By Barbara Card Atkinson
Special to MSN TV

Lassie, "Lassie"

The first "Lassie" TV series ran for a whopping 19 seasons. The iconic Collie was actually portrayed by six different males; males shed less and tend to be larger, letting child actors look small next to them for longer. Virtually every "Lassie" actor is a descendant of Pal, the original star of six "Lassie" movies, and each one has had the same distinctive markings.  Variety named Lassie as one of the 100 Icons of All Time -- "she" was the only animal who made the list.

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(MGM)