and names it Bill(Lassie is not the name here, despite the title!) whom she raises as a sheep-herder, until one day he is hit by a truck and taken to a veterinarian. Bill's life is saved, but is not identified, so is instead sent off as a war dog to assist soldiers in the trenches. Sadly, this experience turns Bill vicious, and upon his return home becomes a livestock killer. Can Kathie convince the court not to put Bill down? Strange film is mostly an uninspired rehash of the first two(unrelated) pictures, when it would have been far wiser to just continue that story, instead of creating this one. A wasted opportunity.

Virtuoso performance by an MGM superstar

[keesha45 · 9/10 · 28 May 2007]

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

Everybody Loves Lassie

[xyzkozak · 6/10 · 31 December 2014]

If you enjoy watching "A-Dog-As-A-Shining-Hero" movie, then you're sure to get a satisfying charge out of Courage Of Lassie (COL, for short) from 1946.

Featuring plenty of carefully staged wildlife photography (especially within its first 20 minutes), COL had our favourite celebrity canine, Lassie, heading out on one daring, brave and big-hearted adventure after another.

As something of a bonus - COL starred a fresh-faced, 14-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, who played young Kathie Merrick, the easily-excitable daughter of simple sheep ranchers etching out a modest living in the American North-West.

All-in-all - COL was, for the most part, an enjoyable enough feature film, but I seriously think that its story was probably best suited for a much younger audience than myself.

*Note* - What didn't make a whole lot of sense to me was that, even though this film's title clearly named this prized collie-dog as Lassie, Kathie kept repeatedly calling this pedigree pooch, Bill, for whatever reason.

Lassie as a shell-shocked war hero steals the show...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 21 September 2006]

This is a mildly entertaining Lassie film in which the collie (who is named Bill in the story) plays the leading role while the human players (ELIZABETH TAYLOR, FRANK MORGAN, TOM DRAKE) are mere foils. The plot concerns a pretty teen-aged Taylor who finds him in the Canadian wilderness, loses him when he goes astray, and finds him again in time for a heart-warming conclusion, but only after war-weary dog has gone on trial for, of all things, murder.

It starts out slowly as a nature film with nothing but shots of rabbits and other woodland creatures before it gets to the heart of the story with the opening scenes of Frank Morgan and Elizabeth Taylor (in her early teens and seemingly unspoiled, giving one of her more natural performances). Taylor's fawning over Lassie seems genuine, if a bit too sentimental, and it's a relief at the finale that she is reunited with her pet.

Standout are the war scenes where Lassie is forced to help American soldiers in a dangerous assault on some Japanese soldiers. Lassie is trained in these chores by soldier TOM DRAKE and after battle fatigue sets in he becomes another shell-shocked victim of war. How he's able to return to Taylor for the film's happy ending is the balance of the story.

Nicely done, filmed in wilderness areas of Canada and the state of Washington, but still just a minor entry in the Lassie stories.

WW II veteran Lassie suffers from PTSD

[arm61 · 10/10 · 11 July 2007]

As the relative of someone who has suffered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) originating in his own experiences in the early part of WW II --- it is now some sixty-five years here in mid-2007 from those absurdly horrible and also unbelievable few months of his then-young life --- this is a terribly important film for me. Although Bill/Lassie is allegedly just some lost dog in the movie, what he experiences as a K-9 dog-soldier within the U.S Army's campaign to push the Imperial Japanese military out of its conquests in the Aleutian Islands in 1942 forever scars him. He comes home to the Elizabeth Taylor character in Washington state a haunted, and hurt animal and veteran. I relate very much to this story, and that is why I love this movie.

They could have entitled this one "Lassie Goes Nuts!"

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 16 February 2018]

"Lassie Goes Nuts"....or, perhaps another title that might fit for this one is "Lassie Goes Through Hell and Ends Up With PTSD". This is because Lassie (here actually called Bill) is tortured and goes through more in one film than most of his others combined!!! In this film, he loses his mother, gets shot, gets run over, gets sent to war and almost dies...and, naturally, ends up losing his mind. While the term was never used, he obviously was suffering from PTSD...and the film was actually a metaphor for the millions of damaged soldiers coming home from Europe and Asia following WWII...which ended the year before.

