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Lassie (1954 TV series)
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Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female rough collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. One of the longest running dramatic series on television, Lassie was first broadcast from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973. The show saw seventeen seasons on CBS before entering first-run syndication for its final two seasons. Filmed initially in black-and-white, the show transitioned to color during the 1960s.
The show's first ten seasons follow Lassie's adventures in a small farming community.
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Encyclopedia
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female rough collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. One of the longest running dramatic series on television, Lassie was first broadcast from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973. The show saw seventeen seasons on CBS before entering first-run syndication for its final two seasons. Filmed initially in black-and-white, the show transitioned to color during the 1960s.
The show's first ten seasons follow Lassie's adventures in a small farming community. Fictional eleven-year-old Jeff Miller (1954-1957), his mother, and his grandfather are Lassie's first human companions until seven-year-old Timmy Martin (1957-1964) and his adoptive parents take over in the fourth season. When Lassie's exploits on the farm end in the eleventh season, she finds new adventures in the wilderness with Forest Rangers Corey Stuart, Bob Erickson, and Scott Turner. Following a year without human leads (1970), Lassie finally settles at a children's home for her final seasons.
Lassie found critical favor from its debut and won two Emmy awards in its first years. Show stars Jan Clayton and June Lockhart were also nominated for Emmys. Merchandise produced during its run included books, Halloween costumes, clothing, toys, and other items. Campbell's Soup offered two premiums (a ring and a wallet), and distributed thousands to fans. A multi-part episode was edited into the feature film, Lassie's Great Adventure and released in August 1963. In 1989, The New Lassie brought series' star Jon Provost back to television as Steve McCullough, a man denying his identity as Timmy Martin after learning the Martins did not properly adopt him. Lassie is occasionally seen in reruns and some episodes are available on VHS and DVD.
Production
Concept and development
In the 1940s, Eric Knight's fictional collie, Lassie, became the central character in seven popular MGM films. Rudd Weatherwax, owner and trainer of Lassie's canine portrayer, Pal, took all rights to the Lassie trademark and name in lieu of back pay owed him by MGM. Producer Robert Maxwell then sold Weatherwax on his concept of a Lassie television series with a "boy and his dog" theme. Together the men developed a scenario embracing old-fashioned values about a struggling war widow, her young son, and her father-in-law set on a weatherbeaten American farm. Two pilots were filmed in British Columbia and CBS executives enthusiastically signed the show to a full-year contract. Lassie went into production, debuting on Sunday, September 12, 1954.
In 1957, Jack Wrather, owner of the hit western The Lone Ranger, purchased the Lassie trademark and the show's production company. When Maxwell left, Wrather guided the show through the popular Timmy and Lassie seasons. As 1964 and the show's eleventh season approached, the decision was made to completely rework the show by teaming Lassie with a succession of Forest Rangers. In 1970, however, Lassie became a loner for a season, and, in 1971, when new rulings regarding primetime were handed down from the FCC, CBS cancelled the show. The show then entered first-run syndication for two seasons with Lassie living at a children's home. The last first-run episode aired March 24, 1973.
Pilots
Two pilots were filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with associate producer Rudy E. Abel, writer Claire Kennedy, and director Leslie Goodwins. "The Inheritance" became the premiere episode and "The Well" was filmed to give potential sponsors and network buyers an idea of a typical episode. After viewing the pilots, CBS placed the show on its fall 1954 schedule and Campbell's Soup signed on as the show's sole sponsor. As word spread through the Hollywood community about the series, the MGM legal office halted production and drew up a copyright infringement lawsuit, claiming the studio still owned the Lassie trademark and name. Before court action began, Weatherwax produced documentation proving the studio had given up all rights to Lassie two years before for $40,000. Filming for the series went forward in the summer of 1954.
