Australians love their dogs, so it’s no surprise that our TV and film screens are full of our four-legged friends. Cattle dogs, lap dogs, co-hosts, co-stars, beloved family members: these pets have paddy-pawed their way into our hearts.
We’ve fetched a pack of celebrity pooches to lighten your day with their good-boy energy.
A tribute to a best friend
Woodrow the Bloodhound delighted kids for years as the co-host and mascot of the children’s TV show Simon Townsend's Wonder World! On 10 April 1986, Simon’s beloved pet passed away.
Woodrow was so popular that his death was front-page news in some of Australia's most prominent newspapers. Townsend and the Wonder World! team were overwhelmed by the outpouring of sympathy from across the country.
On 28 April 1986, Townsend dedicated an episode to Woodrow and re-ran stories featuring the famous hound by reporters Jono Coleman, Angela Catterns and Alita Fahey. This excerpt includes the opening and closing of that episode, in which Townsend pays a tender tribute to Woodrow.
Townsend often expressed interest in tackling more serious topics on the show, but didn't always receive support from the network. Woodrow's death afforded him an opportunity to relate to children in the audience who had struggled with the loss of a family pet. He shares his feelings direct to camera, creating a genuine sense of intimacy. The solemnity of his address and the file footage of Woodrow make for a moving and meaningful tribute.
Excerpt from Simon Townsend's Wonder World!, Ep. 334/1, 1986. Broadcast by Network Ten. NFSA title: 1558400.
Doggy 'I do'
We can only wonder what prompted the Neighbours writers to take the sharp left turn known to fans as ‘Bouncer’s Dream’. A slow day? A bet? A covert pilot for a Bouncer spin-off? Whatever the reason, we’re glad they did, as this 1990 episode of the longest-running soap in Australian history has since entered soapie folklore.
In the scene, Bouncer is sitting around with his family – Joe (Mark Little), Kerry (Linda Hartley-Clark) and Toby (Ben Guerens) – as they watch a video of Joe and Kerry’s wedding. Bouncer falls asleep and dreams that he’s marrying his next-door crush, Rosie the border collie. Tinkling music and bright, oversized daisies transport us to the world of children’s TV as puppies appear to make the newlyweds’ bliss complete.
It’s equal parts ridiculous and sweet, and perhaps a nod to the fact that Bouncer was more famous than his human colleagues – he was paid more than many of them, and got more fan mail.
Neighbours’ much-loved blend of suburban tedium and histrionic drama was leavened by oddball moments like ‘Bouncer’s Dream’, which shine the brightest in fans’ memories.
Explore more Neighbours: first episode, a writer's perspective, unofficial video game
Bouncer's dream. Neighbours: Episode 1254, broadcast 26 July 1990. Courtesy: Fremantle. NFSA title: 1673899.
Best mates in tough places
A lonely kid, a puppy lost in a storm ... it’s a heart-warmer waiting to happen. Kriv Stenders’ Red Dog: True Blue (2016), a prequel to his 2011 film Red Dog, shows the origin story of a kelpie who travels around the Pilbara. Red Dog was based, with some licence, on a true story; Red Dog: True Blue is an imaginative work.
In this clip, the homestead where Mick (Levi Miller) lives with his forbidding grandfather (Bryan Brown) has been hit by a cyclone. Mick finds a puppy left high and dry by the storm and forms an instant ‘best mates’ bond with him.
Like Crocodile Dundee before it, Red Dog: True Blue makes lavish use of northern Australian landscapes and the laconic toughness of the men who live in them – epitomised by Brown at his craggiest. However, from this moment on, the city kid Mick and his dog pal Blue start breaking down Granddad's walls. The puppy (uncredited) is replaced in later scenes by an ingenious adult kelpie (Phoenix), a worthy successor to Koko, the star of Red Dog.
Excerpt from Red Dog: True Blue, 2016. Directed by Kriv Stenders. NFSA title: 1492540.
Every pirate needs a pal
Countless screen pooches have pawed their way into our hearts, but for many Australians there is only one top dog: Wags, best friend of a pirate, botherer of octopuses, and beloved background dancer. In 1995, the Wiggles introduced him with his very own song, ‘Wags the Dog’.
In this clip from Anthony’s Friend, the first episode of the TV show The Wiggles, we’re greeted by Wags performing a magic show, complete with wacky sound effects and a vibrantly playful set. His limelight is stolen by the entrance of Captain Feathersword (Paul Paddick) on a unicycle, and Wags has to abandon the stage in favour of helping out his very (silly) best friend.
It’s a great introduction to the playful relationship between the two, and demonstrates the Wiggles’ savvy ability to tap into a reversal of norms, something that delights children. Captain Feathersword tries to teach Wags some new tricks – but ends up demonstrating them all while the dog lounges in a deckchair. Watching a grown man crawl around a set dressed as a pirate with a stick in his mouth must have been a delight for the film crew as well as the kids.
Who was inside the suit? Wags has been played by multiple people over the years, most notably Anthony Field (the Blue Wiggle and the original Captain Feathersword) and Paul Field, each of them breathing charming life into the man-sized canine.
Explore more Wiggles: Kylie the pink Wiggle, Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car, Wiggles Christmas song
Excerpt from The Wiggles: Episode 1, 1997. NFSA title: 777979.
Lassie spoils your dog
This long-running television ad campaign by George Patterson Advertising for Lassie dog food features Sam – a golden Labrador retriever, regularly portrayed as the ideal family pet.
In this ad, Sam's family is seated around the dinner table, enjoying a hearty meal of roast chicken and vegetables while the dog looks on longingly. The ad uses a voice-over and thought bubble to tell us that Sam could be enjoying the same dinner as the rest of the family if only they had bought him Lassie's new chicken and vegetable variety.
It's a touching performance from Sam that plays on the affection we feel for our pets. Sam is very much a part of the family, so doesn't he deserve to eat the same food? The argument may have worked for a while, but Lassie couldn't topple the dominance of Pal in the Australian dog-food market, and the brand disappeared by the late 1970s.
Explore more: a Lassie dog food commerical with Barry Crocker
Lassie dog food advertisement: 'Dinner time again, Sam', 1970. Produced by George Patterson Advertising. NFSA title: 276109.
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Main image: Young Mick (Levi Miller) realises Blue is actually red after washing him. A pivotal moment in the life of Red Dog, from the prequel Red Dog: True Blue (2016). Directed by Kriv Stenders. NFSA title: 1492540
From pampered pooches on parade to clever canines performing tricks, these furry friends know how to entertain.
Luxuriate in the Hollywood Golden-Era stylings and epic storylines of these cinematic food commercials from another era (and one super-groovy TV ad that just begged to be included).
Cute and cuddly, furry or feathered, slippery or scaly; our collection of Australian native animals - both real and imagined - will charm and delight you.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.
