1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,239 Speaker 1: We all love dogs and if we don't, we should. 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: And the people that started the movie industry pretty much 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: knew that almost from the beginning. Did you know that, 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: arguably the first movie to have a canine star, Blair 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: in Rescued by Rover, was released in nineteen oh five. 6 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. Guess what it seems? Blair's act was 7 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: stolen decades later by none other than Lassie. That's next 8 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: on the backstory. The backstory is back. There's something so 9 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: organically attractive about little children and dogs, and when you 10 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: put them together, it can be magic. Filmmakers seem to 11 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: pick up on this from the very beginning of Silent Film. 12 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: In nineteen oh five, the British director Lewis Fitzhaman capitalized 13 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: on what he thought would be a magic combo. One 14 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: year old Barbara Hepworth starred as kidnapped baby and the 15 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: real Hepworth family dog Blair stole the show as Rover. 16 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: Little Barbara's real life parents, Cecil and Margaret Hepworth plays 17 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: mother and father, but they got very little attention even 18 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: though they were big film people. The plot goes that 19 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: the nanny was taking baby for a stroll in her carriage, 20 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: and as she walked through the park, a gypsy woman 21 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: approached asking for money. The nanny said no way and 22 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,399 Speaker 1: kept walking, but then she got distracted by a young 23 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: soldier and started talking to him. That's when the beggar 24 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: woman snuck up and snatched the baby from the carriage. 25 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,759 Speaker 1: In the next scene, the nanny goes home and confesses 26 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: to the mother that baby has been lost. Aha, Rover, 27 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: here's all this, and then Lassie esk jumps through the window, 28 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: races down the street, around a corner, and across a river. 29 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: The pup finds its way to a bad part of 30 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: town and then barges through every door until he traces 31 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: the scent of baby and runs up the stairs in 32 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: an attic the beggar woman is taking off baby's clothing. 33 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: Rover barks, but is dispatched by the woman, then again 34 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: creating the Lassie playbook. Rover runs home and he goes 35 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: nuts in front of the dad father follows him down 36 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 1: the street, across the river and into the doorway of 37 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: the house where baby is being held. She's rescued, unharmed 38 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 1: and brought home, with Rover, of course, getting a lot 39 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: of attention for his rescue. That seven minute movie was 40 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: a sensation. Believe it or not, it cost about forty 41 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: bucks to make and help turn movie making into a 42 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: storytelling medium rather than just a scientific novelty. For the director, 43 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: Lewis Fitzhayman, this was his biggest film of the four 44 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: hundred that he made. He had other animal flicks such 45 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: as Dog Outwits the Kidnappers, which is kind of based 46 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: on the Rover movie, but Rover was his tour deiforce. 47 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: He did manage to sell four hundred copies of the 48 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: film for about ten bucks apiece, so he did make 49 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: a few bucks, but Blair, as Rover the Dog became 50 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:16,640 Speaker 1: a household name. He's considered the world's first canine film star. 51 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: This was the first appearance of a dog in a 52 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 1: narrative based film, and believe it or not, that movie 53 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: made the pretty uncommon name of Rover into one of 54 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,080 Speaker 1: the most popular names for dogs in the first half 55 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: of the twentieth century. Blair went on to make a 56 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: number of other films over the next five years, but 57 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: was first and foremost the Hepworth Family Dog. Another early 58 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: canine star was Shep. He starred in an eleven minute 59 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: film that was a huge critical hit in nineteen fourteen. 60 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: It was called A Dog's Love and it was very emotional. Again, 61 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: the dog was the star. It was about a dog 62 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: who loses his best friend, a small girl whose killed 63 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: when she's hit by a car. The movie focuses on 64 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: the dog's emotions in dealing with his loss. Audiences love 65 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: this flick because of its universally appealing theme. The description says, 66 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: the movie focuses on a poor, little rich girl who 67 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: has no one to play with. You see Baby Helen 68 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,719 Speaker 1: with her doll looking out the window while other children play. 69 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: Baby Helen sets up a tea party in the yard 70 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: by herself and the neighbor's dog. Shep comes out to play. 71 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: She invites him to the tea party to share a muffin. 72 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: A week later, four year old Helen is sent out 73 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: on an errand. Not sure who sends a four year 74 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: old on an errand, but as she crosses the street, 75 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: she's hit by a passing car. SHEP races to her 76 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: rescue and then runs for the parents, but it's too late. 77 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: He's devastated. She's died. Then, in one of the earliest 78 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: and best uses of double exposure, Helen's ghost comes back 79 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: and guides Shep to her her grave, where he then 80 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:06,359 Speaker 1: brings flowers and lays by her gravestone. People were beside 81 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: themselves with this story, and again it helped transition film 82 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 1: into a theatrical event that made people feel something that 83 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: told a real story. There's a final screen title in 84 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: that movie that says, don't cry, It's only make believe, 85 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: showing Helen holding flowers and leaning against Shep. It's a 86 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: reminder of little kids in the audience that it was 87 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: all simply a story. Critics loved it. The Chicago Tribune 88 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 1: wrote two more attractive artists never collaborated in a single 89 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: production than This Star Baby and This Star Dog. The 90 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: picture is a miniature masterpiece. Just a few years later, W. C. Fields, 91 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: with both of these flicks in mind, was quoted as saying, 92 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:55,039 Speaker 1: never make a movie with a kid or a dog. 93 00:05:55,320 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: They always steal the show. Hope you like the backstory 94 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: with Patty Steele. Please leave a review. I'd love it 95 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: if you'd subscribe or follow for free to get new 96 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 1: episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to DM me if 97 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: you have a story you'd like me to cover On Facebook, 98 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm 99 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:24,720 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 100 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 101 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 102 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 103 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram 104 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 105 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele. The 106 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.