Lassie's portrayers
The show's titular character is portrayed in the two pilots by Pal, the MGM film Lassie. Thereafter, five of his male descendants played the role. His son Lassie Junior performed through the Jeff years and first two Timmy years (1954-1958), retiring in 1959 to battle cancer. Though he recovered, Lassie Junior never worked the show again. His son Spook was rushed into the series while his brother Baby was in training for the role. Spook was inadequately prepared and never became comfortable on the set after an overhead light crashed to the floor on his first day. Weatherwax, however, coaxed a natural and seemingly confident performance from the frightened dog, and, for some, Spook's portrayal represents Weatherwax's finest work. Spook played the role in the spring and fall of 1960. Baby, son of Lassie Junior and brother to Spook, appeared in the last Timmy years, and two of the Ranger years (1960-1965). His large expressive eyes and unquestionable talent made him an audience favorite. Baby died at eight years of age, the only Lassie not to live at least seventeen years. He was succeeded in the role by Mire who appeared in the last Ranger Years and the Lassie Alone Year (1966-1970). Hey Hey portrayed Lassie during the two syndicated seasons (1971-1972).
Casting
With the pilots written and ready to film, Jan Clayton, a Broadway star and quiz show panelist was hired to play farm woman Ellen Miller with George Cleveland, a septuagenarian with two hundred film roles to his credit, playing her father-in-law, George “Gramps” Miller. Child actor Tommy Rettig auditioned for the role of Ellen’s eleven-year-old son Jeff Miller and found himself in competition with two other boys. The three juvenile actors spent a week at Rudd Weatherwax's home in North Hollywood, California with Pal, and, as Rettig recalled, “Lassie liked me better than the other two kids. I loved animals, and this seemed to be very important to Rudd.” Rettig won the role.
With the show in production, producers decided Jeff needed a boy companion his own age. Donald Keeler (Joey D. Vieira, 1954-1957) was cast as Jeff's friend, Sylvester "Porky" Brockway, after defeating 1,500 other children for the role. Keeler made his debut in the first season's seventh episode, "The Lion" (1954). Paul Maxey was cast as Porky's father Matt Brockway and Arthur Space as veterinarian Doc Weaver. Porky's basset hound Pokey is a recurring animal character through the Miller Years. Florence Lake played Jenny, the telephone operator, and was the only cast member to appear in all ten "farm" seasons.
In 1957, Rettig was outgrowing his role and Clayton wanted to return to musical theater after suffering the death of her teen daughter in a car wreck. The decision was made to find a new boy and ease the Miller family out of the show. Two hundred boys were interviewed unsuccessfully. Wrather’s wife Bonita Granville then followed a friend’s tip and brought six-year-old film star Jon Provost to the proceedings. After one interview (and a few days at Weatherwax’s home with Lassie Junior), Provost was hired with a salary of $350 a week and made his debut as Timmy in the fourth season opener, "The Runaway."
In July 1957, George Cleveland's sudden and unexpected death forced producers to rework the show. It was decided that the farm would be sold, Ellen and Jeff would move to the city, and Timmy would be adopted. Clayton, Rettig, and Keeler were dropped while Jon Provost became the human focus of the show. Cloris Leachman and Hollywood newcomer Jon Shepodd were quickly hired as Timmy’s adoptive parents Ruth and Paul Martin. George Chandler would later join the main cast as Paul’s uncle, Petrie Martin.
As fourth season shooting progressed, Leachman grew unhappy playing a tired farm woman, feuded on-set with co-workers, and proved unpopular with viewers. Ratings dropped. When filming was completed for the 1957-58 season in February 1958, Wrather severed ties with producer Maxwell and dropped Leachman and Shepodd. Bob Golden was chosen as producer while film veteran June Lockhart and Broadway stage star Hugh Reilly were hired in the roles of Ruth and Paul Martin. The two performers made their debuts in the fifth season opener, "The Storm". In 1958, Chandler was dropped, and, the following year, Andy Clyde was cast in the show's "grandfather" role as eccentric farmer and nature lover Cully Wilson. The offspring of cast and crew played background schoolchildren, 4-H members, and church-goers.
