Shot when the 3rd Reich was on it's knees. the scripted locations are in Yorkshire, England and coastal occupied Norway, mostly shot in several Canadian locations, most noticeably in Banff National Park, as backdrops for many of the Norwegian scenes. It's the first of 6 MGM sequels to the first in the series: "Lassie Come Home". We have several personnel changes among the stars. Thus, Peter Lawford takes the place of Roddy McDowell, as Joe , while June Lockhart takes the place of Elizabeth Taylor, as Joe's girlfriend: Pricilla .. Both are young adults, whereas Roddy and Elizabeth were children or mid-teens. Donald Crisp returns as Joe's father: Sam, while Nigel Bruce returns as the Duke of Radling, although his estate has been relocated from the Scottish highlands to Yorkshire.......The film begins with puppy capers, as Lassie's young puppy, Laddie, generally makes a mess of things, including chewing up the Duke's flower bed. We go through a phase of genuine slapstick, with little Laddie causing several people or things to fall to the ground, making off with some laundry. The kids should like that. ......But, then things turn more serious, as an older Laddie tries out being a War Dog. True to expectations, he funks the tests badly. Nonetheless, he's given a collar saying War Dog? He gets involved with the nearby airbase, following Joe's bus all the 40 miles, Jumping on or in planes Joe is in, chasing his airplane taking off, and even being a stowaway on a reconnaissance mission to coastal Norway. Of course, their plane is shot down, necessitating a parachute exit. Lassie lands with no problem, but Joe's still attached parachute drags him, until his head hit's a boulder, knocking him out. Laddie goes looking for help, finding a couple of German soldiers. They read War Dog on his collar, but fortunately Joe has recovered and left by then. Laddie runs away, being shot at. The soldiers look for him and Joe, who remain separated. At one point, Laddie discovers the cabin where Joe and his friend Brown are hiding out. Brown is there, and locks Laddie in a closet when he sees a couple of German soldiers coming. The soldiers figure out that Brown is a spy, and shoot him, being unaware of Laddie. Before leaving, they throw a bomb in the cabin, destroying it. However, Laddie survives, under some rubble, which he manages to push out of the way enough to allow escape. The film continues with Laddie's and Joe's adventures in Norway, mostly separate, but reunited near the end, when they take a fishing boat back to England. To me, it's at least as entertaining as "Lassie Come Home", so I give it a high mark. It's on a DVD. Chose the economical 4 MGM Lassie film package.
Review of Son of Lassie
