# What's your favorite performance by an animal in a motion picture or television show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862 "2004-02-06T16:48:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/21 "2004-02-07T08:24:34Z")
Buck from Married with Children Jake from The Cat From Outer Space Fred from Baretta ---
**Author:** ![Ex\_Machina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/22 "2004-02-07T08:38:05Z")
I liked the monkey that starred with Richard Gere in _Pretty Woman_. It almost looked human in that dress. It was so cute when it saw the horses and started screaming “Woop! Woop! Woop!” The large bared teeth were kind of scary when it “laughed” though. ---
**Author:** ![3Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/4af34b/32.png) [@3Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3Much)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/23 "2004-02-07T11:13:41Z")
The bird in Johnathon Livingston Seagull. Truly amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/24 "2004-02-07T12:20:45Z")
[Toto too!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/). I’ve also always enjoyed Moose, the dog who plays Eddie on “Fraier” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/25 "2004-02-07T14:29:29Z")
Eddie in _Fraser_. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/26 "2004-02-07T14:49:24Z")
I loved “Wolf” in _The Journey of Natty Gann_. I think he also was in _White Fang_. Wolf was played by Jed, a Malamute-Wolf hybrid. As a mastiff mom, I must also mention The Beast in the movie _The Sandlot._ There was some puppetry involved, but the live action Beast sequences were filmed with Gunner, a large mastiff who displayed much grace, given his size. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/27 "2004-02-07T15:36:10Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Eddie in _Fraser_. Hey! Good one! ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/28 "2004-02-07T17:14:56Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Eddie in _Fraser_. I prefered him when he played Milo in “The Mask”. He really stole that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/29 "2004-02-07T19:52:57Z")
Frank in _Men in Black I & II_. I would never own a pug, but that dog performed some great tricks. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/30 "2004-02-07T20:22:28Z")
The Huskie in **The Thing** The scene where it walks down a corridor looking in each room is chilling. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/31 "2004-02-07T21:19:49Z")
Trigger – yes, Roy Rogers’ Trigger – in SON OF PALEFACE. Tricks aside, the scene where he’s in bed with Bob Hope is funny as hell. As a footnote, the same horse played Maid Marion (Olivia DeHaviland)'s horse in the Errol Flynn ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. I also think the cattle in RED RIVER do a fantastic job of winding their way across the plains. Every shot of the cattle moving along is fantastic. And all the animals in HATARI, not just the baby elephants. The rhino does a great acting job too – all that angst. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/32 "2004-02-07T22:20:29Z")
I vote for Diefenbaker, Constable Benton Frasier’s pet white wolf on the tv show “Due South.” The joke was that Dief had a very clever mind of his own and he’d frequently ignore Frasier, which caused Frasier to think the animal was deaf. My runner up vote woud be Mr. Ed, of course. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/33 "2004-02-08T01:17:15Z")
**Blood** in [A Boy and His Dog](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072730/), based on the Harlan Ellison short story of the same name. Irritatingly, the dog’s name does not appear to be creditted on the IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/34 "2004-02-08T02:42:42Z")
Another vote for Buck Bundy. He was a street rescue by trainer Steven Ritt, and turned out to be a pedigreed French briard, not show quality but quite expensive if he hadn’t been abandoned. He knew about twenty-five commands and was retired (with a graceful send-off episode) about a year before he died only because he was getting too old to hear and see Steven properly and climb the stairs. But he just FIT the show, with his shaggy hangdog (sorry) demeanor. In the first season he wasn’t groomed properly to make him look even worse, but he got better and better and just suited the Bundys so much he ended up with several of his own episodes. RIP, Mike. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/35 "2004-02-08T04:49:54Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > I vote for Diefenbaker, Constable Benton Frasier’s pet white wolf on the tv show “Due South.” The joke was that Dief had a very clever mind of his own and he’d frequently ignore Frasier, which caused Frasier to think the animal was deaf. I was gonna vote for Diefenbaker! (Who was played by a wolf called Draco, btw. You have my permission to worry about my sanity.) I always thought Dief _was_ deaf - but he reads lips. He’s one smart wolf, either way. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/36 "2004-02-08T15:16:50Z")
I though Diefenbaker was a Siberian Husky? I used to be on a Sibe mailing list who said she wa his breeder (of course, can’t believe everything people say I suppose!) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/37 "2004-02-08T17:02:42Z")
> [@pugluvr](#): > > Casting a vote for the fox terrier who played “Asta” in _The Thin Man_ movies, although they may have used more than one Asta due to the length of the series. That was one smart and cute little terrier. Asta (real name: Skippy – like many Hollywood Stars, he changed it), was a major supporting actor in Hollywood, with roles in several films outside “The Thin Man,” including “Bringing Up Baby.” But I’ll give my vote to Baby from that film. He gets to show some impressive range. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/38 "2004-02-08T17:51:03Z")
Another Eddie in Frasier ---
**Author:** ![gaba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gaba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaba)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/39 "2004-02-08T19:38:50Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > I always thought that the dog who played Verdell in _As Good as It Gets_, should have won some sort of an acting award. He actually looked like he was acting with Jack Nicholson. Oh absolutely, that’ my vote also! The dog was unbelievable. Of course, great props to those who filmed him in a way he acted as well as Nicholson. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862/40 "2004-02-08T19:50:07Z")
I’ve always been partial to the dog that played Hooch, in _Turner and Hooch_. He must have had some control, to get Tom Hank’s neck in his jaws like that, and not bite down. \*But I GAVE him the muffin! Lord, boy, he loves ya, didn’t even break the skin"\* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-performance-by-an-animal-in-a-motion-picture-or-television-show/227862.md?page=3)