Attempts were made (but failed) to pair Timmy with a boy his own age in the manner of the Jeff and "Porky" friendship of the show's first three "Miller" years. Kelly Junge, Jr. played Timmy's pal, Scott Richards in the last half of the fourth season but left at its end. In 1958, chubby Todd Ferrell played Timmy's friend Ralph "Boomer" Bates with his dog Mike a recurring character. Both boy and dog left at the end of the season. Thereafter, Timmy was on his own with no regular pal save Lassie to share his adventures. Jack and Bonita Granville Wrather's daughter Linda Wrather made frequent guest appearances as Timmy's neighbor and classmate Wilhelmina "Willy" Brewster. Notable guest stars during the Timmy seasons included baseball great Roy Campanella, Olympian Rafer Johnson, Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger), and Charles Bateman, later cast in Two Faces West.
In 1964, Wrather grew increasingly concerned about the show's future. Jon Provost was fourteen and no longer wanted to play a child, while teen viewers were leaving the show's homey family format for more exciting fare. Several multi-part episodes such as "The Odyssey" and "The Journey" featured Lassie facing wilderness perils. Such stories had proven popular and the decision was made to take Lassie off the farm and send her into the great outdoors. The Martin family was dropped and Robert Bray, a former Marine and Gary Cooper look-alike who had previously appeared on the show in the multi-part wilderness adventure "Disappearance", returned to the series in his role as Forest Ranger Corey Stuart. Bray and Lassie were teamed successfully for several seasons. As time passed, however, Bray's emotional and alcoholic problems forced him from the show. Jack De Mave and Jed Allan were then hired to play Forest Rangers Bob Erickson and Scott Turner for the 1968 and 1969 seasons. During the Ranger years, the show transitioned to color filming and many spectacular scenic locations across America were exploited as settings for the show. Guest stars during the Ranger years included Ken Osmond, Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, Paul Petersen, Suzanne Sommers, Victor French, and Morgan Brittany.
When the Ranger years came to an end, Lassie wandered alone for a season then settled at a children's home where director Garth Holden (Ron Hayes, 1971), his brother Keith (Larry Pennell, 1972), his college-age son, Ron (Skip Burton, 1971-1972), and Ron's friend, Dale Mitchell (Larry Wilcox, 1971-1972), provided for her. Sue Lambert (Sherry Boucher, 1971), played a veterinarian, and Lucy Baker (Pamelyn Ferdin, 1971-1972), a deaf child.
Writers
Some scripts were produced by writers blacklisted during the heyday of McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee. These writers included Robert Lees (as J. E. Selby) and Adrian Scott, one of the Hollywood Ten who went to prison for contempt of the United States Congress. His wife, writing as Joanne Court, attended story conferences and gave her husband notes so he could do rewrites.
Filming
Typically, there were two dog trainers on the set, each teetering on a stepladder only Lassie could see and waving a chunk of meat at the dog. "It would look as though Lassie was looking at Jon (Provost), but he was really looking past Jon at the piece of beef," Lockhart recalled in 2004. When Provost delivered his line, the trainer behind Lockhart would whisper "Lassie!" and wave another piece of meat. Lassie's head would turn to Lockhart who would deliver her line. Then the trainer behind Provost would get Lassie's attention again, and Provost would deliver his next line. "The sound editor would cut out all that," Lockhart said, "You finally got to where you never heard the trainers. Often, if the scene had gone well, and maybe we hadn't gotten the dialogue quite right, if the dog was right, they'd print it." In addition to the main Lassie, three other Lassies might be involved in an episode shoot: a stand-in for rehearsals, a stunt double, and a "fighter" for scenes involving battles with other animals.
