The PATSY Award was originated by the Hollywood office of the American Humane Association in 1939. They decided to honor animal performers after a horse was killed in an on-set accident during the filming of the

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

film ''

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained s ...

''. The letters are an acronym, and stand for Picture Animal Top Star of the Year. A later acronym was also included: Performing Animal Television Star of the Year. The very first recipient of a PATSY was Francis the Talking Mule in 1951, in a ceremony hosted by Ronald Reagan at Hollywood's Carthay Circle Theater. The award later covered both film and television and was separated into four categories: canine, equine, wild and special. The special category encompassed everything from goats to cats to pigs – Arnold Ziffel of TV's ''

Green Acres ''Green Acres'' is an American television sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to '' Petticoat Junction'', the series was first broad ...

'' was a two-time winner. Arnold's trainer, Frank Inn, was the proud owner of over 40 PATSY awards, thanks to his work with Orangey, the cat from ''

Rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of '' Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The whole plant – a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick r ...

'' (1951) and '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (1961); Higgins, the dog (who played the lead in the ''

Benji Benji is a fictional character created by Joe Camp. He has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the ''Benji'' franchise. Benji is a small, lovable mixed-breed dog with an un ...

'' movies and "Dog" on ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and B ...

''); Cleo the Basset Hound; and

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another ...

, and Tramp the dog from ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chroni ...

'' to name a few. Lassie was retired to the PATSY Hall of Fame after receiving many awards over the years. The Craven Award was named in honor of Richard C. Craven, the first director of the Hollywood AHA. It recognized animals that would normally have had no opportunity to appear in a starring role. The TV and Movie Animal Walk of Fame was established in front of the Burbank Animal Shelter, honoring certain early recipients of the PATSY Awards. By the 1970s, the awards were being presented in a televised ceremony, with animal recipients selected by the general public who voted in ballots which appeared in Associated Press newspapers. The first network presentation was on CBS in 1973. Over the years the PATSY Award ceremony was hosted by various celebrities, including

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indus ...

, Allen Ludden, and

Bob Barker Robert William Barker (born December 12, 1923) is an American retired television game show host. He is known for hosting CBS's ''The Price Is Right'' from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American telev ...

. Barker has stated he eventually resigned in protest of the cruel methods some trainers use when training animals for films.The Price is Right: About the Show: Bob Barker
. Accessed 16 November 2007. The awards ended in 1986 due to lack of funding. That year the

Genesis Awards The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSUS ...

were established to honor individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. In 2011 the American Humane Society announced the creation of the Pawscars, described as, "an unofficial, animal-centric spin on the Oscars." The American Humane Association is the organization responsible for the disclaimer at the end of many films and television programs that "No Animals Were Harmed" in the production.

PATSY Award Winners (partial listing)

Source, 1951–1973: Additional , December 15, 2015.

1951

Motion Pictures # Francis the Talking Mule (''

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) Places *Rural ...

'') # California the horse (''The Palamino'') # Pierre the chimp ('' My Friend Irma Goes West'') Award of Excellence * Flame the dog (''My Pal'') * Lassie the dog ('' Challenge to Lassie'') * Black Diamond the horse (''Black Midnight'') * Jackie the Lion ( ''Samson and Delilah'') Craven Award * Jerry Brown the horse – trained by Ace Hudkins

1952

Motion Pictures # Rhubarb the cat (''

'') # Francis the mule ('' Francis Goes to the Races'') Award of Excellence * Chinook the dog (''Yukon Manhunt'') * Diamond the horse (''

Flame of Araby ''Flame of Araby'' (a.k.a. ''Flame of the Desert'') is a 1951 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Charles Lamont starring Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler. British film star Maxwell Reed made his American film debut in the picture. ...

'') * Corky the dog ('' Behave Yourself'') Craven Award * Smoky the horse – owned/trained by Fat Jones

1953

Motion Pictures # Jackie the lion (''Fearless Fagen'') # Bonzo the Chimp ('' Bonzo Goes to College'') # Trigger the horse ('' Son of Paleface'') Award of Excellence * Francis the mule ('' Francis Goes to West Point'') * Tramp Jr. the dog ( ''Room for One More'') *

Cheeta Cheeta (sometimes billed as Cheetah, Cheta, and Chita) is a chimpanzee character that appeared in numerous Hollywood Tarzan films of the 1930s–1960s, as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Tar ...

the chimp ('' Tarzan's Savage Fury'') * Chinook the dog (''Yukon Gold'') Craven Award * Bracket the horse – owned by Hudkins Stables

1954

Motion Pictures # Sam the dog ('' Hondo'') # Francis the mule ('' Francis Covers the Big Town'') # Jackie the lion ( ''Androcles and the Lion'') Award of Excellence * Baron the dog ('' Back to God's Country'') * Peggy the chimp (''Valley of the Headhunters'') * Jackie the lion (''White Witch Doctor'') Craven Award * Cocaine the horse – owned/trained by Chuck Roberson

1955

Motion Pictures # Beauty the horse (''Gypsy Colt'') # Francis the mule ('' Francis Joins the WACS'') # Esmerelda the seal (''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-Ju ...

