Giving an Animal Its Due: Animal Actors
Searching for Respect in TV Show Reference
Resources
by Jerome A. Holst
Every year
hundreds of television shows are produced in
Hollywood, but within the publishing industry
that documents the activities of the
entertainment industry, there seems to be a conspiracy
afoot to keep TV animal actors from getting
their just rewards. Consistently, the
writers and researchers who document TV
programming neglect
to credit TV animals with acting roles in the many
research databases and books that provide acting
credits to TV performers. From such high profile animals like Mr. Ed or
Lassie, to the average work-a-day dogs,
cats, and other critters that appeared on various
TV shows over the years, the existence of their
contributions are being minimalized.
Now why should these TV animal stars be denied the
privilege of having their names recorded for
posterity? If you prick their paws do they not
bleed? (I'm only referencing Shakespeare to make
a point so don't report me to the SPCA). And
while some animal actors may appear in opening credits
of such shows as the family
drama Life Goes On (Arnold the
Semi-wonder carries his food bowl in hopes of
getting fed) or on the
sitcom Married with Children (Buck the dog
gets in line for money from his master Al
Bundy), the labors of these TV animals are soon forgotten once these shows get recorded
by TV researchers.
To illustrate my claim, I randomly chose ten
(10) TV programs that featured animal actors.
Then I tried to find out whether
these animals appeared in the actor's credits
lists in standard TV reference resources
including books and websites. The results across
the board proved that TV Program researchers and
compilers of actor screen credits routinely
neglect to give TV animal actors credit for
their contributions.
Internet resources such as
The Internet
Movie Data Base,
TV Tome,
Epguides
and TV
Chronicles all came up negative. Only TV
Chronicles was the best of the four but then
again they only documented one out of ten in the
survey. They credited the role of Flipper to a
dolphin named Susie. For the chart below: 0 = no credit for
the role X= given credit for the role.
Next, I thumbed through the most
relevant TV books that document TV
programs and actors who played on the
above shows.
The books used included The Complete
Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV
Shows by Brooks and Marsh; Total
Television by Alex McNeil; Television
Character and Story Facts by Vincent
Terrace;.and Harry and Wally's Favorite TV
Shows by Harry Castleman and Walter Podrazik.
In every case, there were ten out of ten times
that no TV animal actor credits could be found.
All the books surveyed included a
summary of each show and a list of characters.
Now, the name of the TV character animal may
have been mentioned in the summary but rarely did I find an entry with the
real name of any animals who may have played a
role on such programs. Ironically on the sitcom Frasier,
the show's credits list "Dan Butler as Bob
'Bulldog' Brisco" but nowhere listed
is the name of the
real dog (Moose) who plays the role of Eddie,
Martin Crane's pet dog.
Why this is happening is anyone's guess. Maybe
there is a logical reason. Maybe, the animals
don't have a Screen Actor Guild (SAG) card and
so can't legally be listed in the credits as an
actor?
Or maybe TV researchers and writers are simply
showing their distain for another species by
saying that they are not worthy of such praises.
After all they're just animals. Well, I say that
is just plain unfair. If TV animal actors are
good enough to act on cue, to make us laugh and
to earn a paycheck for their trainers and
owners, then they should, at the very minimum, be
given the acknowledgement of an acting credit in
reference books and databases.
After all, if a TV
reference book can include a human actor's
credit like "Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier
Crane" (on Frasier) then why can't
the same writers and compilers of these TV books and
databases place a simple entry like "Moose the
dog as Eddie the dog" (on Frasier) so that
future readers and researcher of these books can
easily find the real name of such animals.
So how do we change the attitudes of the writers
and compilers of reference books on TV programs
and electronic databases to include the real
names of TV animals actors. Well, I could
suggest we carry
signs out in front of studio lots and cry foul
in support of these animals. But, since I live
on the East Coast and I can't afford the air
fare, I'll recommend a more reasonable approach.
Contact animal rights organizations and let them
know your opinion on the topic. Let them know
that you believe that TV animal actors have the
same right as their human counterparts to get
credit where credit is due.
So start by sending
your concerns to the following organizations
listed below and see if we can't get a grass
roots movement going to support our animal
friends on television. Are you with me? Ruff!
Meow! Moo! Oink! Now that's the spirit.
PETA:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Screen
Actor's Guild
Animal Concerns Organization
ScrewedCentral
American
Kennel Club
Hollywoodpaws
