Terry (November 17, 1933 – September 1, 1945) was a female
Cairn Terrier
The Cairn Terrier is a terrier breed originating in the Scottish Highlands and recognized as one of Scotland's earliest working dogs. The breed was given the name Cairn because the breed's function was to hunt and chase quarry between the cai ...
performer who appeared in many different movies, most famously as
Toto in the film ''
The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). It was her only credited role, though she was credited not as Terry but as Toto. She was owned and trained by
Carl Spitz and Gabrielle Quinn.
Life and career
![Virginia Weidler and Toto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Virginia_Weidler_and_Toto.jpg)
Terry, born in the midst of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, was trained and owned by Carl Spitz. She was the mother of Rommy, another movie Cairn terrier, who appeared in other films including ''
Reap the Wild Wind
''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Prest ...
'' (1942) and ''
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
'' (1943). Her first film appearance was in ''
Ready for Love'' (1934) which was released on November 30, 1934, roughly one month before her first major film appearance, with
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
, in ''
Bright Eyes'' (1934) as Rags.
She did her own stunts, and was seriously injured during the filming of
''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939), when one of the
Winkie guards accidentally stepped on her foot, breaking it. Terry spent two weeks recuperating at
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
's residence, and Garland developed a close attachment to her. Garland offered to buy Terry from Spitz, but he refused to sell her. Terry's $125 per week salary (), was more than that of many human actors in the film, and also more than the average working American at the time.
She attended the premiere of ''The Wizard of Oz'' at
Grauman's Chinese Theater
Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
The original Chinese T ...
; because of the popularity of the film, her name was formally changed to Toto in 1942.
She had 23 total film appearances, three of which were playing in theaters at the same time in the fall of 1939: ''The Wizard of Oz'', ''
The Women'', and ''
Bad Little Angel
''Bad Little Angel'' is a 1939 inspirational drama film starring Virginia Weidler as an orphan named Patsy Sanderson, living in America around 1900. The film was based on the story "Looking After Sandy" by Margaret Turnbull.
Plot
Treated with c ...
''. Among the last ones was ''
Tortilla Flat
''Tortilla Flat'' (1935) is an early John Steinbeck novel set in Monterey, California. The novel was the author's first clear critical and commercial success.
The book portrays a group of 'paisanos'—literally, countrymen—a small band of err ...
'' (1942), in which she was reunited with ''Oz'' director
Victor Fleming
Victor Lonzo Fleming (February 23, 1889 – January 6, 1949) was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best ...
and
Frank Morgan
Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous soun ...
, who played
Professor Marvel and the
Wizard. Terry's final film role was in ''
Easy to Look At
''Easy to Look At'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Ford Beebe and written by Henry Blankfort. The film stars Gloria Jean, Kirby Grant, J. Edward Bromberg, Eric Blore, George Dolenz, and Mildred Law. The film was released on August 10, ...
'', released three weeks before her death. Her penultimate film, ''
Adventures of Rusty
''Adventures of Rusty'' is a 1945 drama film, the first in the "Rusty" series of children's films. The series of eight films were made in the 1940s by Columbia Pictures with stories centered on Rusty, a German shepherd dog. The film is notable f ...
'', was released posthumously just five days after her death. She was uncredited in both films.
Death
![Toto - HF](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Toto_-_HF.jpg)
Terry died at age 11 in Hollywood on September 1, 1945, and was buried at Spitz's ranch in
Studio City, Los Angeles
Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...
. The grave was destroyed during the construction of the
Ventura Freeway
The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California, United States, running from the Santa Barbara/Ventura county line to Pasadena in Los Angeles County. It is the principal east-west route (designated north-south) through Ventura County a ...
in 1958.
On June 18, 2011, a permanent memorial for Terry was dedicated at the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles ...
in Los Angeles.