Fortunately, the film is not just one series of torment after another for good 'ol Bill/Lassie. When he's not suffering, he's living with a lovely little girl (Elizabeth Taylor) and loves her dearly. But he gets lost and goes through the worst before he ultimately is reunited with her.

The movie is enjoyable and the scenery AMAZING...having been filmed in the Pacific Northwest in beautiful color. And, because it was a prestige project (after all, Lassie was a BIG star at MGM), the studio used some of its best supporting actors (Frank Morgan, Harry Davenport and Tom Drake, among others) and it really is a lovely film. But some might tire of seeing the animal going through torment, so it's not nearly the film as "Lassie Come Home"!

Finally, although I liked the movie I really would have loved a scene with Lassie lying on the couch being psychoanalyzed near the end of the story!

The Dog Days of Lassie

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 20 August 2007]

Lassie should have barked, "RE-WRITE!" during the third in the series, "Courage of Lassie". Elizabeth Taylor takes over the reigns as Lassie's owner. Obviously, the filmmakers were still not sure how to use Lassie as a name; so it's implied that the dog you love as Lassie is playing "Bill" (but it's really "Pal" playing "Lassie" playing "Bill"; and, it gets even more complicated in the film).

Since it is 1946, we'll just have to go along with Lassie being drafted; but, is this "Lassie Come Home from World War II" - is Lassie an unpatriotic deserter? Then, the poor dog comes down with Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome, becomes a killer, and goes on trial. On the plus side: Lassie is terrific, as usual; the dog tries to make a bad script hunt. Elizabeth Taylor and the film look very nice in color; and, Frank Morgan feels like a good substitute for Donald Crisp, who was in the last Lassie film, and will be in the next one…

**** Courage of Lassie (7/24/46) Fred M. Wilcox ~ Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Morgan, Tom Drake

Bill

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 24 September 2020]

A pup gets left behind in the forest. He manages to survive following a bear. He is found by Kathie Merrick (Elizabeth Taylor) and given the name Bill. After an accident, Kathie loses Billie who gets sent into the war as Duke. He suffers from trauma and escapes back to Kathie but carries the burden of violence.

Of course, I understand that there are multiple Lassies over the years. I figured that the roles would be all called Lassie. That's my biggest question. Isn't it more compelling to call all the characters Lassie? I don't get it but that's what happens here. It's the only confusing aspect. Young Elizabeth Taylor is showing her charisma but she's not actually in a majority of the film. This is the dog's tale. It's surprising that it's dealing with PTSD before it's even called that. It's an interesting premise to show that struggle not in a human but in a dog. In a way, it's able to engender even more sympathy and thereby pull on the heartstrings harder. It's a good way to access that emotional story from a different angle.

From wild dog, to sheepherder pet, to War Dog, to chicken thief, to repatriated pet.

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 4 June 2018]

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.

Lassie gets drafted!

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 2 April 2005]

After emoting so sincerely in "National Velvet", Elizabeth Taylor looks almost forced into this absurd scenario: Collie pup, separated from its family, raises itself in the woods before finding the love of a dedicated young lass, and then--for reasons almost indescribable--is adopted into the Army! Opening nature shots are hilariously 'wholesome': we get birds, a bunny rabbit, and a man in a boat (who yells at a bird to hold its tongue!). Lassie plays the Collie (here called Bill, and later Duke!), and it's a strenuous part even for a dog. Taylor shows the same moony-eyed strength and determination she showed as Velvet Brown, but this part is a mere whisper of her last. After appearing in 1943's "Lassie Come Home", this must've seemed like a step backwards for the young star. It's a tearjerker via the doghouse. ** from ****

Lovely Touching Lassie Story of Old

[Scoval71 · 8/10 · 4 April 2005]

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.

Absurd plot and a little too sappy for my taste

[SDAim · 2/10 · 8 March 2013]

Seeing this in 2013 for the first time and as a 50-year-old adult, I really tried to imagine what I would have thought of this film had I been a young teen back in the late 1940s. I think I might have had a different reaction, but I have to say I didn't care for it at all and thought it was pretty odd.

I won't recap the plot -- you can read other people's comments for that -- I'll just skip to what bugged me the most. Aside from the multiple "Oh, c'mon!" moments that made no sense at all, I thought the acting was very over the top by everyone -- with the possible exception of the dog. Several characters did highly moronic things, which, although they moved the story along, were very unbelievable, irresponsible, and disturbing.

