(discussing the first series only with Tommy Rettig) ... remembered fondly by the boomers as a simple tale about a boy and his dog, this series, on deeper examination, was everything but. I will share a secret with you, and if you did not grow up watching this show, you will not have a clue what I am talking about. The show was really about tradeoffs. I mean, while you were watching Timmy and his wonder dog (-- a dog who could understand English, maybe other languages as well, bark in morse code, climb trees, tie knots, do CPR, and, if in the mood, chase cats --) have wonderful adventures on the farm, 99% of those watching (ie, the Boomers, those wonderful folks who are responsible for most of the problems in this world now, trust me on this) DID NOT LIVE ON A FARM, DID NOT HAVE A PARTY LINE, DID NOT HAVE A RESIDENT GRANDPA, DID NOT HAVE CHORES, DID NOT HAVE A MOTHER WHO BAKED FRESH COOKIES FROM SCRATCH, and most importantly did not have a dog who (see above) could take shorthand and play Canasta at the same time. To believe that these tradeoffs did not go through our juvenile minds is naive. We understood what we were missing. We understood that knowingly or otherwise we had made a choice. And the producers understood this too, hence the success of the show, it showed you a life you would never have in a place you would never be. I think another reviewer may have mentioned it, but much of the show, like everything else in the world, was not what it appeared to be. BELATED SPOILERS: "Lassie" was not one dog but rather one of a half-dozen or so that trainer Rudd Weatherwax was grooming for the role. (Whether the other Lassies were "aware" that only one of them could play the role at a time is matter for canine psychologists.) Oh yes, one final note. According to Weatherwax himself, Lassie one of the first cross-gender stars in mainstream TV - a male dog, playing a female. That will give new meaning to the catchphrase, "GOOD GIRL LASSIE." OK, enough reviewing. I have chores to do.
Review of Lassie