[
]
Filmography
* '' Ready for Love'' (1934) as Dog (uncredited)
* '' Bright Eyes'' (1934) as Rags, Loop's Dog (uncredited)
* '' The Dark Angel'' (1935) as Dog (uncredited)
* '' Fury'' (1936) as Rainbow, Joe's Dog (uncredited)
* '' The Buccaneer'' (1938) as Landlubber (uncredited)
* '' Barefoot Boy'' (1938) as Herself
* ''Stablemates
''Stablemates'' is a 1938 American sports drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Wallace Beery and Mickey Rooney.
Plot
Aspiring jockey Mickey idolizes hard-drinking former veterinarian Tom Terry, who shares advice about horses with Mickey ...
'' (1938) as Pet Dog (uncredited)
* '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) as Toto
* '' The Women'' (1939) as Fighting Dog at Beauty Shop (uncredited)
* ''Bad Little Angel
''Bad Little Angel'' is a 1939 inspirational drama film starring Virginia Weidler as an orphan named Patsy Sanderson, living in America around 1900. The film was based on the story "Looking After Sandy" by Margaret Turnbull.
Plot
Treated with c ...
'' (1939) as Rex, the Dog (uncredited)
* ''Calling Philo Vance
''Calling Philo Vance'' is a 1940 American mystery/comedy film released by Warner Bros. and starring James Stephenson as the dilettante detective Philo Vance, his only appearance as the character; Margot Stevenson co-stars. The film also featur ...
'' (1940) as McTavish (uncredited)
* ''The Ghost Comes Home
''The Ghost Comes Home'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and written by Richard Maibaum and Harry Ruskin. The film stars Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Ann Rutherford, John Shelton, Reginald Owen and Donald Meek. The fil ...
'' (1940) as Dog in Pet Shop (uncredited)
* '' Son of the Navy'' (1940) as Toto (uncredited)
* ''Cinderella's Feller'' (1940, Short) as Rex the Dog (uncredited)
* '' The Old Swimmin Hole'' (1940) as Toto (uncredited)
* ''The Chocolate Soldier
''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat'' he courageous soldier
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
or ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, ''Arms and the Man' ...
'' (1941) as Dog (uncredited)
* '' Rings on Her Fingers'' (1942) as Dog (uncredited)
* '' Twin Beds'' (1942) as Dog (uncredited)
* ''Tortilla Flat
''Tortilla Flat'' (1935) is an early John Steinbeck novel set in Monterey, California. The novel was the author's first clear critical and commercial success.
The book portrays a group of 'paisanos'—literally, countrymen—a small band of err ...
'' (1942) as Little Paelito (uncredited)
* ''George Washington Slept Here
''George Washington Slept Here'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett F ...
'' (1942) as Dog (uncredited)
* ''The Heavenly Body
''The Heavenly Body'' is a 1944 American romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring William Powell and Hedy Lamarr. Based on a story by Jacques Théry, with a screenplay by Michael Arlen and Walter Reisch, the film is about the ...
'' (1944) as Dog in Groomer's Tub (uncredited)
* ''Adventures of Rusty
''Adventures of Rusty'' is a 1945 drama film, the first in the "Rusty" series of children's films. The series of eight films were made in the 1940s by Columbia Pictures with stories centered on Rusty, a German shepherd dog. The film is notable f ...
'' (1945) as Skipper (uncredited)
* ''Easy to Look At
''Easy to Look At'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Ford Beebe and written by Henry Blankfort. The film stars Gloria Jean, Kirby Grant, J. Edward Bromberg, Eric Blore, George Dolenz, and Mildred Law. The film was released on August 10, ...
'' (1945) as Toto (uncredited) (final film role)
See also
* List of individual dogs
This is a list of individual famous actual dogs; for famous dogs from fiction, see List of fictional dogs.
Actors
Advertising
* Axelrod, Basset Hound, appeared in commercials and print ads for Flying "A" Service Station advertisements in ...
References
External links
*
Toto aka Terry at Animal Discovery
Toto memorial
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terry
1933 animal births
1945 animal deaths
Dog actors