'') Award of Excellence * Shep the dog (''A Bullet is Waiting'') * Satin the tiger (''

Demetrius and the Gladiators ''Demetrius and the Gladiators'' is a 1954 American biblical drama film and a sequel to ''The Robe''. The picture was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was written by Philip Dunne b ...

'') * Beauty the horse (''Outlaw Stallion'') Craven Award * Flash the horse – owned/trained by Henry Willis

1956

Motion Pictures # Wildfire the dog ('' It's a Dog's Life'') # Francis the mule ('' Francis in the Navy'') # Faro the dog ('' The Kentuckian'') Award of Excellence *N/A Craven Award * Flame the dog – owned/trained by Frank Barnes

1957

Motion Pictures # Samantha the goose ('' Friendly Persuasion'') # Beauty the Horse ( ''Giant'') # Francis the mule ('' Francis in the Haunted House'') Award of Excellence * Silver the horse (''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'') * Lady the dog ('' Goodbye, My Lady'') * Bascom the dog (''

Hollywood or Bust ''Hollywood or Bust'' is a 1956 American semi-musical comedy film starring the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was filmed from April 16 to June 19, 1956, and released on December 6, 1956, by Paramount Pictures, almost five mont ...

'') Craven Award *King Cotton the horse – owned/trained by Ralph McCutcheon

1958

(Starting in 1958 PATSY awards were also awarded to television animals) Motion Pictures # Spike the dog ('' Old Yeller'') # Beauty the horse ('' Wild Is the Wind'') # Kelly the dog (''Kelly and Me'') Television # Lassie the dog (''

'') # Cleo the dog ('' The People's Choice'') #

Rin Tin Tin Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin (September 1918 – August 10, 1932) was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, L ...

the dog (''

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin ''The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin'' is an American children's television series in the Western genre that aired from October 1954 to May 1959 on the ABC television network. In all, 164 episodes aired. The show starred Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy o ...

'') Award of Excellence * Tony the horse ('' Hoofs and Goofs'' / Movies) * Flicka the horse ( ''My Friend Flicka'' / TV) Craven Award * Trigger the horse – owned by

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

/ trained by

Glenn Randall Glenn Randall (born 3 September 1986) is an American male cross-country skier Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms ...

1959

Motion Pictures # Pyewacket the cat ('' Bell, Book and Candle'') # Tonka the horse ( ''Tonka'') # Henry the rabbit ('' The Geisha Boy'') Television # Lassie the dog (''

'') # Asta the dog (''

The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of ''Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main ch ...

'') # Rin Tin Tin the dog (''

'') Award of Excellence * King the dog ('' The Proud Rebel'' / Movies) * Jasper the dog ('' Bachelor Father'' / TV) Craven Award * Baldy the horse – owned by Fat Jones Stables / trained by William "Buster" Trow

1960

Motion Pictures # Shaggy the dog ('' The Shaggy Dog'') # Herman the pigeon (''

The Gazebo ''The Gazebo'' is a 1959 American black comedy CinemaScope film about a married couple who are being blackmailed. It was based on the 1958 play of the same name by Alec Coppel and directed by George Marshall. Helen Rose was nominated for the Aca ...

'') # North Wind the horse (''The Sad Horse'') Television # Asta the dog ( ''The Thin Man'') # Lassie the dog ( ''Lassie'') # Fury the horse ('' Fury''); Jasper the dog ('' Bachelor Father'') - tied Craven Award * Sharkey, Dempsey, Choctaw, and Joker the horses

1961

Motion Pictures # King Cotton the horse ('' Pepe'') # Spike the dog (''

A Dog of Flanders ''A Dog of Flanders'' is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog, Patrasche, and is set in Antwerp. In Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine and ...

'') # Stubbs the monkey ('' Toby Tyler''); Skip the dog ('' Visit to a Small Planet'') - tied Television # Tramp the dog (''

'') # Lassie the dog (''

'') # Fury the horse ('' Fury'')

1962

Motion Pictures # Orangey the cat ('' Breakfast at Tiffany's'') # Pete the dog (''The Silent Call'') # Flame the horse (''The Clown and the Kid'') Television #

Mister Ed ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which origi ...

the horse (''

'') # Lassie the dog ( ''Lassie'') # Tramp the dog (''

'')

1963

Motion Pictures # Big Red the dog ('' Big Red'') # Sydney the elephant ('' Billy Rose's Jumbo'') # Zamba the lion (''The Lion'') Television # Mister Ed the horse (''

'') # Lassie the dog ( ''Lassie'') # Tramp the dog (''

'') Craven Award * Mickey O'Boyle the horse

1964

Motion Pictures # Tom Dooley the dog ('' Savage Sam'') # Pluto the dog ('' My Six Loves'') # Raunchy the jaguar (''

Rampage Rampage may refer to: Places * Rampage Mountain, a mountain in Montana People * Quinton Jackson (born 1978; nicknamed "Rampage"), American mixed martial artist and actor * Randy Rampage (1960-2018), Canadian musician * Rampage (rapper) (born 1 ...

