Somewhere
between her achieving film stardom, and her subsequent foray into television as the canine companion to her TV master, the late Tommy Rettig in Jeff's Collie, the famous collie enjoyed a brief foray in radio between June of 1947 and May of 1948.
Under the tutelage of his (all of the Lassies were males) trainer, Rudd Weatherwax, Lassie vocalized her own woofs, barks, pants and howls on cue. Alas, the gentle collie rarely could be enticed to growl or snarl, so animal imitator Earl Keen
assisted as needed, with Earl also playing the part of other dogs or animals on the show.
The canine's adventures were lighthearted and simple, with light dialog and story lines. Red Heart sponsored the show, and when Weatherwax asked the collie questions during the commercial interludes, she'd remain intently quiet, breaking into joyous barks only when hearing the words "It's Red Heart" spoken by Rudd.
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