Network: CBS, first-run syndication
Episodes: 588 (half-hour)
Seasons: 19
TV show dates: September 12, 1954 — March 24, 1973
Series status: Cancelled/ended
Performers include: Lassie, Jon Provost, June Lockhart, Hugh Reilly, Jan Clayton, Tommy Rettig, George Cleveland, Joey D. Vieira, Robert Bray, George Chandler, Arthur Space, Jon Shepodd, Cloris Leachman, Andy Clyde, Todd Ferrell, Robert Foulk, Florence Lake, Richard Garland, Jed Allan, Carla Balenda, Lloyd Nelson, Ray Teal, Kelly Junge Jr., Pamelyn Ferdin, Paul Maxey, House Peters Jr., Stuart Randall, Linda Wrather, and Larry Wilcox.
TV show description:
After starring in short stories, novels, and movies, Eric Knight’s fictional collie came to series television. Lassie is a very intelligent dog who often saves the day through showing bravery and loyalty to those she loves.
As the show begins, brave and loyal Lassie lives on a small farm in Calverton. She is owned by young Jeff Miller (Tommy Rettig) who lives with his widowed mother, Ellen (Jan Clayton), and grandfather (George Cleveland). A runaway orphan named Timmy (Jon Provost) is found by Lassie and soon becomes part of the Miller clan as well.
When Gramps dies unexpectedly, Ellen realizes that they can’t work the farm alone decides to sell it and move to the city. Knowing that Lassie won’t be happy off the farm, Jeff gives his dog to Timmy.
Lassie and Timmy stay behind and are cared for by the farm’s new owners, Paul and Ruth Martin (Cloris Leachman and Jon Shepodd, later June Lockhart and Hugh Reilly). Boy and dog sometimes share their adventures with friend Ralph “Boomer” Bates (Todd Ferrell) and his dog Mike.
Loading ...When Corey is hurt in a forest fire, he assigns fellow rangers Bob Erickson (Jack De Mave) and Scott Turner (Jed Allan) to watch over her. Eventually, Lassie ends up without any human companions for awhile and wanders the countryside, finding new people and animals to help.
She eventually finds a new home at the Holden Ranch in Solvang, California. Garth Holden (Ron Hayes) runs the place with the help of his two sons, teen Ron (Skip Burton) and Mike (Joshua Albee), and Ron’s friend Dale Mitchell (Larry Wilcox). When Garth leaves to set up another ranch, his brother Keith (Larry Pennell) arrives to watch over his nephews. Lucy Baker (Pamelyn Ferdin), a deaf child, and veterinarian Sue Lambert (Sherry Boucher) round out Lassie’s new group of friends.
Episode 588 – The Dawning
Lassie tracks down a stray calf and protects it from predators.
First aired: March 24, 1973.
What happened next?
The character of Lassie has appeared in several other TV series but none of them have been a direct spin-off of this series. However…
Provost had a recurring role in The New Lassie series which ran for two seasons in first-run syndication. He plays Uncle Steve McCullough, a real estate agent. In the seventh episode, it was revealed that Steve was actually a grown-up Timmy.
It seems that the Martins hadn’t actually adopted Timmy and he also had to stay behind when the couple moved to Australia. He was adopted by the McCullough family and began using his middle name, Steve.
Lockhart appeared in the same episode, playing Ruth Chadwick who had remarried after Paul Martin’s death. She returned to find the dog she’d lost, claiming that there’d always been a Lassie in the family. She ends up finding her one-time son as well.
Though the reunion’s a nice idea, this episode of New Lassie disregards much of the history established in the original series. After all, Lassie had been given to Timmy (not Ruth) and it seems inconceivable that the Martins would simply abandon Timmy after seven years.
In another episode of New Lassie, Rettig returns as an adult version of Jeff Miller. He’s now a scientist that wants to test Lassie’s intelligence. A flashback of Timmy and Jeff was used in the episode.
Behind the Scenes
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| • | The series ran for 17 seasons before being cancelled by CBS. It continued for two more years in first-run syndication. |
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| • | Rettig and Clayton left the show because elderly Cleveland had died unexpectedly in real life. |
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| • | Leachman was not happy in her role in the series and asked to be replaced as “Ruth Martin.” Unfortunately, the producers felt they needed to replace her on-screen husband at the same time and Shepodd was out of a job as well. |
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| • | In 2007, Provost co-wrote his autobiography with his wife Laurie Jacobson. It’s titled Timmy’s in the Well: The Jon Provost Story . Though Timmy had many accidents over the years, Provost says he never actually fell down a well. Actually, the only main character on the series to fall down a well was Lassie herself in a season 17 episode! |
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| • | On his website, Provost says that he kept in touch with Rettig until his death in 1996. He always ended their conversations with “Thanks for the dog, Jeff.” which was Timmy’s last line to Jeff in the TV series. |
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Lessie is in the top shows, in my opinion is the Top show!!! Thanks for keeping this show “ALIVE””!!!!