'') Television # Lassie the dog ( ''Lassie'') # Mister Ed the horse (''

'') # Tramp the dog (''

'')

1965

Motion Pictures # Patrina the tiger ('' A Tiger Walks'') # Storm the dog (''

Goodbye Charlie ''Goodbye Charlie'' is a 1964 American comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds and Pat Boone. The film is about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward. It was adapted from George Axelrod's 1959 pl ...

'') # Junior the dog (''

Island of the Blue Dolphins ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' is a 1960 children's novel by American writer Scott O'Dell, which tells the story of a 23 year-old girl named Karana, who is stranded alone for years on an island off the California coast. It is based on the true s ...

'') Television #Flipper the dolphin ('' Flipper'') # Lassie the dog (''

'') # Mister Ed the horse (''

'') Craven Award * Lucky Buck the horse

1966

Motion Pictures # Syn Cat the cat ('' That Darn Cat!'') # Clarence the lion ('' Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion'') # Judy the chimp ('' Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion'') Television # Flipper the dolphin ('' Flipper'') # Lord Nelson the dog ('' Please Don't Eat the Daisies'') # Higgins the dog (''

'') Craven Award * Smokey the horse

1967

Motion Pictures # Elsa the lion (''

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released h ...

'') # Duke the dog # Vindicator the steer ('' The Rare Breed'') Television # Judy the chimp (''

Daktari ''Daktari'' (Swahili for "doctor") is an American family drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series is an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television starring Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a ve ...

'') # Flipper the dolphin ('' Flipper'') # Arnold the pig (''

'')

1968

Motion Pictures # Ben the bear (''

Gentle Giant Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-inst ...

'') # Sir Tim the mountain lion # Sophie the sea lion (''

Dr. Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 '' The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in t ...

'') Television # Arnold the pig (''

'') # Ben the bear ('' Gentle Ben'') # Clarence the lion (''

'')

1969

Motion Pictures # Albarado the horse ('' The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'') Television # Arnold the pig (''

'', continuing role) # Timmy the chimp (single appearance) # Chauncey the cougar (commercial)

1970

Motion Pictures # Rascal the raccoon (''

Rascal Rascal or rascals may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Rascal'' (book), a 1963 children's book by Sterling North ** ''Rascal'' (film), a 1969 Walt Disney adaptation of Sterling North's book * ''Rascals'' (1938 film), an American comedy-dra ...

'') Television # Scruffy the dog ('' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'', continuing role) # Algae the seal (single appearance) Craven Award * Kilroy the horse

1971

Motion Pictures # Ben the rat ('' Willard'') Television # Arnold the pig (''

'', continuing role) # Margie the elephant, Lassie's family three pups (tie) # Pax the dog (Longstreet) # Otto the horse (''Lassie'', single appearance)

1972

Motion Pictures # Ben the rat ('' Ben'') Television # Farouk the dog ('' Ironside'', single appearance) # Morris the Cat (special award, commercials) Craven Award * Cocaine the horse

1973

Motion Pictures) * Alpha the Dolphin (''

The Day of the Dolphin ''The Day of the Dolphin'' is a 1973 American science fiction thriller film directed by Mike Nichols and starring George C. Scott. Based on the 1967 novel ''Un animal doué de raison'' (lit. ''A Sentient Animal''), by French writer Robert Mer ...

'') Television * Midnight the Cat (" Mannix and Barnaby Jones (TV series) (CBS Mystery Theater), Opening Trailer)") Television Movie * Caesar the Dog ('' Trapped'') Television Commercials (new category) *Scruffy the Dog ( Chuck Wagon (dog food) commercials) Sharon (Lewis) Evans AHA PATSY Award winner 1st Place with "Midnight" the Cat for best animal performance in a TV Series. American Humane Association "The National Review", June 1974 issue.

1974

Motion Pictures * Tonto ('' Harry and Tonto'')

1976

Motion Pictures * Rosco the Mule ('' The Apple Dumpling Gang'')

Trophy listing

The February 1, 1999, episodes of ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local peopl ...

'' features the 1967 American Humane Association Trophy for Outstanding Achievement in Motion Pictures, appraised by Leila Dunbar. On the trophy's base is a series of plaques listing the top winner in this category, matched with the year of the animal's movie work rather than the year the award was bestowed. The plaques list:

References

{{Reflist

External links

American Humane Association
American film awards Awards to animals