The Pets of Old Hollywood Featuring Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, & More

Old Hollywood is known for a glitz and glamour that rarely exists today. Though most modern-day people seem so different from those captivating stars that graced our screens many decades ago, the stories of the love they had for their pets help to remind us that they were just like us.

Image credit to Tumblr and Pinterest. Thanks to The Daily Corgi for finding them.

Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner’s love for Corgis has been well documented.
This starlet first fell in love with the breed while visiting the Queen of England with her husband Frank Sinatra; she witnessed the Queen’s Corgis burst into a room in the palace and begin to wreak havoc. She knew then she had to have one of these dogs for herself. Sinatra gifted Ava with her first Corgi, Rags, in 1953. She would never be without a Corgi again.

Ava owned four Corgis throughout her life: Rags, Cara, Rags II, and Morgan. These dogs were incredibly important to her and she treated them like her children. She owned many Corgi books so she could be well versed on the breed.

Ava would even base her decision on whether or not she would accept a role in a film according to if she could bring her dogs with her to set or not. She even had a funny habit of writing in her dog’s “speaking voice.” She wrote Sinatra many letters “from Rags” and would send postcards addressed from one dog to another while on set. She also wrote on the back of polaroids of her dogs as if she were them – one photo of her dog in the bath had, “In my first bath and I loved it!” written on the back (Ava Gardner Museum).

Ava spent the final years of her life with her beloved Corgi Morgan. They spent many days taking walks and playing fetch in London’s Hyde Park. When Ava passed away in 1990, her dear friend Gregory Peck took in both Morgan and Ava’s longtime housekeeper Carmen Vargas. Morgan lived with the Peck family until his death a few years later; he is buried under a tree on Peck’s former estate (Ava Gardner Museum).

Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr is not only a well-known movie star, but also as a celebrated inventor. She is credited with inventing many things, including frequency hopping technology. Her problem-solving mind was used to help her with her Great Dane, Donnor. Donnor roamed freely around Hedy’s property and she needed a way to better track him down after the sun set. After some trial and error, Hedy invented the first fluorescent dog collar so she could find Donnor no matter the time of day (Wagable).

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn is a name long associated with fashion. Though virtually everyone knows of her influence in the fashion world, few people know that she is credited with – unintentionally – making small dogs a fashion statement of their own. Audrey adored animals of all kinds, but was especially fond of Yorkshire Terriers.

Audrey was virtually inseparable from her Yorkie, Mr. Famous. She always had him on set with her and was often photographed riding around with him in the basket of her bicycle between takes. Mr. Famous even made a cameo in the iconic 1957 fashion-based film, Funny Face.

At one point, Mr. Famous lived alongside a fawn named Pippin that stayed with Audrey and her husband Mel Ferrer during the filming of the 1959 film, Green Mansions. Audrey needed to be bonded with the fawn for the movie, so she fed Pippin from a bottle, let her sleep in the bed, took her to parties, and was
even photographed with the fawn at the grocery store (The Guardian).

“Like Mary and her little lamb, the 5-week-old fawn follows Audrey all over the MGM lot,” one reporter described. “The diminutive actress cuddles the animal as if it were a child. In return, ‘Ip’ bathes her face with moist kisses and runs to her side when she calls.”

“At the end of the day we all ride home together,” Audrey told the reporter. “We have a two-seated sports car. Mel drives, Famous sits between us, and Ip falls asleep in my lap.”
Audrey was understandably devastated when she had to give the fawn back after the filming of the movie and suffered another heartbreak when Mr. Famous was tragically hit by a car while Audrey was filming The Childrens Hour. Mel Ferrer gifted Audrey another Yorkie to help soothe the heartbreak and she named him “Assam of Assam.”

Yorkshire Terriers were not the only dogs in Audrey’s life; she owned a Boxer and quite a few Jack Russell Terriers and was often photographed alongside Poodles.

“I walk my dogs to keep me fit. I talk to my dogs, which keeps me sane,” Audrey explained. “I can’t think of anything that makes one happier than to cuddle and play and start the day with a warm puppy.”

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was very fond of animals. She was so fond of them that her first husband recalls her being sad about seeing a cow in the rain and wishing she could bring it into the house. Her third husband Arthur Miller based Marilyn’s character in the 1961 film The Misfits on her actual personality; fittingly, Marilyn’s character is vehemently opposed to the cruelty towards and slaughter of wild horses in the movie. 

Marilyn’s intense love for animals led to her owning many dogs throughout her life, starting with a small dog named Tippy that was given to her by her foster father. Tippy went to school with Marilyn, who was then known as Norma Jeane, and would wait to play with her at recess. Tragically, a neighbor killed Tippy and the dog’s body was left in the driveway where he was found by a young Marilyn. Marilyn was heartsick when she discovered Tippy and her foster parent’s failed to give her a concrete answer on what had happened to her dog. One blog even published that, “Norma Jeane’s grief and disbelief that he had died painlessly seemed to have been a contributing factor to Norma Jeane’s removal from the family as she is said to have been inconsolable and paranoid of lying.”

