FAQ

Hills of Home is based on a screenplay by American screenwriter William Ludwig. It is the fourth movie in a series of seven MGM movies stemming from the Lassie character in the 1940 novel Lassie Come Home by English-born author Eric Knight [1897-1943]. Preceded by Lassie Come Home (1943) (1943), Son of Lassie (1945) (1945), and Courage of Lassie (1946) (1946), it was followed by The Sun Comes Up (1949) (1949), Challenge to Lassie (1949) (1949), and The Painted Hills (1951) (1951), eventually leading to a long-running television series, Lassie (1954) (1954-1974). The storyline for Hills of Home was suggested by a five-volume 1895 novel, A Doctor of the Old School, by English author Ian Maclaren [1850-1907].

No. In Hills of Home, Lass(ie) is a dog afraid of water. She is sold to Dr MacLune (Edmund Gwenn), who discovers that her fear of water is a hindrance to his ability to cross rivers when he is called to attend to a sick patient.

Dr MacLure is called out one cold, wintry night to see a sick patient. On his way back, he finds that the bridge over the River Tochty has partially collapsed but, by taking Lass on his horse, the three of them make it safely across. As they ride through the woods back to the glen, Dr MacLure becomes drowsy and hits his head on a branch, knocking him to the ground. Lass runs back to the Miltons for help, and Mr Milton (Rhys Williams) and Drumsheugh (Donald Crisp) go looking for MacLure. By the time they get to the bridge, however, they find it totally washed out. Lass jumps in the swirling waters, braving a maelstrom to get to the other side. Milton and Drumsheugh follow her, find the doctor, and bring him back home. Dr MacLure takes to his bed but soon recognizes that he is dying. He sends for Drumsheugh, who attends to him in his death. MacLure dies with his hand on Lass's head. The entire glen, including Lord Kilspindie (Lumsden Hare), turn up for his funeral. To the mournful tune of three bagpipes, his casket is carried to the graveyard, where he is buried with Lass standing at his graveside. In the final scene, Tammas Milton (Tom Drake), newly graduated from medical school, returns to the glen. The first thing he does, after kissing Margit (Janet Leigh) and petting Lass, is to pay a visit to Dr MacLure's grave and read the inscription aloud: "Come ye blessed of My father, for I was sick and ye visited Me."

This is an old Victorian superstition that says any mirrors in a room where someone has recently died must be covered so that the dead person's soul does not get trapped behind the glass.