Skippy achieved fame after playing Asta in the hit film The Thin Man. Due to the popularity of the role, he was often referred to as Asta - was even credited in other films as Asta.
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| Asta |
Skippy, a wire-haired fox terrier, was born into show biz. He was born in 1931 and his owner was Hollywood's legendary animal trainer Henry East. Training began early in the dog's life, and at the age of six months he made his first appearance in a Three Stooges picture. It wasn't until 1934 that Skippy became a huge hit playing the spunky dog Asta in The Thin Man. The film was such a success, four sequels followed. Skippy was in the first three films. The last two films credited the other dogs as Asta, and the last film starred his son Asta II.
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| The Thin Man stars: William Powell, Skippy and Myrna Loy |
Skippy was a really smart dog, and was great at following both verbal commands and hand cues. For the film Bringing Up Baby, he had to learn how to leer. To teach him, East would sit Skippy in front of a mirror, curl the dog's lips with his fingers and say the word leer each time he curled his lips. In no time, Skippy could leer on command.
According to East's wife, "When Skippy has to drink water in a scene, the first time he does it he really drinks. If there are retakes and he's had all the water he can drink, he'll go through the scene just as enthusiastically as though his throat were parched, but he'll fake it. If you watch closely you'll see he's just going through the motions of lapping and isn't really picking up water at all. And, because he has a sense of humor, he loves it when you laugh and tell him you've caught him faking but that it's all right with you."
When other dog actors were making $3.50 a day, Skippy was making $250 a week. He had his own dressing room, was fed a vegetarian diet, and was given 12 hours a night to get a good sleep.
Skippy starred in several films throughout his career. It is unsure when he retired, but some film historians believe he appeared in the last Thin Man film with his son in 1947. It is also unsure when he passed away. The East's never released this information.
Very cute scenes of Asta in The Thin Man.