There's gold in them thar hills, and this time the Gold Rush includes canine superstar Lassie who heads up the cast of The Painted Hills (1951). After years of prospecting in the mountains, miner Jonathan Harvey (Paul Kelly) finally strikes it rich. When he dies at the hand of a greedy partner (Bruce Cowling), Jonathan's beloved dog Shep (Lassie) sets out to avenge his master's death.

Based on the 1930 novel Shep of the Painted Hills by Alexander Hull, The Painted Hills was the seventh and final Lassie feature made by MGM after a lucrative decade-long winning streak at the box office. Lassie debuted on the silver screen in 1943 with the very successful Lassie Come Home, based on a story by Eric Knight, starring the very young Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowall. The first Lassie was played by a male Collie named Pal, who was the lucky dog selected from over 300 furry candidates. Since the canine star's debut in 1943, all Lassies have been played by Pal himself, or his descendants, coached by the legendary Hollywood animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax until his death in 1985.

The Painted Hills has a surprisingly darker edge than most other Lassie films, though it never fully departs from the franchise's tried-and-true "Lassie Saves the Day" formula while winning the heart of a lonely young boy (Gary Gray). While shot on a lower budget than usual, the vibrant use of Technicolor and the rugged beauty of the great outdoors help add flavor and excitement to The Painted Hills. Featuring a healthy dose of suspense and action with its sentiment, Lassie proves once again why this brave and resourceful Collie never goes out of style.

Harold Kress, the director of The Painted Hills, started out as a film editor for MGM in the 1930s. He was eventually allowed to direct in the 1950s, and wound up directing a total of five features for MGM. The Painted Hills was his fourth. Soon, however, he went back to his true calling: editing, and went on to win Academy Awards for cutting How the West Was Won (1962) and The Towering Inferno (1974).

Following the release of The Painted Hills, MGM sold off the rights to the character of Lassie, believing that the franchise had run its course. However, that was hardly the end of Lassie, who by now was a cultural icon. In 1955, Lassie starred in her own wildly successful television series which ran a whopping 17 years. In 1973, Lassie also had her own series of cartoon shorts called Lassie's Rescue Rangers. Lassie has also periodically returned to the cinema over the years in such films as The Magic of Lassie (1978), Lassie (1994) and a 2005 remake of Lassie Come Home.

Producer: Chester M. Franklin
Director: Harold F. Kress
Screenplay: True Boardman, Alexander Hull (novel)
Cinematography: Alfred Gilks, Harold Lipstein
Film Editing: Newell P. Kimlin
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Leonid Vasian
Music: Daniele Amfitheatrof
Cast: Paul Kelly (Jonathan Harvey), Bruce Cowling (Lin Taylor), Gary Gray (Tommy Blake), Ann Doran (Martha Blake), Chief Yowlachie (Bald Eagle).
C-69m. Closed captioning.

by Andrea Passafiume