Pete the Pup
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| Pete the Pup | |
|---|---|
 Pete the Pup in a scene from 1931's Fly My Kite |
|
| Born | 1929 |
| Died | 1946 (aged 16–17) |
| Occupation | Film actor |
| Years active | 1920s – 1930s |
- Pete the Pup directs here, for the Don Marquis character, see Pete the Pup (archy and mehitabel)
Pete the Pup was a famous dog character in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies (later known as The Little Rascals) during the 1920s and 1930s. Otherwise known as "Pete, the Dog With the Ring Around His Eye", or simply "Petey", he was famous for having a circled eye that was added on by Hollywood make-up artist Max Factor[citation needed] and credited as an oddity in Ripley's Believe It or Not. The original Pete (sired by Earl Tudor's "Black Jack") named Pal the Wonder Dog had a natural ring almost completely around his eye; dye was used to finish it off.
When he was about six months old, he made a cameo appearance in the Harold Lloyd classic The Freshman, in the 1925.[1]
Pal first started out as "Tige" in the Buster Brown series in the 1920s, It was during this time that he obtained the circled eye, and when he was recruited to appear in the Our Gang comedies later that year, Hal Roach simply left it on, creating one of the most recognized dogs in film history.
Trainer and owner Lt. Harry Lucenay used one of Pal's offspring as Pete in the series after Pal passed away. This dog, named "Lucenay's Peter", was dual-registered as an AKC American Staffordshire Terrier and as a UKC American Pit Bull Terrier.[citation needed] Lucenay's Peter was whelped (born) September 6, 1929, and bred by A. A. Keller. A few other dogs played Petey, but Lucenay's Peter was the most famous. After being fired from the Our Gang series in 1932, Harry Lucenay retired Peter to Atlantic City, where he was photographed with children at the famed Steel Pier. Roach used a number of unrelated bulldogs to portray Pete in Our Gang until 1938.
Pete became as recognizable and popular as the kids in the gang. Pal the Wonder Dog appeared in Our Gang comedies until 1930, and according to Our Gang member Jean Darling died mysteriously. Urban legend has it that Pal died after someone fed him meat laced with glass. This is completely unproven, and the conventional thinking is that Pal died of natural causes/old age. Lucenay's Peter continued on and died of natural causes in 1946, two years after the Our Gang series ended.[2]
[edit] Films
- The Slippery Pearls (1931) - Pete
- A Tough Winter (1930) (uncredited) - Pete
- Bear Shooters (1930) (uncredited) - Pete
- The First Seven Years (1930) (uncredited) - Pete
- Saturday's Lesson (1929) - Pete
- Bouncing Babies (1929) - Pete
- Cat, Dog & Co. (1929) - Pete
- Stop Barking (1929) - Tige
- Getting Buster's Goat (1929) - Tige
- Buster's Spooks (1929) - Tige
- Delivering the Goods (1929) - Tige
- Small Talk (1929) - Pete
- Fast Freight (1929) - Pete
- Magic (1929) - Tige
- Wiggle Your Ears (1929) - Pete
- Tige's Girl Friend (1929) - Tige
- Noisy Noises (1929) - Pete
- Have Patience (1929) - Tige
- Buster Trims Up (1928) - Tige
- Halfback Buster (1928) - Tige
- Busting Buster (1928) - Tige
- Good Scout Buster (1928) - Tige
- Buster Minds the Baby (1928) - Tige
- Buster's Whippet Race (1928) - Tige
- That's That (1928) - Tige
- Buster Shows Off (1928) - Tige
- Buster Steps Out (1928) - Tige
- Buster's Big Chance (1928) - Tige
- Run Buster! (1927) - Tige
- Buster, What's Next? (1927) - Tige
- Buster's Home Life (1927) - Tige
- Buster, Come On! (1927) - Tige
- Olympic Games (1927) (as Pete the Pup) - Pete
- Buster's Handicap (1927) - Tige
- Buster's Initiation (1927) - Tige
- Buster's Frame Up (1927) - Tige
- Buster Don't Forget (1927) - Tige
- Look Out Buster (1927) - Tige
- Buster's Dark Mystery (1927) - Tige
- Buster's Sleigh Ride (1927) - Tige
- Buster's Picnic (1927) - Tige
- Buster's Prize Winner (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Narrow Escape (1926) - Tige
- Buster, Watch Tige (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Girl Friend (1926) - Tige
- Buster Helps Dad (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Orphan Party (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Heart Beat (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Mix-Up (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Skyrocket (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Hunting Party (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Nose Dive (1926) - Tige
- Buster's Nightmare (1925) - Tige
- Buster's Bust-Up (1925) - Tige
- Oh! Buster! (1925) - Tige
- Buster Be Good (1925) - Tige
- Educating Buster (1925) - Tige
- Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925)
- Yes, Yes, Nanette (1925)
- Somewhere in Wrong (1925)
Self:
- Dogs Is Dogs (1931) (uncredited) - Himself
- Western Vengeance (1924) - Himself
Archive Footage:
- It's Showtime (1976) (uncredited) - Himself
- The Little Rascals (1955) - Pete (1929-1930)
[edit] References
- ^ Commentary by Leonard Maltin, Richard Correll, and Richard W. Bann, from the The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Giftset, Volume 2 - disc one
- ^ Pete the Pup