I’m 47 years old, and I just started watching Lassie a week or so ago. It’s a pretty good show. I read this summary and I didn’t know ANY of this stuff. It sounded so good; especially the New Lassie where Timmy and Lassie are reunited and then Timmy and his mom. awww, I can’t wait to see that one
Lassie series and movie’s have always been a exciting show to watch.. it reminds me of how life is so different now. and how much thing’s meant in the earlier days in our country.. I love the Lassie series, it show love,devotion and strength.. above Lassie was a truly smart dog. who I am amazed to see to do the thing’s she did.. she was like the best dog ever. very smart at all thing’s.. and her adventures with Timmy in the balloon and getting lost on the vacation with Timmy Martin. and to see Ranger Stuart return her after… Read more »
I also just started re-watching Lassie after not seeing it since the 50’s! I had my DVR set to record anything with “Christmas” in it and it recorded a Lassie episode except it wasn’t about Christmas. It was about the Martins getting a new refrigerator! 🙂 That hooked me. Now I’m watching every episode that is aired on FETV and also from YouTube. I cast it from Youtube to my TV. I watched the 2 very first episodes of “Jeff’s Collie”, “The Inheritance”. I don’t know if I had ever seen it. It was so wonderful and moving. Boy, Tommy… Read more »
I watched Lassie and am Binge watching it now and am in season 11 i am enjoying it now at 65 as much if not moire than when i was a child. My only disappointment was in season 7 the 3 or 4 episodes of where the martins went on vacation and Lassie and Corey met they were not a part of it. I just tpday ordered Jon Provost book Timmys in the well should be here tomorrow anxious to start reading it.
Lassie has always been my favorite tv show! I am in my 60s too and remember when TV land aired Lassie the best having the ones with Jeff, Timmy, and Corey and in order, too. It had been so many years since I had seen the show it was almost like seeing all of the episodes for the first time. My main criticism is how they gave Lassie to Timmy and then to Corey. No real dog lover would ever give their dog away unless they were physically unable to care for him or her. They could have had in… Read more »
Where did you find it to binge watch? I haven’t had much luck finding it.
You can watch Lassie in FETV if you get that channel. I have also seen DVR of the shows in the series.
You can also find shows on the internet.
I had to stop watching Lassie as I hate the sound of a Collie’s bark.. It was irritating! I did watch Jeff’s Collie, and remember when George Cleveland died. The setting on the tv show was Gramps (George Cleveland) was in a wooded area and a big wind storm came up and blew a tree on him, killing him.. I hated to see him go, he was a huge part of the story…. I watched Timmy also and thought he was a great little actor…
The good old days!!! Oh how I miss them….
pretty sure that Gramps died in his sleep the episode regarding the tree he didn’t die in
When Lassie came to live at the Holden Ranch, in this story it said Lucy Baker a blind child. Lucy wasn’t blind, She was deaf.
Thanks for the correction!
When I first saw lassie it was when jeff’s collie was on the air. I loved Jan clayton and all the cast . The next time I saw it because of religious reasons we didn’t have a tv for a while ,Timmy was there. Then I saw a few episode of when the forest ranger had her. Then I saw a few when timmy was with his new family.
I wondered if the story could pick up where it left off or is it possible. It has been so long.
Please bring lassie back on tv it was my favorite show of all iam very disappointed it was on every day at 7:00 to 8:00 take lucy off and bring back lassie!!!
You can catch it on FETV if you have cable or satellite (we have Directv, channel 323). Or watch on Youtube. I believe all the the episodes are there from the very beginning.
I watched Lassie on black and white till it went off the air. I am still watching on satellite every day.. If not home on dvr to watch later. I think all families should watch it too. My grandchildren watch it with me and they always say they learn something from all the shows. I will watch till they take it off again and enjoy it just like the first time I saw it. I am 66 and still love the program. Judy from West Virginia and Ohio
As a 50’s kid, I watched Lassie faithfully. I’m so glad that with all the character changes, the producers decided to keep Timmy. He was perfect for the part!
The article, above, forgot to mention 2 important characters that helped make the Lassie saga – Porky (Joey D. Vieira) and his dog Pokey, Jeff and Lassie’s best friends. The stories wouldn’t have been the same without them!
I love seeing lassie we got a TV in 59 i think .i was 8 but i love seeing this dog lassie an timmy wow they were good best friends .if only u would make a movie big sreen .lassie retruns .i use tocry myself to sleep . im from oxnard a farm town lots of dogs on these farms when i was lil.bring lassie back the great return .call me
Trully a family show. I recommend that today’s young people watch and learn the values of love and loyalty.
I’ll never forget the last episode with Jeff (Tommy Rettig) and his mother. It was an incredible tear-jerker!!! The actor playing Gramps had died unexpectedly, so that was a good time to write Jeff and his mother out of the series. In their final episode, with Gramps being dead, they were selling the farm and moving to the city. Young Timmy was going to live with the farm’s new owners. Would Lassie move to the city with Jeff, or would he stay behind on the farm with Timmy? At the end of the episode, Jeff asked Lassie herself to choose!!!… Read more »
I watched lassie during its run. it was a family thing to do,
I enjoyed every episode and my favorite was with Robert Bray and Jed Allan,
I wish the producers of to days tv shows would learn from Lassie Good TV really is and bring
her back on TV , Reruns of the old series , I am 54 still love the program!
Johnny Farrington North Carolina
I watched Episodes of Jeff and Timmy with LESSIE! In my opinion the Episodes with Character, Corey was the BEST EPISODES of Lessie, and watching Lessie TRULY HAPPY !!!! JUST SAYING!!!