A Spaniel named Ruffles was a light in Maryiln’s life when she lived with the Godard family. Later, she kept company with a stray Collie named Muggsie that her first husband brought home to her. Muggsie stayed with Marilyn while her husband was traveling and working with the Merchant Marines. It was around this time that Marilyn’s modeling career began to pick up and she felt the need to move away from her dissaproving mother in law; to do so, she had to leave Muggsie behind. 

In 1950, studio chairman Joseph Schenck gifted Marilyn a Chihuahua that she named Josepha. Josepha was incredibly spoiled, eating calves liver and sleeping on expensive quilts. Marilyn loved her dearly, but was forced to put the dog up for adoption when she had to move into the Beverly Carlton Hotel. Marilyn did stay in touch with Josepha’s new owners; photos show her visiting with the dog at least two years later. 

In the late 50s, Marilyn owned a cat named Mitsou. Mitsou became pregnant and Marilyn was worried sick about her. She pampered the pregnant cat endlessly. Marilyn called her friends with updates so often that one friend considered changing his number. Another friend recalled that Marilyn would play classical music for the cat and even made her a special bed (Our Marilyn Monroe). 

Marilyn and her husband Arthur Miller also owned a Basset Hound named Hugo, who nicknamed Flash. Marilyn would often write letters to her stepchildren from Hugo’s perspective. 

“First of all I will tell you I made a mistake and I am sorry, but I chewed up one of your baseballs,” one letter reads. “I didn’t mean to. I thought it was a tennis ball and that it wouldn’t make any difference but Daddy and Marilyn said that they would get you another one, so is it all right for me to keep playing with this one as long as your are getting a new one?” 

“The trouble is, I think, I miss you and Janie so much that if there is nothing to do here I tend to get into mischief,” the letter continues. “But Daddy and Marilyn don’t mind too much. They always forgive me and pat me on the head.” 

Marilyn and Miller kept adding pets to their country estate during their marriage. They purchased a horse named Ebony and a couple of Parakeets named Clyde and Butch (Butch was later expected to be a female). They also got a Siamese cat named Suger Feeny. 

Marilyn and Aruther Miller eventually divorced and Miller retained custody of their pets. However, it wasn’t long until Marilyn had another dog to keep her company. In 1961, Frank Sinatra bought Marilyn a small white dog that she jokingly named “Maf” or “Maf-honey” in reference to Sinatra’s alleged mafia connections. 

Maf was adopted by Marilyn’s friend Gloria Lovell when the star tragically passed in 1962. Maf lived until 1974. 

Image sourced from Good Housekeeping.

Joan Crawford

It’s a well-known fact that Joan Crawford had a huge love for dogs and animals of all types. A simple Google search shows that the internet is ripe with images of Joan and the many dogs she owned throughout her life. 

One of Joan’s first well-known pets was a Scottish Terrior named Woggles. Woggles had been one of the most famous dogs in Hollywood during the early 1930s thanks to being seen everywhere with Joan. He was in hundreds of photographs and even received swarms of fan mail and gifts from juvenile dog lovers (Joan Crawford Best). Sadly, Woggles passed away at just two years old, which devastated Joan. 

A newspaper article from 1933 stated that Joan and her husband Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. had four pets in their home at one time: a St. Bernard named Jacques, a Scottish Terrier named Typhoon, a puppy offspring of Typhoon, and even a Kinkajou. 

“Woggles and Typhoon were always on the sound stages at the studio when Joan was making a picture, and seemed to know instinctively that they must remain absolutely quiet when a scene was being filmed,” one newspaper read. “There was but one exception to their rule of good conduct. That occurred during the filming of a scene wherein Joan wept copiously. Both dogs rushed to her, apparently to console her in her grief, and the scene had to be remade.” 

Joan owned two Daschunds during her marriage to her second husband Franchot Tone: Stinky and Pupschen. Stinky belonged to Joan, but Pupschen belonged to Franchot. Their divorce in 1939 led to a sort of custody battle over Pupschen, which Joan won, though Franchot demanded “an excessive” amount of visits with the dog. Stinky and Pupschen would prove to be two of Joan’s most famous dogs – you can find photographs of them together everywhere. 

Also among the most photographed of Joan’s dogs was her Poodle Cliquot. Cliquot was another one of Joan’s constant and spoiled companions. According to an article published in The Sun-Herald, “Cliquot is fed on chicken (boneless white meat only) or ground sirloin and strawberry ice cream, which he washes down with a bottle of special brand ginger ale.” 

The spoiled Poodle was also known as being one of the “best dressed dogs in Hollywood”. His clothes for the day always matched Joan’s own outfits; he was often seen wearing velvet jackets with his embroidered initials, “C.C.”, and tailored heart shaped pockets where Joan kept a handkerchief incase the dog needed to “blow his nose.” He even sported a rhinestone collar for special evening occasions. 

The last of Joan’s many pets was her beloved Shih Tzu Princess. Just a few days before her death, Joan sent Princess to her friends in the country as she had become too weak to care for her. Even in her final days, Joan thought about the well-being of her precious companion. 

The Unchained Blend is perfect for those who love dogs just as much as they love Old Hollywood. This blend supports Hounds in Pounds, a “dog rescue that says ‘yes’ when others say ‘no’.”