Post by Kaz ~;~ on May 5, 2007 13:11:45 GMT -5
In 1954, Lassie made her television debut in a series which removed her from Britain and placed her on the American family farm, where once again,
she was asked to help hold a struggling family together. For the next decade, the Lassie series became primarily the story of a boy and his dog, helping to shape our understanding of American boyhood during that period. The series' rural setting offered a nostalgic conception of national culture at a time when most Americans had left the farm for the city or suburbia.
Lassie's ownership shifted from the original Jeff Miller to the orphaned Timmy Martin, but the central themes of the intense relationship between boys and their pets continued. Lassie became a staple of Sunday night television, associated with "wholesome family values," though, periodically, she was also the subject of controversy with parents groups monitoring television content. Lassie's characteristic dependence on cliff-hanger plots in which children were placed in jeopardy was seen as too intense for many smaller children; at the same time, Timmy's actions were said to encourage children to disobey their parents and to wander off on their own. Despite such worries, Lassie helped to demonstrate the potential development of ancillary products associated with television programs, appearing in everything from comic books and Big Little Books to Viewmaster Slides, watches, and Halloween costumes
=================
Series Cast::
Tommy Rettig ... Jeff Miller (105 episodes,
1954-1957)
Lassie the Dog ... Lassie (112 episodes, 1954-1973)
Jan Clayton ... Ellen Miller (105 episodes, 1954-1957)
Cloris Leachman ..... Ruth Miller (1957-1958)
Jean Clayton .... Elieen Miller (1954-1957)
George Cleveland ... George 'Gramps' Miller (105 episodes, 1954-1957)
Jon Provost ... Timmy Martin (119 episodes, 1957-1964)
June Lockhart ... Ruth Martin (80 episodes, 1958-1964)
Hugh Reilly ... Paul Martin (79 episodes, 1958-1964)
John Sheppard .... John Martin (1957-1958)
George Chandler .... Uncle Pete Martin (1958-1959)
Joey D. Vieira ... Porky Brockway (76 episodes, 1954-1958)
==================
she was asked to help hold a struggling family together. For the next decade, the Lassie series became primarily the story of a boy and his dog, helping to shape our understanding of American boyhood during that period. The series' rural setting offered a nostalgic conception of national culture at a time when most Americans had left the farm for the city or suburbia.
Lassie's ownership shifted from the original Jeff Miller to the orphaned Timmy Martin, but the central themes of the intense relationship between boys and their pets continued. Lassie became a staple of Sunday night television, associated with "wholesome family values," though, periodically, she was also the subject of controversy with parents groups monitoring television content. Lassie's characteristic dependence on cliff-hanger plots in which children were placed in jeopardy was seen as too intense for many smaller children; at the same time, Timmy's actions were said to encourage children to disobey their parents and to wander off on their own. Despite such worries, Lassie helped to demonstrate the potential development of ancillary products associated with television programs, appearing in everything from comic books and Big Little Books to Viewmaster Slides, watches, and Halloween costumes
=================
Series Cast::
Tommy Rettig ... Jeff Miller (105 episodes,
1954-1957)
Lassie the Dog ... Lassie (112 episodes, 1954-1973)
Jan Clayton ... Ellen Miller (105 episodes, 1954-1957)
Cloris Leachman ..... Ruth Miller (1957-1958)
Jean Clayton .... Elieen Miller (1954-1957)
George Cleveland ... George 'Gramps' Miller (105 episodes, 1954-1957)
Jon Provost ... Timmy Martin (119 episodes, 1957-1964)
June Lockhart ... Ruth Martin (80 episodes, 1958-1964)
Hugh Reilly ... Paul Martin (79 episodes, 1958-1964)
John Sheppard .... John Martin (1957-1958)
George Chandler .... Uncle Pete Martin (1958-1959)
Joey D. Vieira ... Porky Brockway (76 episodes, 1954-1958)
==================
Didn't Lassie move on to Park Ranges?
