Who is Skippy the Dog? TCM Celebrates the Pup for National Pet Day
If you have ever watched a 1930s film featuring an adorable dog, chances are you have come across Skippy. Skippy the dog, a wire fox terrier, is best known for his role as the dog Asta in the 1934 film The Thin Man. He went on to appear in dozens of movies during the ’30s and is said to be one of the most intelligent animals that ever worked in film. Skippy, born sometime in 1931 or 1932 was trained by his owners Henry East and Gale Henry East, starting around three months old.
He was featured in a handful of uncredited roles as he worked on his training and made his big debut in The Thin Man, also starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Becoming a star overnight, and eventually earning around $250 per week, Skippy went on to appear in other films including 1938’s Bringing Up Baby with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, Keep Smiling, The Awful Truth and Another Thin Man.
Everett Collection
In 1938, Skippy was featured in The American Magazine in a profile titled “A Dog’s Life in Hollywood.” It read, in part, according to Wikipedia, “He leads a glamorous life—a dog’s life de luxe. He is rated as one of the smartest dogs in the world, and when contracts are signed for his appearance in a picture he gets $200 a week for putting his paw-print on the dotted line. His trainer gets a mere $60.”
TV Guide/Everett Collection
During this time, there was an increase in interest for pet terriers. To continue Skippy’s legacy, TCM is celebrating National Pet Day on April 11, 2025 by showing several of Skippy’s biggest films.
Turner Classic Movies Pet Day Marathon on TCM, beginning at 6am on April 11, 2025
Nearly a decade of Skippy’s roughly 20-year life (he lived circa 1931-51) was spent as an actor in films like these that are airing today on TCM: The Kennel Murder Case (1933), The Half Naked Truth (1932), Fog Over Frisco (1934), The Firebird (1934), I’m Still Alive (1940), Call It a Day (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Thin Man (1934) and more. See the full schedule below.
9am – Fog Over Frisco (1934)
10:15am – The Firebird (1934)
11:30am – I’m Still Alive (1940)
12:45pm – Call It a Day (1937)
2:30pm – Bringing Up Baby (1938)
4:15pm – The Awful Truth (1937)
6pm – The Thin Man (1934)
7:45pm – Famous Movie Dogs (1940)
Remind 
Kid Stuff
June 2018
Unleash your inner child by reliving your favorite kids TV shows, cartoons, toys and more!
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