Filming locations
The show's first studio was Stage One of KTTV in Los Angeles, California with the production moving to Desilu in 1957. Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, California, Kanab Movie Ranch, Kanab, Utah, and Red Rock Canyon State Park, Cantil, California also saw shootings. During the Timmy seasons, episodes were filmed at the Grand Canyon and the United States Air Force Academy and, during the ranger seasons, Monument Valley, Sequoia National Park and other locations.
Theme music
Lassie used several pieces of theme music during its long broadcast history. For the first season, "Secret of the Silent Hills (Theme from the Lassie TV Series)," is used for both the opening and ending theme. Composed by William Lava, the orchestral theme was originally created for the 1940 radio show The Courageous Dr. Christian and can also be heard in the "transformation" scene of the Ed Wood film, Glen or Glenda.
For the second and third season, a variation of this theme, titled simply "Lassie Main & End Title", was used for the opening and ending theme. Raoul Kraushaar, the music director for the series, is the listed composer for the theme, however the changes he made to the original are so slight that only a trained ear can tell the difference. The third theme used for the series is an orchestral rendition of the aria, "Dio Possente" (Even Bravest Hearts May Swell) from Charles Gounod's opera, Faust. The exact time this theme started being used is uncertain due to conflicting records, however it is agreed that it was the third series, and used for at least part of season four for the change of ownership of Lassie.
The most famous of the Lassie theme songs, appeared at the start of the fifth season. Copyrighted as "Lassie Main & End Title", the song was created by Les Baxter, with the whistling itself performed by Muzzy Marcellino. Nicknamed "Whistle," it remained the series theme for the rest of the Martin Years. With the coming of the Ranger Years, the opening and ending theme is changed to Nathan Scott's arrangement of the traditional folk tune Greensleeves. An orchestral "Whistle" returned for the series theme during the thirteenth season for the seven-part "Voyager" episode, and would remain the series theme for the rest of its run.
Sponsor
Campbell's Soup Company sponsored the entire 19-year run of Lassie. The company asked that their products be visible on the set and so, in episode after episode, Campbell's products are seen in background shots. Campbell's also contractually required the show's stars to avoid appearing in any film or theatrical production that undermined their All-American images.
In 1956, the company held a "Name Lassie's Puppies" contest with the grand prizes being Lassie's pups and $2,000. Company executives hand-delivered puppies to the winner's homes. Two premiums were offered in connection with particular episodes. In 1958, for twenty-five cents and a label from a Swanson's TV dinner, viewers could receive a Lassie portrait friendship ring based on the one Uncle Petrie fashions for Timmy in the fourth season episode, "The Ring" (1957). The company mailed 77,715 rings to viewers. In 1959, the company offered a wallet "made of rich brown plastic" emblazoned with a picture of Lassie in conjunction with the episode, "Old Henry"; 1,343,509 wallets were mailed to viewers who sent in five different labels from Campbell products. The labels represented 6.5 million cans of Campbell's products sold. Campbell's paid the Wrather Company $7 million a year to air its commercials. The soup company's profits rose seventy percent over its pre-Lassie days.
Lassie was spokesdog for Recipe Dog Food, a Campbell's product introduced in 1969, which was reportedly based on the homemade stew mixture Weatherwax prepared for Lassie. Printed advertisements for the product announced, "Now all dogs can come home to the dinner Lassie comes home to." In its first year, Recipe earned $10 million for Campbell's, and, in its third year, $40 million. To help boost sales, Campbell's paid Weatherwax to write a dog-training manual called The Lassie Method which the company used as a premium offer.
Plot and themes
Plots during both the Jeff and Timmy seasons were similar: the boy got into some sort of trouble, usually with a wild or misunderstood animal. Lassie then dashed off to get help or rushed in to save her master's life herself. After being reunited with family and breathing a sigh of relief, the boy received a light lecture on why he shouldn't have done what he had done. In 2004, June Lockhart described the show as "...a fairy tale about people on a farm in which the dog solves all the problems in 22 minutes, in time for the last commercial."