I'll give the film two stars for the outdoor sequences which had some gorgeous scenery, although I was wondering for about the first 15 minutes if I hadn't recorded a National Geographic nature flick by mistake.

Pulls On The Heart Strings, Pretty Hard

[florida87 · 8/10 · 1 August 2007]

I'm reading glimpses of other reviews here and many are a bit skeptical of this movie and of Lassie being a shell shocked war vet. Well I grew up watching Lassie the 50's TV show and I must admit I'm very partial to everything I've seen with Lassie in it. Yes we should all know that Lassie was played by more than one dog (its obvious that thats the way they make dog movies, isn't it?), that Lassie was a female, all that geeky stuff, I say whatever. I was not expecting anything from this movie and had it on in the background as I was surfing the web this morning and doing other tasks, I ended up getting very focused on this film! It's just another testament that if it's a Lassie movie, it's good entertainment. I wish I had watched this with my now teenage daughter while we had the opportunity, I know it would have strengthened our relationship at least just a little. Work overseas and divorce tell me that wont happen any time soon (if ever). If I ever get the chance no matter how old she is I'll try to see this at home with her. It has Liz Taylor and her pet's loving bond in Lassie which is very wholesome, it also has a lot of adult overtones with war and such, so it should keep any mature adult interested. In todays overly skeptical world, I'm happy I have not fallen into the trap to not really enjoy a Lassie movie. 8 of 10.

Dumb as Hell kids movie

[zetes · 4/10 · 3 April 2011]

The third movie in the Lassie series, this one confusingly stars a male dog named Pal playing a female dog named Lassie playing a male dog named Bill, who is then, in the course of the film re-named Duke. Got that? I guess it's not that important. Bill (terrible name for a dog) is born on an island. His mother's master rescues the mother and the rest of the litter, but doesn't see Bill, who then grows up in the wild. The wild, which is populated by a trained bear and some other animals. After growing up to adulthood, Bill is surprisingly non-feral and is discovered by a 14 year-old Elizabeth Taylor. Right after Taylor finds him, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer shoots him with bird shot. Taylor cares for him until he's well again, with the help of Frank Morgan. Then Bill is hit by an Army truck (the poor damn dog can't get a break). After he regains his strength again, the Army guys take him to Japan (or maybe Europe), where they use him as, I don't know, a decoy to draw enemy fire. He finally gets back to America and finds his way back to Elizabeth Taylor, but not before he kills some farm chickens. He's put on trial (!) and gets the death penalty. Frank Morgan saves him after discovering he was an Army dog and understanding he has post-traumatic stress syndrome. Anyway, this is obviously mind-numbingly stupid, and it provides a few good laughs that way in its run. It's filmed in a pretty Technicolor. But it's not worth seeing, obviously. As, I suppose, I watched this in honor of Taylor, I should say a brief word about her. She's a sweet kid, and, like in National Velvet, a pretty good actress already. The film is so silly, though, and she's not really in it that much that she can hardly save it.

A Magnificent Gift!

[fox10000 · 9/10 · 14 November 2007]

Though "Courage of Lassie" has a simple plot, it is one of the greatest movies of the last century, and one of the most meaningful and greatest tearjerkers of all time. The "Courage of Lassie" is a time capsule that reveals the decency of where we came from, who we were, who we truly are, and who we still can be - because goodness is a root of us all. The "Courage of Lassie" also provides beautifully-crafted lessons in adaptation and the resiliency of both human and animal spirit.

Everyone should be positively touched by this film and should be bettered by it. However, it seems that those who lived at least part of their lives during the 1940's and 1950's will be especially emotionally struck by the realization of what has been lost, what's been gained, as well as by the automatically ensuing calculations of whether the gains were worth the losses.

Every character in this film plays his or her parts naturally and flawlessly, including Lassie. The changes in circumstances, action and locales should rivet all viewers of the film to the film from beginning to end. The only iffy scene in this film is where Lassie was a target of countless enemy riflemen but never got hit - somewhat like Kevin Costner in "Dances with Wolves." Other than that single stretch:

The "Courage of Lassie" is a magnificent gift!

The "Courage of Lassie" is Americana at its best!