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Lassie (TV Series)

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TV Series

The Resume

    (September 12, 1954-March 24, 1973)
    Aired on CBS
    Starred Lassie
    Originally titled ‘Jeff’s Collie’ (1954 - 57)
    Starred Tommy Rettig (as Jeff Miller), Jan Clayton (as Ellen Miller), Joey D. Vieira (Porky), and George Cleveland (as Gramps) Titled ‘Timmy & Lassie’ from 1957 to 1963
    Starred Jon Provost (as Timmy Martin), June Lockhart (as Ruth Martin), and Hugh Reilly (as Paul Martin)
    Later cast members included Robert Bray, Clyde Howdy, Jack de Mave, and Jed Allan
    Last two seasons aired in Syndication
    Won two Emmy awards for Best Children's Program (1955-56)
    Won a Peabody Award (1956)

Why Lassie (TV Series) might be annoying:

    It was spoofed by Mad Magazine as Lizzie the Wonder Dog.
    Six different dogs portrayed Lassie over the course of its run (all were male).
    The third Lassie, Spook, was recast by his littermate Baby after it became clear he lacked screen presence (he is typically not included in official cast lists).
    It’s famous for the line ‘What's that, Lassie? Timmy's fallen down a well!?’ (Ironically, it was never said and Timmy never actually fell down a well in any of his seven seasons on the show).
    It was the result of trainer Rudd Weatherwax acquiring the Lassie trademark in lieu of unpaid wages working on the Lassie films.
    Jon Shepodd and Cloris Leachman were immediately recast as Timmy’s adoptive parents in the season following the original cast’s exit (allegedly because Leachman was difficult on set and did an interview saying she never used sponsor Campbell's Soup but preferred making her own).
    The show’s sequel series, The New Lassie, later revealed that the kid’s new foster parents, Ruth and Paul, had to leave Timmy behind too, because the adoption had been screwed up.
    For six seasons, starting in 1964, it became a giant PSA for the National Park Service, making Lassie a trained Forest Ranger dog (ratings rapidly declined as a result).
    Collies rose in demand due to its popularity, leading to the spread of unhealthy and inbred dogs (many people blame the show for the health problems the breed has today).

Why Lassie (TV Series) might not be annoying:

    It was one of the first TV shows to become a mass merchandising phenomenon.
    The original Lassie dog (named Pal) made his final appearance as the character on the original show’s pilot episode.
    It placed first in its time slot every year of its 17-year run, with the exception of 1960.
    At its peak, the only program that could bump it off its time slot was CBS’ annual Wizard of Oz November airing (otherwise it maintained the Sunday slot for a then unprecedented period of time).
    Fans overwhelmingly prefer the original Jeff’s Collie episodes, which was more of a family sitcom than an adventure serial.
    When Tommy Rettig and Jan Clayton opted not to continue doing the show, it was decided that they would gradually introduce the orphaned Timmy character with his new family, so as not to upset viewers.
    The plan initially went off without a hitch but failed when George Cleveland died unexpectedly of a heart attack. The writers were made to kill off Gramps and end the season with his funeral (their episode with Jeff leaving Lassie behind for Timmy is heartbreaking).
    It had the second longest run for a TV series in the 20th-century (and is the seventh longest-running overall, as of 2023).
    Reruns for the show aired in the early morning hours on the then-fledgling network Animal Planet for years, and was an early cornerstone of its programming.
    It made for a hilarious MADtv parody - Lassie the Snitch ('For the right amount of money, she'll be anybody's bitch!')

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 9 Votes: 11.11% Annoying