Trotting Down The Yellow Brick Road
When Frank L. Baum wrote his children's book "Wizard of Oz" in 1900, he didn't even give the little girl Dorothy, a second name. But he did give her a dog named Toto. Baum could hardly have anticipated the book's popularity, but when it became an American success story, 13 more volumes followed, featuring different aspects and sub-plots to the original story of the little girl and her dog who are picked up in a tornado and landed in the strange land called Oz, where there are witches, munchkins, and an assortment of odd sidekicks.
As happens with so many good books, "Wizard of Oz" eventually made it to the silver screen in 1939, with Judy Garland in the starring role of Dorothy. And in the role of Toto, a Cairn Terrier who was named Terry. The dog, owned and trained by Carl Spitz, worked from his hand signals on the set, after spending two weeks with Garland during rehearsals.
The dog was a pro. In fact, she made $125 a week during the filming, more than any of the human stars. It wasn't her first movie, either. That was "Bright Eyes" with Shirley Temple in 1934.
After "Wizard", Terry would make eight more films, retiring in 1942, with a dozen movies to her credit.