The Dog Behind ‘Wishbone’ Didn’t Just Audition — He Stole the Whole Show [Exclusive]

A generation was introduced to classic literature through the efforts of PBS and a quick-witted Jack Russell Terrier on the TV series Wishbone. Now, 30 years later, a new documentary is examining the show and its legacy. Collider is proud to exclusively present a preview clip of What’s the Story, Wishbone?, in which the show’s producers reveal how they chose their dog star.

In the new clip, series creator Rick Duffield heads with the show’s creatives to Hollywood to audition dogs of all shapes and sizes for the lead of the show. They’d auditioned a whole litter of applicants, and none of them seemed right for the part, until their last audition: Soccer, a Jack Russell Terrier who’d already appeared in a number of commercials. Soccer immediately captured their attention with his signature move, a jumping backflip. Furthermore, the dog’s expressive face conveyed a deep intelligence, a trait that would be necessary to portray the literature-loving pup. The series had its star, but the hard part had only begun. To see the rest of Soccer’s path to public television stardom and Millennial immortality, you’ll have to watch What’s the Story, Wishbone? when it airs on your local PBS affiliate, or on video-on-demand when it makes its worldwide digital debut on June 10.

What Was ‘Wishbone’ About?

Wishbone was the pet of Joe (Jordan Wall), a preteen from the town of Oakdale. In every episode, Joe, his friends and family, or even the mischievous Wishbone himself, would encounter a situation that would remind the well-read Wishbone of a work of classic literature; Wishbone’s thoughts, conveyed by voice actor Larry Brantley, could be heard by the audience but not the other characters on the show. The show would then cut to a condensed (but often not sanitized) re-enactment of that work, with Wishbone, in era-appropriate and adorable costume, playing the role of the main character. It featured a wide range of works, from The Odyssey to The Tempest to Sherlock Holmes, and even stories from The Bible, African folktales, and Dakota mythology. The series was filmed on location in the Texan cities Allen and Plano, and ran for 50 episodes, plus a feature-length finale special, Wishbone’s Dog Days of the West. Soccer died in 2001 at age 13; the series lives on to this day in reruns and the memories of a generation who had the series as their introduction to the world of literature.

What’s the Story, Wishbone? is directed by Joey Stewart, one of the original series’ directors, and features contributions from fellow talents like Duffield, Brantley, producer Betty Buckley, head writer Stephanie Simpson, trainer Jackie Kaptan, and actors Mary Chris Wall, Angee Hughes, Jeanne Simpson, and Matt Tompkins. Also featured in the documentary are comedian Mo Rocca, who got his start as a writer on the series, and notable Texans Dan Rather and George W. Bush.

What’s the Story, Wishbone? will make its debut on video on demand on June 10. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Release Date

1995 – 1998-00-00

Directors

Ken Harrison, Rick Duffield, Bert Guthrie, Fred Holmes

Writers

Rick Duffield, Vincent Brown, Stephanie Simpson