Lassie

the long version

"Lassie's English creator, Eric Knight, drew on first-hand knowledge of 1930s' economic hardship and his collie dog Toots to write 'Lassie Come Home'. His magazine story about an impoverished family from the Yorkshire Dales forced to sell its beloved sheepdog to a Scottish landowner was to establish Lassie as 'the world's favourite dog'. Although MGM's film of 1943 made a star of Elizabeth Taylor, it also marked the rise to Hollywood stardom for the canine saviour with human intelligence. Lassie the dog was to feature in six more movies before transferring to US television in 1954. Her fame grew with every passing year, with one collie after another being recast in the role. Eric Knight, however, was not to share in Lassie's success. Tragically, in 1943, while travelling on a wartime intelligence mission, he was killed in a plane crash. Author Peter Haining also examines the history of the rough collie as a breed on both sides of the Atlantic."--BOOK JACKET.