Two Timmy and Lassie episodes launched Campbell's Soup premiums while two others promoted a UNICEF Halloween project and the Peace Patrol, a children's savings bond program spearheaded by Lassie and The Lone Ranger. The same seasons saw several Christmas episodes while conservation and environmentalism were brought center stage. Some scripts dealt with race and ethnicity with both Jeff and Timmy championing Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Aging Americans were presented in a positive light during the years when Andy Clyde was a cast member. Color filming was exploited during the Ranger Years with Lassie and her friends sent to exotic locations such as Sequoia National Forest and Monument Valley, creating miniature travelogues for viewers. In the seventeenth season, Lassie wandered alone, with some episodes being animals-only. In her final seasons, Lassie found a domestic setting reminiscent of the early years of the show yet enjoyed rugged outdoor adventures recalling her wilderness years.
Lassie themes explored the relationship between boys and their dogs with the show helping to shape the viewer's understanding of mid-twentieth century American boyhood. Lassie was associated with the wholesome family values of its period but some parents' groups monitoring television content found cliffhanger plots showing children in danger too intense for very young viewers and objected to some of Timmy's actions which were believed to encourage children to disobey parents. Lassie, however, was consistently depicted as caring, nurturing, and responsible with a commitment to family and community, often rescuing those in peril and righting wrongs. She was the perfect 'mother' within the American ideology of the 1950s and 1960s.
Characters and cast
Miller years (1954-1957)
Martin years (1957-1964)
Ranger years (1964-1970)
Lassie alone year (1970-1971)
Holden Ranch years (1971-1973)
Media information
Broadcast history
First-run Lassie was televised September 12, 1954 to March 24, 1973 with its first seventeen seasons airing on CBS Sunday evenings 7:00 P.M. EST. In 1971, in order to promote community-related programming among local affliates, the Federal Communications Commission moved primetime Sundays to 8:00 P.M. EST. CBS executives felt Lassie would not be well received in a time slot other than its seventeen-year held 7:00 P.M. slot, and, with the network's other family programs set, the show was cancelled. Lassie then entered first-run syndication with Jack Wrather and Campbell's Soup still on board, and remained on the air for another two years Sundays 7:30 P.M. EST with its final episode airing March 24, 1973. The Miller years were sold into syndication in 1958 as Jeff's Collie. In rerun syndication, the Martin family episodes aired under Timmy and Lassie. Classic Media currently owns the rights to the entire Lassie television series, as well as the Lassie trademark.
Show-specific merchandise
Merchandise specific to the television series produced during its first-run includes children's pyjamas, shirts, and sneakers, Halloween costumes, Viewmaster reels, a variety of storybooks, novels, activity books, and other items. In 2005, Karen Pfeiffer released The Legacy of Lassie: an Unauthorized Information and Price Guide on Lassie Collectibles (ISBN 978-0975887066).
Spinoffs
The original TV series had no direct spinoffs. However, a few subsequent productions cashed-in on the Lassie character and her enduring popularity. In 1973, CBS created a Saturday-morning animated program called Lassie's Rescue Rangers. Rudd Weatherwax described the series as "trash". In 1989, The New Lassie, starring Jon Provost as Steve McCullough, aired in first-run syndication. In its seventh episode, June Lockhart reprised her Ruth Martin role when Steve McCullough is revealed to be Timmy Martin. The viewer learns Timmy was never properly adopted by the Martins and consequently forced to remain in the States when the couple emigrated to Australia. Timmy was then adopted by the McCulloughs and began using his middle name, Steven. Tommy Rettig made guest appearances as professor and computer specialist, Jeff Miller. In 1997, another series called Lassie aired. The show was filmed in Canada, set in Vermont and briefly employed Weatherwax dogs and trainers. While maintaining the "boy and his dog" theme of the original, the series was criticized for relegating Lassie to the background.
