On a December 1957 night when I was 8 years old, my favorite TV program, Lassie, was dramatically changing in an episode appropriately named "Transition". Jeff Miller, played by Tommy Rettig, then 15, would turn over his collie to the younger Timmy and finish the portion of the Lassie series later syndicated as Jeff's Collie. I was sad because Jeff was for me an idealized older brother and he and his wonderful mother Ellen, played by Jan Clayton, were leaving forever. Yet I was curious to see Timmy's new foster mother and I wanted to witness the formal transfer.
The opening scene marked the passing of Gramps, played by George Cleveland who had actually died before filming began. Suddenly, the picture on my parents' TV set disappeared due to a blown vacuum tube (this was before transistors). The sound remained but I could not visualize the new mother nor properly experience the transition. I was so upset that I stopped watching the series. Years later I heard about June Lockhart's role as Timmy's mother but I discovered the actress only after she left Lassie and began the Lost in Space show.
This past summer I revisited Jeff's Collie through reruns on a local channel. Imagine the lonely widow and her lonely father-in-law clinging to the memory of their lost loved one by raising his son in the highest ethical standards. Above all, there was Jeff, the lonely boy without his father, overcoming all obstacles in doing the right thing, lovingly guided by his mother, grandfather and almost magical dog. Alas, the "Transition" chapter was not shown, and once again, I was left without closure.
So now, after 46 years, I've finally been able to see it on the new DVD by Sony Wonder titled Lassie - Best of Jeff's Collie. While containing only 3 of the more than 100 Jeff's Collie episodes, this disc is nevertheless immensely satisfying. The quality of the images and sound is superior to the broadcast in the fifties. "The Inheritance" starts the saga of Jeff and Lassie. "Lassie's Pups" is a tearful heart warmer establishing her legacy. "Transition" literally concludes Jeff's relationship. Simply flipping between these few stories lets you contrast the beginning and the end, over and over.
By the way, the new mother was not June Lockhart, rather she was Cloris Leachman. June joined the series the following season as a replacement for Cloris. Both women are fine people, but neither was a match for Jan Clayton, who passed on in 1983.
Tommy Rettig is also no longer with us. Death and the mystery of life is especially sensitive to me as I've lost several friends recently, and I nearly died six years ago. Surely you've experienced what are called unexplainable coincidences. I was 46 when Tommy died at age 54. Closure on Jeff's Collie has occurred for me after 46 years when I'm now 54.
Whatever the time we have left, we can take comfort that Tommy and his TV family live on through the Best of Jeff's Collie. Indeed, it's the very best.
The opening scene marked the passing of Gramps, played by George Cleveland who had actually died before filming began. Suddenly, the picture on my parents' TV set disappeared due to a blown vacuum tube (this was before transistors). The sound remained but I could not visualize the new mother nor properly experience the transition. I was so upset that I stopped watching the series. Years later I heard about June Lockhart's role as Timmy's mother but I discovered the actress only after she left Lassie and began the Lost in Space show.
This past summer I revisited Jeff's Collie through reruns on a local channel. Imagine the lonely widow and her lonely father-in-law clinging to the memory of their lost loved one by raising his son in the highest ethical standards. Above all, there was Jeff, the lonely boy without his father, overcoming all obstacles in doing the right thing, lovingly guided by his mother, grandfather and almost magical dog. Alas, the "Transition" chapter was not shown, and once again, I was left without closure.
So now, after 46 years, I've finally been able to see it on the new DVD by Sony Wonder titled Lassie - Best of Jeff's Collie. While containing only 3 of the more than 100 Jeff's Collie episodes, this disc is nevertheless immensely satisfying. The quality of the images and sound is superior to the broadcast in the fifties. "The Inheritance" starts the saga of Jeff and Lassie. "Lassie's Pups" is a tearful heart warmer establishing her legacy. "Transition" literally concludes Jeff's relationship. Simply flipping between these few stories lets you contrast the beginning and the end, over and over.
By the way, the new mother was not June Lockhart, rather she was Cloris Leachman. June joined the series the following season as a replacement for Cloris. Both women are fine people, but neither was a match for Jan Clayton, who passed on in 1983.
Tommy Rettig is also no longer with us. Death and the mystery of life is especially sensitive to me as I've lost several friends recently, and I nearly died six years ago. Surely you've experienced what are called unexplainable coincidences. I was 46 when Tommy died at age 54. Closure on Jeff's Collie has occurred for me after 46 years when I'm now 54.
Whatever the time we have left, we can take comfort that Tommy and his TV family live on through the Best of Jeff's Collie. Indeed, it's the very best.