Weatherwax was born in
Engle,
New Mexico Territory, the son of Anna Elisa (née Wallis) and Walter Smiley Weatherwax.
Pal became a movie star through a weather-related event. MGM, which had decided to use a show collie trained by
Frank Inn in the movie, took advantage of a massive flooding of the
Sacramento River in northern
California to obtain some spectacular footage for the film. Inn's collie was still in training, so MGM hired Pal as a stand-in for the river scene. Although the work was considered complicated for an animal actor, the dog performed exceptionally well. According to legend, after seeing the first prints, MGM head
Louis B. Mayer stated that "Pal had entered the water, but Lassie had come out," and a new star was born. MGM owned the rights to Lassie's name, but when the series of films ended, Weatherwax obtained those rights in lieu of his final year's salary and a little additional money. Therefore, he benefited from those rights during the program's 17-year run on CBS and additional broadcasts in syndication. ==Legacy==