On June 8, 1947, the Lassie radio show officially broadcasted for the very first time on ABC. The highly successful animal adventure program captured families across the nation before successfully leaping to the television screen seven years later with the premiere of the legendary long-running TV series in 1954.
Because it was an audio-only medium, the radio show had to rely on a highly specialized canine voice actor. The part was played by Pal, the exact same brilliant male Collie who starred in the original 1943 MGM movie Lassie Come Home. Pal had to be meticulously trained to whine, bark, pant, and growl on cue right next to the studio microphones to convey deep human emotions to listeners at home.