Feature film
During Thanksgiving week 1962, a five-part color episode was filmed in the High Sierras called "The Journey". First broadcast in February and March 1963, the episode follows Timmy and Lassie as the two are swept away in a carnival hot air balloon that eventually comes to rest in the Canadian wilderness. The voyagers face many perils before being rescued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Richard Simmons, star of another Jack Wrather property, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, made an appearance while Lassie star, Jon Provost, performed his own whitewater stunts. Lassie sponsor Campbell's Soup objected to multi-part episodes, believing viewers would not want to tune in week after week to find out what happens from one segment to the next, but three of the five segments from "The Journey" hit the top-ten for the weeks in which they aired. The five segments were edited into a feature length film and released in August 1963 through Twentieth Century Fox as Lassie's Great Adventure. The film is approximately 73 minutes in length and is available on DVD.
DVD releases
| DVD Name | # Ep | Release Date |
|---|
| Lassie's Great Adventure | 5 | June 26, 2001 | | Lassie: Best of the Lassie Show | 3 | November 25, 2003 | | Lassie: Lassie's Christmas Stories | 3 | November 25, 2003 | | Lassie: Best of Jeff's Collie | 3 | November 25, 2003 | | Lassie: Lassie's Birthday Surprise | 3 | November 25, 2003 | | Lassie: Lassie's Gift of Love | 3 | November 25, 2003 | | Lassie: 50th Anniversary Collection | 24 | September 14, 2004 | | Lassie: Flight of the Cougar | 3 | March 6, 2006 | | Lassie: A Mother's Love | 4 | May 1, 2007 |
Reception
Ratings
Every year of its 17-year run on CBS, Lassie placed first in its time slot, Sunday 7:00 p.m. EST, and often ranked among the top 25 shows on television. The show's highest ranking years in the Neilsen rankings were the Martin years when the show placed #24 in 1957, #22 in 1958, #15 in 1959, #15 in 1961, #21 in 1962, #13 in 1963, and #17 in 1964. The only Martin year Lassie did not climb into the top twenty-five was 1960, when it ran opposite Walt Disney Presents on ABC and Shirley Temple Theatre on NBC. With the departure of the Martin family in the first episode of the eleventh season, the show began a steady decline in ratings.
Awards
Lassie won Emmy Awards for Best Children's Program in 1955 and for Best Children's Series in 1956. Jan Clayton was nominated for two Emmys in 1957 and 1958 for her portrayal of Ellen Miller, while June Lockhart was nominated for an Emmy in 1959 for her role as Ruth Martin. The show received another Emmy nomination in 1960 for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Children's Programming. The show was awarded a Peabody Award in 1956. Honors for the show were also received from the PTA, the National Association for Better Radio and Television, Gold Star, and Billboard. In 2003, Jon Provost was nominated for TV Land's Favorite Pet-Human Relationship Award (Timmy and Lassie).
Cultural impact
In 1960, the Lassie character became one of only three animal characters to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Jon Provost's Keds sneakers are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. Lassie and the show's stars have appeared on nine TV Guide covers.
In 1967, in conjunction with Lassie's unofficial role with the United States Forestry Service and her perception by many Americans as an environmental activist, Lassie was welcomed to the White House by Lady Bird Johnson. In January 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed into a law a bill that targeted soil and water pollution unofficially called by many "the Lassie program". Lassie was honored with a luncheon in the Senate Dining Room on March 19, 1968 when a plaque recognizing her commitment to environmentalism was presented her by senators Edmund Muskie and George Murphy.
The catch phrase "Timmy's in the Well!" (in response to a dog barking) was used by Jon Provost as the title of his autobiography. He points out that Timmy fell into abandoned mine shafts, off cliffs, into rivers, lakes and quicksand, but never fell into a well.
Further reading
- "Lassie ... My Best Friend". Jack and Jill, November 1959.
- "The Life and Times of Lassie". TV Guide, July 4, 1959.
- "The Man with Dog Appeal". TV Guide, August 14, 1965.
External links
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